Chicken Feed Tips for Winter: Keeping Your Flock Healthy and Warm

​Winter is tough on chickens, especially when the ground is frozen, greens are scarce, and the cold challenges their metabolism. Proper nutrition during the colder months is essential to keep your flock healthy, warm, and productive. Offering winter greens, scratch grains, grit, and maintaining a consistent feed schedule are key strategies. These “chicken feed tips for winter” help your birds thrive until spring.

​Winter Feeding Challenges for Chickens

During the warm months, backyard chickens can forage for fresh greens, insects, and small seeds. In winter, however, the ground freezes, insects disappear, and pasture greens are gone. These conditions mean your flock is more reliant than ever on you to provide all the nutrients they need.
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Failing to adjust your feeding routine in winter can leave chickens cold, lethargic, and at higher risk for illness. Winter feeding isn’t just about filling a feeder—it’s about ensuring calories, protein, and essential nutrients are available for survival.

​Providing Winter Greens for Your Flock

Fresh greens are a critical component of a healthy diet, even in the dead of winter. They provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber that support digestion and immunity. While it may be challenging to source fresh greens in New England or other cold climates, there are practical ways to supplement your flock:

Sprouting Grains and Legumes
Sprouted grains or legumes are an excellent source of nutrients during winter. Sprouted lentils, mung beans, and wheat are great choices for sprouting. They’re inexpensive, easy to grow indoors, and less likely to mold than other seeds. Simply soak, rinse, and sprout your seeds for 3–5 days before offering them to your chickens.

Sprouts are rich in vitamin C, which can boost immunity during harsh winter months, and they provide a fresh, crunchy treat your flock will enjoy.

Store-Bought and Kitchen Greens
​If growing sprouts feels too labor-intensive, inexpensive bulk bags of kale, lettuce, or spinach are widely available during winter. Hanging cabbages in the coop or run provides a slow, entertaining food source for your birds and encourages natural pecking behavior.

Vegetable scraps from your kitchen are also excellent. Chickens will happily consume carrot tops, broccoli stems, or small amounts of cooked squash.

Important note: Avoid avocado, uncooked beans, onion, potato tubers or skins, and stone fruit pits, as these are toxic to chickens

The Importance of Grit in Winter

Chickens rely on grit—small stones or sand—to grind up their feed in the gizzard. In summer, they usually ingest enough grit from the environment. In winter, frozen ground makes this natural sourcing nearly impossible.
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Provide free-choice grit in a separate container so chickens can self-regulate. Be sure to choose the correct size: chick, grower, or layer grit, depending on the age and size of your birds. Proper grit ensures that your flock can efficiently digest their feed and absorb nutrients, which is especially crucial when they need extra calories to stay warm.

​Feed, Scratch Grains, and Winter Calories

​Chickens burn more calories in winter as they work to maintain their body temperature. A full feeder is essential. When chickens go without feed for even 24 hours, their internal temperature can drop by about 2.5°F.
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Balanced Feed
Feed your flock a high-quality layer or grower feed with all essential vitamins and minerals. Winter is not the time to reduce protein or calcium content; your birds need these nutrients for energy, feather maintenance, and egg production.

Scratch Grains for Extra Energy
Offering a handful of scratch grains in the evening can provide a quick energy boost, helping chickens generate extra warmth overnight. Scratch grains are best kept as a supplement rather than a primary feed source, since they are mostly energy-dense and lack the complete nutrition of formulated feed.

Rodent Considerations
If you have a rodent problem, it’s okay to remove feed at night and replace it first thing in the morning. This approach reduces attractants and still provides your chickens with the calories they need during daylight hours.

​Tips for Maintaining Feed Quality in Winter

• Prevent Freezing: Water and wet feed can freeze or spoil in sub-zero temperatures. Keep feeders dry and consider insulated or heated feeders for water.
  
• Regularly Refill: Chickens consume more feed in winter. Check feeders twice daily to ensure constant access.
  
• Storage Matters: Keep bulk feed in airtight containers to prevent moisture accumulation and rodent access.

Top Questions About Feeding Chickens in Winter, Answered

Q: Can I give my chickens kitchen scraps in winter?
A: Yes, but avoid avocado, uncooked beans, onions, potato skins, and stone fruit pits. Leafy greens, carrot tops, and squash are safe options.

Q: Should I provide extra protein in winter?
A: Yes. Feather regrowth and maintaining body heat require adequate protein. Consider mealworms, sprouted grains, or high-protein feed.

Q: What is the best grit size for winter?
A: Provide grit appropriate for your flock’s age: chick, grower, or layer grit. Free-choice access is recommended.

In Conclusion

No matter your climate, you can make sure that your flock's winter feed needs are met with just a few simple adjustments including providing supplemental greens, extra protein treats, and age-appropriate grit.

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