Is vegetable oil safe for chickens?

[GC-Raptor]

I recently switched my feed over to New Country Organics. I really like that they keep their grains whole and that it contains no soy.
While looking over the ingredients, I noticed it had sunflower and vegetable oil. Based on my knowledge of oils, I know vegetable oils aren't good due to the amount of omega-6 fatty acids. Too much omega 6 leads to inflammation in the body. So that got me wondering, is the oil bad for the chickens too?

Most chicken feed has vegetable oil, labeled as fat, usually between 2.5 to 4%. Some less expensive store brands have less, some expensive brands have more.
Myself I like feeds with 2.5 to 3.5%.
Do make sure they eat the fines in your feed. If they don't then i would wet or preferably ferment the feed.
Myself I prefer a crumble or mini pellet feed. GC

 

[mirintheuniverse]

Whole grain feeds are intended to be fed wet or fermented. The vitamins are in the powdery part (or in a pellet depending on the brand), and the chickens WILL end up deficient if it's not fed in a way that prevents them from picking their favorites from the mix.

Wow, thank you so much for sharing this information! I will start wetting their feed. I used to ferment their feed but they didn’t always finish which led to dried up feed after a few hours. Do you happen to have a suggestion to avoid it from drying out or is this normal?

 

[NatJ]

I used to ferment their feed but they didn’t always finish which led to dried up feed after a few hours. Do you happen to have a suggestion to avoid it from drying out or is this normal?

Maybe add water to make it wet again? (No personal experience with fermented food, but I've fed wet feed to chickens, and I would just add more water any time it seemed needed.)

 

[topochico225]

I'd check this feed out if I were you: https://organicfeeds.com/products/chicken/soy-free-egg-layer-pellets/

I use that product but with soy, but I'm switching over to the soy-free version when I go to the feed store if they have it. My hens absolutely love it, and they've never had malnourishment problems on it.

 

[3KillerBs]

Wow, thank you so much for sharing this information! I will start wetting their feed. I used to ferment their feed but they didn’t always finish which led to dried up feed after a few hours. Do you happen to have a suggestion to avoid it from drying out or is this normal?

I'm afraid I don't.

I feed pellet or crumble and only know about the problem with whole grain feed from members here who have had problems with it and shared the warning with the community.

 

[mirintheuniverse]

I'm afraid I don't.

I feed pellet or crumble and only know about the problem with whole grain feed from members here who have had problems with it and shared the warning with the community.

Okay! Thank you anyways for your help.

 

[mirintheuniverse]

I'd check this feed out if I were you: https://organicfeeds.com/products/chicken/soy-free-egg-layer-pellets/

I use that product but with soy, but I'm switching over to the soy-free version when I go to the feed store if they have it. My hens absolutely love it, and they've never had malnourishment problems on it.

Thank you! I will check it out.

 

[mirintheuniverse]

Maybe add water to make it wet again? (No personal experience with fermented food, but I've fed wet feed to chickens, and I would just add more water any time it seemed needed.)

Thank you! That does seem to be the best logical solution.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Wow, thank you so much for sharing this information! I will start wetting their feed. I used to ferment their feed but they didn’t always finish which led to dried up feed after a few hours. Do you happen to have a suggestion to avoid it from drying out or is this normal?

Cut back on the amount you put out at a time. That may mean having to put out fermented feed 3x a day instead of 1 or 2.

I solve the problem of how to manage fermented feed portions by only offering fermented whole grain feed in the morning, when they're hungry, and then offering dry pelleted feed the rest of the day. If you're hoping to avoid the pelleted feed entirely, then do ferment 1-2x a day and offer the same feed dry during the rest of the day... any leftover powder/grains, add it back into the ferment for the next batch.

 

[mirintheuniverse]

Cut back on the amount you put out at a time. That may mean having to put out fermented feed 3x a day instead of 1 or 2.

I solve the problem of how to manage fermented feed portions by only offering fermented whole grain feed in the morning, when they're hungry, and then offering dry pelleted feed the rest of the day. If you're hoping to avoid the pelleted feed entirely, then do ferment 1-2x a day and offer the same feed dry during the rest of the day... any leftover powder/grains, add it back into the ferment for the next batch.

Thank you! I’m going to try this. Do you follow the 1/2 cup per chicken rule?