Can chickens have something really hot in the winter?

[twilightgecko]

i just took my girls out some warm oatmeal with a little crumble and a slice of bread mashed in, with an egg on top..

 

[andreanar]

I put out warmish water in the winter, only because we don't have electricity in the coop and it helps keep the water from freezing too fast. I also give oatmeal as a treat, they love it, I mix in some of their feed.

 

[Wolfgang B.]

Tea? Like brewed? Or am I missing a joke?

Yep, warm water+ tea bag. Served without the tea bag of course. We did that when we thought one of our girls had a cold. For all we know it helped.

Feeding warm food in winter is silly IMO.
It's for the keepers 'comfort', not the birds.
Steaming food can cause condensation to gather on their face/combs/wattles,
upping the risk of frostbite.
They don't care about warm food/water.
My waterer is heated to 68F with an aquarium heater,
doesn't stop them from noshing on the snow banks.

Bringing them 3x warm water a day is no fun, trust me! If we could skip that we'd be pretty happy about it. But it's the only way for us to keep their water from freezing for a while.
However we don't feed them warm food. A tablespoon of cold, cooked ground meat each chicken a few times a week in winter.
Very interesting part about the condensation!

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

I took my chickens some warm oatmeal and blueberries the other day because it was so frigid out. (And I’ve read that warm food is good for them). However, by the time I got it out there it was very cool to the touch - no warmth left in it. Lol Other than just making them a treat once in awhile, I don’t think I will bother with warm foods. Unless it’s tea, I might have to try that some time. Lol

 

[chickens really]

.....We are talking Chickens right....
They don't need anything different in the winter...Fresh cool water and balanced feed..Sour crop and impacted crop happen many times from over loving owners...I have never had one with anything ...The truth is, they don't need warm cereal..._That's your issue to make you feel better...Not the Birds...

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

.....We are talking Chickens right....
They don't need anything different in the winter...Fresh cool water and balanced feed..Sour crop and impacted crop happen many times from over loving owners...I have never had one with anything ...The truth is, they don't need warm cereal..._That's your issue to make you feel better...Not the Birds...

I’ve come to the realization that there is advice given with really good intentions posted here and elsewhere online, but that it is not needed with regards to chickens. My husband keeps reminding me that these are farm animals. True. So true.