I'm not impressed by the nutritionist.
"... a mixture of 50% oats, 50% water, but the higher the percentage of water, the lower the protein."
But the article says to give the chickens water along with their complete feed--doesn't this dilute the nutrition? (yes, I'm being sarcastic.)
The nutrient comparison chart is for 2 ounces of DRY Purina Layena feed with 2 ounce of WET oats. The oats nutrient column shows what ONE ounce of oats has when dry. If he compared them both in dry form, every number in the oats column would double. If he wetted them with equal amounts of water, all the numbers in the Purina column would be cut in half.
On a dry matter basis, Purina Layena has 16% protein, while oats contain 11% to 14% protein (but the table in the article claims the Purina feed has more than double the protein of the oats.)
So either this nutritionist is making a mistake, or he's deliberately misleading people. Either way, I'm not convinced that I should listen to him.
The "links to scientific studies" are equally underwhelming.
--No link goes to an actual scientific study. They all go to articles: cooperative extension or state websites. None of them have references to any scientic studies or other authorities.
--the first link gives a definition of anti-nutritional factors, but does not name which food has what. He might as well have linked to a dictionary.
--The second link says that beta-glucans are bad. Oats are not mentioned: the only grain named is barley. (A google search tells me that oats, barley, wheat, and rye all contain beta-glucans.)
--The third footnote comes at the end of this sentence "Even in relatively small amounts, the effects of beta glucan can range from a mild reduction in egg laying to death." But the actual link goes to a page on antinutritional factors in SOYBEANS. The page has no mention of oats, beta glucan, eggs, or laying. (Yes, it mentions reduced performance, right before saying that different species respond differently--but it doesn't tell what species does what.)
--The fourth link goes to a page saying that feathers, fur, and wool are good at keeping PEOPLE warm. The only references to animals have to do with whether their fur (mammals only!) keeps them warm in winter or gets them too hot in summer. No chickens or other birds mentioned at all.
So those links do not offer ANY real support for the position that "chickens should not be fed oats."
Given that oats are a common ingredient in chicken feeds, just like corn is, I'm sure a small amount extra of either is not a big deal. I personally would offer chickens any oatmeal left over from the family breakfast, but I would not deliberately prepare oatmeal to feed to them.
Despite my complaints about that article, I am a fan of serving wetted chicken feed instead of oatmeal both because it is easier to prepare and because it is better balanced nutritionally. If the chicken coop is so cold that water freezes rapidly, chickens won't eat enough either, because they're thirsty--wet chicken food lets them fill up fast on water and food at the same time, before it all freezes again. (I learned all sorts of things while growing up in Alaska... Sometimes more than half the chickens' diet consisted of two big feedings, morning and evening, of wet chicken feed.)
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