Winter Chicken Feeding Guide: How to Keep Your Flock Healthy and Happy

Winter is upon us, and some areas have been experiencing record lows. 

You can continue to feed your chickens during winter just like you have all during the warmer months, but these tips will help get your chickens the extra food and nutrients they need to keep them warm and happy when it’s cold out.

Feed Them More

Chickens tend to eat more feed during the winter.  The extra feed they consume will help them with putting on extra weight and keeping them warm.

Aim to provide about 1.5X as much food for them during winter months.     

Layer Feed is Fine to Use During Winter – even if they’re laying less eggs.

Laying hens are usually fed layer feed with oyster shell supplemented to give them the proper nutrients for when they’re producing eggs.  However, during winter months egg production typically tapers off due to the cold temps and lack of sunlight (among some other possible reasons).

It’s best to give your chickens a break from laying eggs during the winter so it’s recommended not to try and force them to continue to lay.  Young chickens that just recently started laying will often continue to lay regularly throughout their first winter, though the quantity might be a bit less. 

Despite not laying eggs, it’s still ok to give your chickens layer feed and it shouldn’t cause any health issues. 

Add on the Protein

Extra protein is helpful for your chickens during winter.  It helps with feather growth which will of course add to their natural protection against the cold. 

If you’re temperatures are below freezing and your chickens are in the middle of molting (like mine often are), then you might want to consider switching to a grower feed or something that has higher protein.  

I’ll often mix in a little of the game bird feed I keep for my quail to my chickens regular feed to help give an extra protein boost. 

You can also provide them other protein-rich snacks like mealworms, crickets, canned tuna, etc. 

See –> Best Protein Sources for Your Backyard Chickens

Give them Plenty of Greens

During warmer months your chickens will most likely be foraging for greens around your yard when possible.  However, during winter there’s typically a lack of fresh greens for them to access so it’s a good idea to provide the greens for them. 

Chard, collard greens, kale, spinach all make for great green snacks that will help provide your chickens with extra nutrients.

Some Extra Fat for Added Warmth

A little extra fat on your chickens’ bodies will help them beat the cold.  While eating more feed and extra protein will help with this, providing your chickens with carbs and fats will help out as well.

Cracked or whole corn has numerous vitamins and minerals as well as oils and will help your chickens build some extra fat. 

Warm Snacks for Especially Cold Days

Warmed oatmeal, fruit, and vegetables can make for a great winter snack for your chickens.  Warm, not hot, snacks will help warm your chickens up from the inside out.  You could quickly microwave some fruit and veg, or heat up on a low simmer on the stove and then toss out to your flock. 

Don’t Forget Grit

Chickens store grit in their digestive tracts to help make up for their lack of teeth.  The grit, which is just small rocks, moves around inside your chickens along with the food chunks and helps grind them into smaller bits. 

While free ranging, chickens will often eat small rocks themselves to help with this.  Or, you can provide store-bought grit for them in a separate bowl (don’t combine it with their regular feed).  During the winter, the ground can be frozen or covered in snow making it more difficult for your chickens to free range and forage for rocks, so it’s important to provide store-bought grit to help compensate during this time.