Heat effecting appetite?

[Cowgrl4life]

We've had a recent temperature rise lately, and my chicks have gone from eating about half a 50lb bag of starter a day ( 7 bags every two weeks) to one bag lasting a few days instead of just two. This change is on my ones already old enough to be outside and just seems strange to me. Does heat effect their appetite that much? I'm a bit worried about them. I've got about 100 out there, and I really feel like they should still be eating more.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

When it gets really hot and the birds are not accustomed to it their feed consumption goes down followed by a drop in egg production. Not much to be done for it until the weather moderates.

It hit 100 here for the third day in a row. Only got about two thirds of the eggs we would ordinarily get this time of year.