Cold Morning Breakfast for chickens

[aart]

Personally I don't think they need a hot breakfast like we enjoy.
It more for the keepers to 'feel good' than the birds.
Of course they are happy to eat just about anything extra...
....but don't dilute the nutrition in their regular feed.

 

[RojoMarz]

Personally I don't think they need a hot breakfast like we enjoy.
It more for the keepers to 'feel good' than the birds.
Of course they are happy to eat just about anything extra...
....but don't dilute the nutrition in their regular feed.

What do you mean by don't dilute the nutrition...

 

[TooCheep]

Corn and oatmeal are both high-calorie, low-nutrition foods. That's why I only use a small amount. You don't want to displace too much of their nutrient-balanced feeds or free-ranging.

I think of it like giving them the chicken equivalent of a hot cocoa.

 

[Annalyse]

Corn and oatmeal are both high-calorie, low-nutrition foods. That's why I only use a small amount. You don't want to displace too much of their nutrient-balanced feeds or free-ranging.

I think of it like giving them the chicken equivalent of a hot cocoa.

Oh yes I only give it to them (oatmeal) if it's cold in the morning and I usually give it to them every week or 2 so no worries

 

[aart]

What do you mean by don't dilute the nutrition...

Yes.....

Corn and oatmeal are both high-calorie, low-nutrition foods. That's why I only use a small amount. You don't want to displace too much of their nutrient-balanced feeds or free-ranging.

.... this^^^

You have to look at overall percentages of protein,
and other vital nutrients(vitamins/minerals/amino acids) in the feed.
Filling them up on other foods/treats reduces the amount of feed they eat,
thus 'diluting' their nutrition.
The fine print on layer feed 'meant to be the sole ration' is not there for no reason.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Corn and oatmeal are both high-calorie, low-nutrition foods. That's why I only use a small amount. You don't want to displace too much of their nutrient-balanced feeds or free-ranging.

I think of it like giving them the chicken equivalent of a hot cocoa.

Well, in a word...no.

It’s a lot more like feeding yourself oatmeal or corn. Some is good, but need a nutritious, balanced diet.

I agree people should have hot cocoa only as needed to warm the soul, and chocolate should be avoided for chickens.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

The fine print on layer feed 'meant to be the sole ration' is not there for no reason.

You’re right, it’s there so you’ll buy more chicken feed! I mean, if makers of human food could get away with it, you’d see the same label on your breakfast cereal.

In all seriousness, a balanced diet is key...but I don’t get why people think that’s harder to do for a bird than a person.

 

[ackie]

You’re right, it’s there so you’ll buy more chicken feed! I mean, if makers of human food could get away with it, you’d see the same label on your breakfast cereal.

In all seriousness, a balanced diet is key...but I don’t get why people think that’s harder to do for a bird than a person.

It's seriously hard to do for a person

Feeding your own mix rather than chicken feed is fine if you do it right and assess the nutritional needs of the chicken vs the nutritional content in the food. just like with humans. but I dont do that so i take a multivitamin every day and feed my chickens processed pellets.

That said, if you are feeding amprolium-medicated (edit for specificity) chick starter, it is actually important for it to be their main ration (90%) or the meds dont work.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

It's seriously hard to do for a person

Fair enough!

With the flock though, I don’t get the “veggies are like candy, oatmeal is like chocolate” thinking.

If you don’t want to think about it, sure, minimize non-feed food. But if you give a low protein treat, compensate with a higher protein food. If you give a high calorie treat, compensate with a lower calorie treat (like greens).

 

[TooCheep]

If you have to "compensate" for a food, then by definition it is lacking nutrients.