Does this mix sound nutritionally okay?

[jenn-]

I have a 12ish wk old pullet that has a scissor beak. Hers is mild compared to some, but I do think it is interfering a little bit with her eating (I just thought she was a pig with her head in the feeder a lot). I've read using a deeper dish and making a mash can help her out. This morning I mixed 1/4 cup of oatmeal, 1/4 cup of their crumbles, and about a tablespoon of ground flaxseed into 6 oz of water (this made a little too much for my 6 girls). There's no way to feed the scissor beak separately as she is alpha and needs to remain that way. Does this sound like a somewhat healthy feed choice? How often should I offer the mash if I still leave their auto feeder out as well?

 

[evemfoster]

I have no way of knowing the answers to your question. But if you switch to feeding your chickens Fermented Feed you wont have to make up special feed mixes. You can replace your chickens dry food completely or put out both.

Fermenting makes for a healthier feed and your hen should be able to eat it just fine. And you don't have to worry about it going bad once its fermented it's lasts for ages.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

*I* would not mix the crumble with anything - for a young bird, and one who is compromised with nutritional intake to boot, the addition of the oats, etc is going to have a negative impact on the overall nutrition of what food she does take in. Simply soak the crumbles and feed that.

 

[jenn-]

I have no way of knowing the answers to your question.  But if you switch to feeding your chickens Fermented Feed you wont have to make up special feed mixes. You can replace your chickens dry food completely or put out both.

Fermenting makes for a healthier feed and your hen should be able to eat it just fine.  And you don't have to worry about it going bad once its fermented it's lasts for ages.


https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/645057/fermented-feeds-anyone-using-them

Thank you for the link. I will look into it more.

*I* would not mix the crumble with anything - for a young bird, and one who is compromised with nutritional intake to boot, the addition of the oats, etc is going to have a negative impact on the overall nutrition of what food she does take in. Simply soak the crumbles and feed that.

Will the crumbles be thick enough? I was just using the oatmeal as a thickening agent. I'll probably keep the little scoop of flaxseed to up the healthy fat content.

 

[pdirt]

x2 what OGM said....I wouldn't mess with nutrition by mixing it with anything else. Oats (or oatmeal) is hard for chickens to digest. Experiment with mixing the crumbles with water...eventually you will find the perfect ratio to end up with a thick gruel. If you mix in just a tad too much water, mix it well and wait 5-10 minutes, it will soak up more of the water. At that point it might be too dry and you then add just a little bit more water and wait a few more minutes. Keep doing this until it's a good thick consistency. Measure the amount of water you end up using and you should then know how much water to use in the future.

Once you know the ratio of water to feed, you could also just mix up the next day's meals the night before and keep it at room temp. It will be a mini-ferment...it will make some of the nutrients in the feed more available. This might be easier for you than the whole extended fermented feed process.

I hope your cross-beak fares well. After a year, we realized ours was very slowly dying from starvation and mercy was the kindest thing to do for her at that point. We tried different things to keep her fed, but we were not down for tube-feeding, as it didn't seem like a normal life for chicken to have to live through.

Last thing, go easy on the flax seeds, too much can cause eggs to taste fishy. I don't recall the recommended ratios, but it should be easy to search for on BYC.

 

[jenn-]

x2 what OGM said....I wouldn't mess with nutrition by mixing it with anything else. Oats (or oatmeal) is hard for chickens to digest. Experiment with mixing the crumbles with water...eventually you will find the perfect ratio to end up with a thick gruel. If you mix in just a tad too much water, mix it well and wait 5-10 minutes, it will soak up more of the water. At that point it might be too dry and you then add just a little bit more water and wait a few more minutes. Keep doing this until it's a good thick consistency. Measure the amount of water you end up using and you should then know how much water to use in the future.

Once you know the ratio of water to feed, you could also just mix up the next day's meals the night before and keep it at room temp. It will be a mini-ferment...it will make some of the nutrients in the feed more available. This might be easier for you than the whole extended fermented feed process.

I hope your cross-beak fares well. After a year, we realized ours was very slowly dying from starvation and mercy was the kindest thing to do for her at that point. We tried different things to keep her fed, but we were not down for tube-feeding, as it didn't seem like a normal life for chicken to have to live through.

Last thing, go easy on the flax seeds, too much can cause eggs to taste fishy. I don't recall the recommended ratios, but it should be easy to search for on BYC.

Thank you for the warning on the flax. She is still at least 2 months before laying. Would flax seeds given now interfere with flavor later?

 

[pdirt]

I think the flax thing is only while they are laying eggs. Meaning if you were getting fishy eggs and you reduced the flax, that should reduce then fishy taste.

 

[jenn-]

This morning I did 1/3 cup of their food to 1/3 cup of water and it worked out great! They gobbled it right up. Now to figure out how often to feed them (realize they have a dry feeder out all day so this is an attempt to make sure the cross beak gets enough food).