anyone feed oats?

[Smoky73]

I feed rolled oats, rolled barley, flax, safflower and sunflower hearts mixed with the game bird feed and some wheat germ and red cell to my girls a few times a week. They LOVE it!

 

[Ron]

I throw them whole oats as they come from the bag mixed in their scratch. In fact, some scratch mixes have them also. They eat the entire thing, no hulls left around. I tried rolled also, but mine seem to prefer whole. Just for fun, I sometimes sprout the oats for the hens. They REALLY like those.

 

[Chicken Woman]

I agree with Ron my girls love sprouted wheat and sprouted mung beans. Its a great source of fresh greens in the winter time !!!

 

[CUDA]

Quote:
sorry for hijacking ................... cuda,, what do you feed your game?,, i have a herd of chicks bout 2 months old,, they get game starter, mixed with game conditioner & maintenance, and 3 grain scratch,,, all this mixed together. i give mine oatmeal,, lol,, but just a handful once a week or so.

At two months, my games are still on starter only.

 

[the1much]

Quote:
sorry for hijacking ................... cuda,, what do you feed your game?,, i have a herd of chicks bout 2 months old,, they get game starter, mixed with game conditioner & maintenance, and 3 grain scratch,,, all this mixed together. i give mine oatmeal,, lol,, but just a handful once a week or so.

At two months, my games are still on starter only.

thankies

 

[patandchickens]

I was given a 40 lb bag of whole (hulls still on, unrolled, etc) oats from someone my DH works with who had intended to use them to make those microwave-warmable heat pack thingies but then changed her mind. So, I've been giving them to the chickens a bit at a time, no soaking or anything, and the chickens DEMOLISH them. Quite berzerkly.

Is there a reason for soaking? Do the stones in the gizzard not grind up the hulls? Would it be better to soak them? Too lazy to sprout 'em.

Pat

 

[CUDA]

Chickens have a hard time digesting whole oats. The hulls are a problem for them. Soaking them releases the hulls, which allows the chickens to digest them easier. Some people soak the oats until the ferment before feeding, but overnight will do the trick, and you won't have the bad smell from fermenting them.

 

[dixiechick]

there's a thought....if you feed them fermented oats, can they still drive?

 

[EllyMae]

 

[sarabeth]

I went and got them oats today guess the feed store didnt know what i was talkin about cause they gave me oats with molasses (sp) I told him plain rolled oats cause i was feeding them to my chickens

. does the molasses make a difference?