10/30/2026
Should I give my layers more protein in the winter?
We get asked this all the time.
Laying hens, if anything, need more energy during the cold winter months, not necessarily more protein.
There's an important difference between the two, and it's one that seems to get overlooked quite often.
When temperatures drop, chickens require additional energy simply to maintain their body temperature. They generally compensate by eating more feed. In fact, depending on conditions, feed consumption has been shown to increase by as much as 25% during cold weather.
That doesn't mean their protein requirements suddenly increase by 25% as well.
A properly formulated 16% layer ration is generally adequate for most healthy, mature laying hens.
As they consume more feed to meet their increased energy requirements, they're also consuming more total protein, vitamins and minerals.
There is, however, an important exception: molting.
Feathers are made primarily of protein, and growing a new set of feathers places additional demands on a bird's amino acid requirements. During an actual molt, temporarily increasing dietary protein to somewhere around 18–20% can be beneficial.
But here's the thing: A hen slowing down or stopping egg production in winter isn't necessarily molting.
Shorter daylight hours naturally affect egg production, regardless of how much protein is in the feed. Increasing protein isn't going to magically overcome that.
It's also worth remembering that protein percentage alone doesn't tell the whole story. The balance of the ration in its entirety is very important not just the crude protein number printed on the bag.
And while supplementing with additional grains or scratch may provide some energy, too much can dilute the protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals in an otherwise balanced ration.
Our approach at Guldberg Farms has always been to formulate feed around what the animal actually needs, rather than simply assuming more of one ingredient must be better.
Feed the bird for its nutritional requirements, not for the season printed on the calendar.
More protein isn't automatically better nutrition. Sometimes it's just more expensive nutrition.
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