Chickens didn't eat until late this morning...too cold?!

[pdirt]

It was 2F this morning.

At 8am, later than usual, I brought out some house temperature (65F) fermented feed to them and they started going to town on it like they usually so. I also unblocked their dry feed. I came back 30 minutes later and noticed they had barely touched their FF nor dry feed. 60 minutes later, same thing. They were just sitting there, feathers fluffed out to keep warm and several were huddled in a corner of the run, only a couple feet away from their food. I ran some errands and came back 2 hours later and noticed they'd eaten all the FF and were now working on some dry feed. So strange! They usually eat their fill of FF within 30 minutes or so. The only thing I can think of was it was bitter cold, it hasn't been this cold since early November.

They have plenty of ice free water. Perhaps they filled up on water just before I brought out their food, I dunno.

Can a cold snap like that discourage them from eating?

 

[lazy gardener]

My girls diet was decreased during the sub 0 weather, but I don't know if it was related to a bag of feed they didn't like, or the bitter cold.

 

[Sarevan]

My feather brats are doing the same thing, I take out a mash and they peck at it then look like they huddle around in groups for some kind of meeting. Check a bit later it is all gone and back to some huddles. Afternoon I go out throw in some scratch take out the mash container, dump it out if any scraps left in it. They peck it up. Like me I think they are more afternoon birds. As that is when I find the eggs and they are more active. They are eating the pellets and for night the crops are all full.

I agree they aren't eating the pellets as much, the mash I give is the pellets, with fruit and some veggies dribble of sesame seed oil. Then they don't get it everyday but get a bit vocal when they see the container when I haven't given it to them for a few days.