Official BYC Poll: Winterizing your flock's feed: Do you change or supplement it?

[lathorne65]

This is my first year. I don't make them oatmeal, but I do make them scrambled eggs. I guess oatmeal will be next for those frosty mornings.

 

[Hidrainja4]

I live in northern Ohio. I can count on two solid weeks in winter when my birds can't get outside because of weather. I hang a wal mart birdseed bell for them to play with, throw wheat straw down on the coop floor so they can scratch through it. In bitter cold I give them a small amount of whole kernel corn that I rub off the cob by hand and some course grit with that. I give them soaked alfalfa cubes or greens also. I have several breeds of chickens and my Marans where skinny on layer feed only they are considered a meat breed,
so 50/50 layer feed and meat crumbles. Feeding your flock has lots of variables. It depends on what works for you.

 

[Apis mellifera]

It gets below zero with plenty of snow and ice here and of course my flock doesnt get the same nutrition free ranging as the summer. I searched for a quality feed with animal proteins for the winter and it doesnt exist. I found chickens are hardier and healthier when they're given animal proteins during the harsh months. I was surprised to see very few posters include animal proteins for winter. You would think there is a market for winter feeds not just for chickens but livestock in general.

 

[Maggie13]

#1 Layer the run area with hay for winter so they can pick through for seeds
#2 Whole kernel corn or black oil sunflower seeds a few times a week
#3 Oatmeal with chopped tomato or cut up fruit with whole Chia or flax seeds daily during the winter
#4 Year round they always have a full feeder full of Nature's Best Organic Egg Layer Pellets to eat.
#5 Living in the Northeast I heat their waterer giving them warm water to drink on those frigid days

 

[Hidrainja4]

It gets below zero with plenty of snow and ice here and of course my flock doesnt get the same nutrition free ranging as the summer. I searched for a quality feed with animal proteins for the winter and it doesnt exist. I found chickens are hardier and healthier when they're given animal proteins during the harsh months. I was surprised to see very few posters include animal proteins for winter. You would think there is a market for winter feeds not just for chickens but livestock in general.

I give my flock meal worms year round to get them in the coop at night. So that is not winter feed and my darlings hunt little rodents and eat them so I consider that animal protein but it is not nice to talk about and that is year round also.

 

[notachickennut]

As winter wears on, your flock produces fewer or no eggs. They're either still molting, or have just finished their last molt. As they take a break from their reproductive duties and shed their coats, winter is an excellent time for your chickens to replenish their nutrients and grow new feathers.

So when it comes to Winterizing your flock's feed: Do you change or supplement it? Please place your vote above, and elaborate in a reply below if you chose "Other".

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Further Reading:

• Get Your Chickens Ready for Winter
• Top 5 Ways Of Keeping Your Flock Warm In Winter

(Check out more Official BYC Polls HERE!)

We feed fermented year round. The only modification we make in winter is increasing the quantity of whole corn and if we get a great deal on other fatty seeds (sunflower, sesame, milo, etc.) we will add that also.

 

[HappyClucker7]

I keep them on the same crumble feed, but I often give them scratch, crumble soaked in warm water, fatty treats, etc. I also mix in some chili pepper into their treats on especially cold days.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Just want to add for anyone who is thinking of switching an established older flock… I switched my CQ Flock which was 4 years old for the sake of my rooster Hamilton. While all the younger hens in the other coops got the idea with the separate oyster shell, my old girls didn’t and I lost two, one after the other, to egg-related issues. Huge guilt trip.

The takeaway is to switch older hens very slowly keeping an eye on their calcium intake. It was a sudden change of health and since they are CQ and were older, it may have been a disease already in progress. I’ve lost most of them already to peritonitis.

They loved the Flock Raiser by the way and it was hard to switch them back but I decided to put them back on layer crumble. Hamilton - their Roo- is also four years old and doing very well on the layer feed but they also free range and get lots of veggie scraps because this is my mother’s favorite flock.

Thanks for this cautionary tale, @Awakening Forest. I'm sorry you had this unfortunate experience, but thank you for sharing it. I just assumed they would know instinctively to help themselves to the oyster shell if it was available. May I ask, what is CQ?

 

[VicsChix]

I keep them on the same feed free choice year round.
But they do get double Scratch Grains, 2 Tbsps daily per chicken compared to summer's 1 Tbsp daily.
I also buy a bale of Alfalfa hay for winter season and toss a flake into the pen or coop weekly to supplement the lack of greens. GC

I never thought of giving my flock alfalfa. Gosh there is always something new.

 

[Araucana Nest]

Thanks for this cautionary tale, @Awakening Forest. I'm sorry you had this unfortunate experience, but thank you for sharing it. I just assumed they would know instinctively to help themselves to the oyster shell if it was available. May I ask, what is CQ?

Cinnamon Queen. Bred for egg production without much thought to longevity or health.