Winter Food

[ChieferChick]

This is our first winter with our flock and wonder if we should be feeding a certain type of food to help them through the cold temperatures here in the midwest?

 

[junebuggena]

A nutritionally balanced diet is all that is really needed. They don't really need extra calories if they are acclimated to the temps. Very sudden drops in temp may require a bit more energy, so some extra scratch grain during cold snaps can be beneficial.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I feed the same feed and treats year round. Only difference is an extra afternoon treat in sub freezing temps, when I check for eggs and dump out the ice and refill the water under the raised coop. They have a heated waterer, and unlimited access to 18% layers pellets in the coop. GC

 

[blackdog043]

Nothing special, just feed and unfrozen water.

 

[chickens really]

Hello...We are under an Arctic air mass and it's freezing cold here..-30C or colder..Last night I added a bit of Scratch grain to the regular feed..Generally I do nothing other than regular feed and fresh water..

 

[centrarchid]

As temperature / windchill drops below about 50 F, the chickens tend to increase their feed / energy intake. Feed intake can increase between two and three times with birds spending a lot of time outdoors. They have limits as to how much food they can process, so to stay warm they have other mechanisms that kick in. They spend less time in exposed / cold locations, fluff their feathers, and bunch up.

They also start changing their feed selection habits going after food items that pack more energy relative to the volume consumed. Among the options I provide, shell corn and BOSS are increasingly targeted as temperature drops. Care must be taken to make certain nutrient intake is sufficient so I make certain they consume the same amount of nutritionally balanced feed they normally get when temperature is about 50 F. The additional intake is dominated by the lower cost grain mix making up what I call scratch.

Using a flock raiser type formulation greatly reduces the amount of thinking required and will have lot less to manage in your feed storage and processing area. For me it is fun to see the seasonal shifts in preferences that are also influenced by weather events. Over the next couple days with the cold snap, I will be watching closely how the chickens adjust their behaviors and will do my best to accomodate their changing needs.