What do you feed during cold weather?

[Shaste]

I'm new to chickens, and we're expecting our first cold snap. With horses we change how we feed during the winter as they generate body heat through digestion.

Do chickens do this? Do you change what you feed during cold weather? If so, how?

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm new to chickens, and we're expecting our first cold snap. With horses we change how we feed during the winter as they generate body heat through digestion.

Do chickens do this? Do you change what you feed during cold weather? If so, how?

Welcome to BYC!!

We're up in Wisconsin where it can get very cold. Some of us will feed our chickens a little bit of cracked corn (I have silkies) or corn before bed. This is said to help them keep themselves warmer as they work to digest it overnight.

I wouldn't do it all day long though as too much corn can be harmful to our chickens. I just feed them their layer feed and the usual house scraps and other things we do to keep them occupied if cooped up too long.

 

[NatJ]

I'm new to chickens, and we're expecting our first cold snap. With horses we change how we feed during the winter as they generate body heat through digestion.

Do chickens do this? Do you change what you feed during cold weather? If so, how?

With chickens, there is no real need to change the feed, if they have the feed available free-choice during the whole time they are awake. They just eat more of the same stuff, and eating more total food means they have more energy to stay warm. (I know it is not safe to give free-choice grain to horses, so that would be a big difference between chickens and horses.)

Do make sure they have plenty of water. If the water freezes and the chickens get too thirsty, they will not eat (which is not good, when they should be eating more than usual.)

 

[Folly's place]

We feed the same thing all year, a 20% all flock feed, with oyster shell in a separate dish. Occasionally a bit of scratch or scraps, and during winter, with frozen ground, the birds do eat more.
Horses, a different world! Ours graze on pasture, and when it's done, get grass hay free choice. Salt and trace mineral blocks, and a bit of bagged feed most days during winter. All super easy keepers here! Pasture pets...
Mary

 

[saysfaa]

..
Do chickens do this? Do you change what you feed during cold weather? If so, how?

They don't need different feed in the winter than in the summer. It is more important that they don't run out of feed though, especially if you don't supplement lights. They need to eat more and have less time to do it (they don't eat when it is dark).

I didn't change the way I fed until last winter - I fed a ground feed made at the local feed mill. They can't eat the fine pieces in it and that is where the vitamin and mineral mix is. So I mix water in it so they can pick it up easier.

Last winter I tried pellets instead of the ground feed because the fine pieces are the same composition as the whole pellets. I skipped having to deal with thawing the feed when I mixed more than they could eat before it froze.

I haven't decided which to do this winter. Pellets are easier but I think they like the ground feed better - maybe because they grew up on if. I also like supporting local businesses and local feed options and it isn't all that hard to soak it periodically.

 

[Shaste]

Welcome to BYC!!

We're up in Wisconsin where it can get very cold. Some of us will feed our chickens a little bit of cracked corn (I have silkies) or corn before bed. This is said to help them keep themselves warmer as they work to digest it overnight.

I wouldn't do it all day long though as too much corn can be harmful to our chickens. I just feed them their layer feed and the usual house scraps and other things we do to keep them occupied if cooped up too long.

Do you think COB (rolled corn, oats, and barley) would work? I add it to the horses' feed in winter but not sure if the other grains would be OK for the chickens?

 

[Shaste]

With chickens, there is no real need to change the feed, if they have the feed available free-choice during the whole time they are awake. They just eat more of the same stuff, and eating more total food means they have more energy to stay warm. (I know it is not safe to give free-choice grain to horses, so that would be a big difference between chickens and horses.)

Do make sure they have plenty of water. If the water freezes and the chickens get too thirsty, they will not eat (which is not good, when they should be eating more than usual.)

Water is so essential to both! Well any critter I suppose. I've been giving a daily "morning mush" .. just wet crumble fed by hand every morning. The farm I got them from did that to get them to come to hand. With the cooler mornings I've been doing that with warm water and the ladies seem to appreciate it. Hoping that will help with hydration through the winter but have a heated water thing on my list.

 

[Shaste]

They don't need different feed in the winter than in the summer. It is more important that they don't run out of feed though, especially if you don't supplement lights. They need to eat more and have less time to do it (they don't eat when it is dark).

I didn't change the way I fed until last winter - I fed a ground feed made at the local feed mill. They can't eat the fine pieces in it and that is where the vitamin and mineral mix is. So I mix water in it so they can pick it up easier.

Last winter I tried pellets instead of the ground feed because the fine pieces are the same composition as the whole pellets. I skipped having to deal with thawing the feed when I mixed more than they could eat before it froze.

I haven't decided which to do this winter. Pellets are easier but I think they like the ground feed better - maybe because they grew up on if. I also like supporting local businesses and local feed options and it isn't all that hard to soak it periodically.

Oh gosh do you have to soak pellets? I got some thinking they would waste less and they pretty much refused it dry. I feel like such a noob but it's been a good reminder that we all start out knowing nothing!

 

[saysfaa]

Pellets do not need to be soaked.

There is no benefit to adding corn or COB to pellets for chickens (unless you also offer the other elements of good nutrition). Digesting just the pellets will keep them as warm.

I agree with the importance of water. Along with all the other benefits - like helping with digestion - it helps avoid frost bitten combs and wattles by keeping a good blood flow throughout their bodies (having good ventilation in their housing is at least as important for this.) There is no need to mix the water in their feed, though; they would just drink less from the waterer.

 

[NatJ]

Water is so essential to both! Well any critter I suppose. I've been giving a daily "morning mush" .. just wet crumble fed by hand every morning. The farm I got them from did that to get them to come to hand. With the cooler mornings I've been doing that with warm water and the ladies seem to appreciate it. Hoping that will help with hydration through the winter but have a heated water thing on my list.

Yes, I think the wet feed does help with hydration during the winter, but the biggest benefit is just that the chickens enjoy it and the humans feel happy to see the chickens enjoy it

I didn't change the way I fed until last winter - I fed a ground feed made at the local feed mill. They can't eat the fine pieces in it and that is where the vitamin and mineral mix is. So I mix water in it so they can pick it up easier.

Last winter I tried pellets instead of the ground feed because the fine pieces are the same composition as the whole pellets. I skipped having to deal with thawing the feed when I mixed more than they could eat before it froze.

I haven't decided which to do this winter. Pellets are easier but I think they like the ground feed better - maybe because they grew up on if. I also like supporting local businesses and local feed options and it isn't all that hard to soak it periodically.

You could give them dry pellets (available all the time), and also provide some of the ground feed (soaked so they eat all the little bits, but a small enough quantity that they eat it all before it freezes.) Of course that would mean buying and serving two kinds of feed (more bother), but it is one way to get some of the good points of each option.