emergency feed

[magbug]

Hi All!
We are having a heavy snow and my feed was supposed to come today. I have hard red wheat, oatmeal and barley- can I do a combination of these things to feed them until the storm has passed? Do I soak them? I think I have some lentils too.

 

[thecatumbrella]

Someone more experienced will need to help, but I do know not to feed uncooked lentils. They have some kind of compound on them that can be toxic. It's possible that can be removed by soaking/sprouting.

 

[Perris]

I have hard red wheat, oatmeal and barley- can I do a combination of these things to feed them until the storm has passed?

yes, and thereafter if you so wish.

Do I soak them?

if you want to.

I think I have some lentils too.

a few won't hurt but wheat, oats and barley should be fine. If you can add some animal protein in the form of meat, fish or dairy (any diary) that would be better, as it will provide complete protein and some fats to complement the carbs in the grains (some vitamins are fat soluble, so can only be metabolised if there is fat present too).

 

[magbug]

I have kefir I can add

 

[magbug]

Hi All!
We are having a heavy snow and my feed was supposed to come today. I have hard red wheat, oatmeal and barley- can I do a combination of these things to feed them until the storm has passed? Do I soak them? I think I have some lentils too.

also I meant to say hard red wheat berries - to clarify

 

[Perris]

also I meant to say hard red wheat berries - to clarify

yes I assumed that's what you meant. Hard red wheat is one of the best grains you can give chickens. I know others give kefir but I don't know much about it; it's a grain derivative rather than dairy though iira. Got any tinned fish? Sardines have lots of vitamins and minerals besides quality protein, and are caught foraged food rather than farmed.

 

[FrostRanger]

yes I assumed that's what you meant. Hard red wheat is one of the best grains you can give chickens. I know others give kefir but I don't know much about it; it's a grain derivative rather than dairy though iira. Got any tinned fish? Sardines have lots of vitamins and minerals besides quality protein, and are caught foraged food rather than farmed.

Keifer is a fermented dairy product. Tastes and has a consistency somewhat similar to yogurt

 

[Perris]

Keifer is a fermented dairy product. Tastes and has a consistency somewhat similar to yogurt

thanks for the clarification.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

for a couple days, you will be just fine. Soak 'em in kefir if you want. Don't sweat the small stuff.

In similar circumstances, I'd just set your ingredients out in separate dishes, pour a little kefir on each (in part to control waste), make sure they have fresh clean water, and let them self regulate.

They will probably pick favorites the first couple days, I'd expect the diet to look a little more balanced by week two.

 

[debid]

Cook the lentils before using, the grains are fine as is or you can make porridge by cooking it all together. Birds cannot digest lactose so dairy is not a good protein source. I would skip the kefir and just give whatever meat/fish you have available. This is a short term problem so I wouldn't worry that it isn't a complete diet but it is better to not give them foods that will cause digestive distress.