not eating as much in summer

[Lenka]

So I moved my chickens to a "summer coop"- they are in a fenced in area near lots of horse manure and compost dirt and grass- bug and chicken heaven really. I've noticed that my girls arent eating as much of their layer feed. I don't know if its because they are getting enough nutrition from what every they find in the dirt, or the feeder, which is in the coop- is too far away.

I picked one of them up today, and i could easily feel their keel bone and their crop didn't feel full (this was at the end of the day)

does this seem normal? if not, what should I do?

 

[triplepurpose]

Congratulations, they're foraging!

If I understand your set up correctly--as long as they are able to access the food, they would find and eat it if they really needed to. I'm sure they prefer the things they're finding outside better. Personally I don't buy the whole "full crop test" notion--chickens, especially foraging ones, don't need to have gorged themselves chock full with a swollen crop by every evening in order to be getting enough nutrition.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Yep, they are just foraging. That's going to reduce those feed costs!!