Am I doing something wrong?

[aart]

I would be shocked to find that "greens are also unnecessary" is actually true.

They aren't necessary, but most won't hurt them in moderation.

 

[Nova Scotia Homestead]

I researched your question in length.
Don't give your hens the oatmeal. That information came from scientific studies.it has a gluten in it that causes long term damage. The gluten also prevent the birds from absorbing nutrients from their other food(their feed bag).
The professionals are also saying that even in small amounts...the effects can range from minor....right up to death. So I think it's safe to say it's best to just NOT. Just like every human is different...every bird is different. While one bird might only get minor problems...another bird might die. You could be causing long term damage internally that your not even aware of because you can't see the effects on the outside. In other words....if you want your bird to live the longest possible life....don't give them the oatmeal.
While researching that....I also found out that giving your chickens warm food to help them warm up from the cold....acctually does not help them warm up. Rather....a higher protein diet helps them warm up.
However oatmeal does not have higher protein than their feed bag. And if they eat the oatmeal, which has less protein....then they don't eat as much feed that they normally would...which lowers there overall protein intake, which in turn makes them colder...and they also stop producing as many eggs in the winter.
Here is how I give my chickens extra protein. Cook your brocken egg shells in your oven at 350 degrees fareinheight for 10 minutes. It's fine if you cook longer...but 10 minutes of that heat is required. After they are done....crush the eggs shells into tiny prices. Your birds will eat this, it's extremely healthy for them, also one of the healthiest snacks even possible for them. It's also high in protein. You can also cook them whole eggs but you need to mash it down for them. Never give them large pieces or they might mistake their own eggs as food. And this is an issue that that is hard to undo for chickens once they start.
I also buy oyster shells which is available at the feed store for chickens. It's is VERY inexpensive, and very important for them.
The feed you buy from the feed store....has been scientifically calculated to include absolutely every nutrient that they need. The only time you should change this feed is in the winter by adding more very HiGH protien food. Many people switch to meat bird feed for the winter months, because it has a higher protien count.. I don't. But you can. It works.

They have hay in there run so the grounds not cold. But so is the oatmeal method I'm doing okay for them? What warm other healthy things can I give them to stay warm in the morning?

 

[Annalyse]

https://www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed/education/detail/tips-for-raising-chickens-in-winter

That's the link for all.

 

[Nova Scotia Homestead]

For anyone who wantsto read up about this oat meal talk..... I've left an educational link for your reading with information from professionals.
"The Shocking Effect of an Oatmeal Breakfast on Chickens | The Chicken Chick®" https://the-chicken-chick.com/the-shocking-effect-of-oatmeal/

 

[Annalyse]

I researched your question in length.
Don't give your hens the oatmeal. That information came from scientific studies.it has gluten in it that causes long term damage. The gluten also prevents the birds from absorbing nutrients from their other food(their feed bag).
The professionals are also saying that even in small amounts...the effects can range from minor....right up to death. So I think it's safe to say it's best to just NOT. Just like every human is different...every bird is different. While one bird might only get minor problems...another bird might die. You could be causing long-term damage internally that your not even aware of because you can't see the effects on the outside. In other words...if you want your bird to live the longest possible life....don't give them the oatmeal.
While researching that...I also found out that giving your chickens warm food to help them warm up from the cold....actually does not help them warm up. Rather....a higher protein diet helps them warm up.
However oatmeal does not have higher protein than their feed bag. And if they eat the oatmeal, which has less protein....then they don't eat as much feed that they normally would...which lowers their overall protein intake, which in turn makes them colder...and they also stop producing as many eggs in the winter.
Here is how I give my chickens extra protein. Cook your broken eggshells in your oven at 350 degrees fareinheight for 10 minutes. It's fine if you cook longer...but 10 minutes of that heat is required. After they are done....crush the eggs shells into tiny prices. Your birds will eat this, it's extremely healthy for them, also one of the healthiest snacks even possible for them. It's also high in protein. You can also cook them whole eggs but you need to mash it down for them. Never give them large pieces or they might mistake their own eggs as food. And this is an issue that that is hard to undo for chickens once they start.
I also buy oyster shells which are available at the feed store for chickens. It's is VERY inexpensive, and very important for them.
The feed you buy from the feed store....has been scientifically calculated to include absolutely every nutrient that they need. The only time you should change this feed is in the winter by adding more very HiGH protein food. Many people switch to meat bird feed for the winter months, because it has a higher protein count. I don't. But you can. It works.

Will they be okay since they've already have had oatmeal? They haven't had it in a month I think so. Maybe more than a month idk. I do have an oyster shell for them but They only rarely use it unless it's in my hand then they go crazy lol. I heard about the eggshell thing but was confusing when I read it online. Your explanation is very less confusing lol. They seem to love the oatmeal but if it's bad for them I will stop. I've given them scrambled eggs but not a favorite of theirs. In the summer though we give them some watermelon

 

[Allthefloofs]

Chicken don't need warm food....that's more for the keeper to feel good.
All they need is a good chicken ration and fresh water.



Would be good to add a link to where you found this.

I was thinking just this today! I watched the ladies run out onto the crispy frost covered grass with sheer joy and I realized they don't need it, it's a me thing. Besides, we are in Scottsdale! I need to let them have their lovely cold days and enjoy them before the scorching heat comes back!

 

[springvalley123]

I would be shocked to find that "greens are also unnecessary" is actually true. I've seen so many chickens eating whatever greens they can get either from foraging, raiding gardens, or picking what they want from yard and kitchen scraps. I suppose for my own human diet you could say greens are unnecessary, if I were eating a balanced feed pellet diet that gives me all the recommended daily nutrients, so maybe that was what the source was referring to.

I know someone who suddenly fed her hens a bunch of (still fresh) extra produce and they stopped laying. I also think that when birds are foraging, they're eating plenty of bugs off the leaves or just under the surface of theground, along with the weed seeds and weeds.

 

[Allthefloofs]

I've never fed oatmeal to my chickens.
I don't feed wet feed during winter season.

I do make a wet mash with chicken feed during the summer with cold water, a 1/4 cup dry per chicken.View attachment 2437587
If you want to feed them something warm, I would make a wet mash with regular feed, crumbles is what I feed, but pellets would work, just have to wait a couple of minutes to soak up the warm water. GC

What is the consistency of the mash when you are done mixing? I want to do this for my girls next summer, it gets so hot here in Scottsdale and I think they would love this.

 

[ADKcluckers]

I know someone who suddenly fed her hens a bunch of (still fresh) extra produce and they stopped laying.

I wonder if it was the result of what type of produce they fed them? I was in the habit of taking just about everything that came from my garden weeding and trimming to the a pile that my flock would peck and scratch through daily, and after losing one bird to what looked to be a digestive problem I found that several things I was giving them were either toxic, unhealthy, or known to cause egg problems. Now I am more careful about what goes to the girls and what goes to the compost bins. My initial thought that they'd know what to avoid on their own was surely wrong.

 

[ADKcluckers]

What is the consistency of the mash when you are done mixing?

Funny enough, when I do this with layer crumbles the consistency my girls seem to prefer is pretty much how I like my oatmeal - slides off a spoon but not runny.