emergency feed

[debid]

Oh, and if you have tallow or lard in your cabinet, this is a good fat for them. I'd toss some in the porridge, especially if you don't have meat to give. Any beans and rice you have are also fine, just cook them.

 

[saysfaa]

... Birds cannot digest lactose so dairy is not a good protein source...

Milk, skim milk, sour milk, buttermilk, clobber, whey, and other dairy products were common in rations developed by the universities who did wide scale, systematic research of feeds for livestock. The main downside was they tended to cost more than other protein sources unless the chickens were on farms that had also had milk cows.* Most farms and a surprising number of people in towns did then.

I expect chickens don't make lactase so probably don't digest lactose; at least not the way people do. But it didn't cause problems for the chickens when milk products were the main protein source.

Even then, it cost more if the milk could be used other ways. But often there are times there was some that didn't have better uses.