Hfcomms
EN66iq
Being that this will be the first winter with my chickens I'm wondering about feeding changes. I use a PVC feeder with pellets and supplement them with a handful of scratch grains when I let them out in the morning and I bribe them with a handful to get them back in the coop when I leave for work.
I am still giving them 14 hours of light using a timer so they continue to lay this winter but with the cold weather I know they need more calories in order to stay warm and am considering throwing in a handful of corn before they bed down for the night as that should give them extra calories/carbs to keep the metabolism up at night to give them more warmth.
Is corn a good option or is there a different grain a little more calorie dense that would work better? FWIW I use an open front design and have already used the plexiglass on the windows to keep down the drafts and will put a cover on the bottom 2/3rd of the front of the coop during the winter.
I am still giving them 14 hours of light using a timer so they continue to lay this winter but with the cold weather I know they need more calories in order to stay warm and am considering throwing in a handful of corn before they bed down for the night as that should give them extra calories/carbs to keep the metabolism up at night to give them more warmth.
Is corn a good option or is there a different grain a little more calorie dense that would work better? FWIW I use an open front design and have already used the plexiglass on the windows to keep down the drafts and will put a cover on the bottom 2/3rd of the front of the coop during the winter.