Feeding warm food in the mornings

[Mtn Laurel]

When I give the girls warm oatmeal I will mix an egg in it before cooking to give them a bit of protein. They normally eat fermented feed so I'll add some of that to the piping hot oatmeal/egg combo to cool it down. That way they get at least some of their regular food and a boost of protein with the oatmeal. I've only got 8 hens so it's easy to fix in a quantity to serve all of them.

I keep layer pellets in a feeder in the coop 24/7 and I keep a waterer in the coop, too. I have it situated so that they can't stand on top of it. So far I've not had any problem with them knocking it over and making a wet mess. The nice thing about having a water source in the coop is that it doesn't freeze as fast or as often.

Everyone does things a bit differently and it takes some time to determine what works best for you and your chickens.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Most of the nation is experiencing record lows and we are in NC too. I gave them warm oatmeal this morning and do on mornings where it dips below freezing. I'm not extremely worried about nutrition when I do this very rarely. I'd rather they feel warm and enjoy the snack on a cold day where they won't get to forage much. If I was up north and giving them warm treats daily, I'd worry more.

...

good point

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I keep cracked corn and pellets in their coop. If I feed scraps or oatmeal I put it in the run with their water.
I bought them suet with sunflowers in it and hung it in their coop. (Is that okay) it gives them something to peck at on the days they don't want to spent much time out in the run.

When I give the girls warm oatmeal I will mix an egg in it before cooking to give them a bit of protein. They normally eat fermented feed so I'll add some of that to the piping hot oatmeal/egg combo to cool it down. That way they get at least some of their regular food and a boost of protein with the oatmeal. I've only got 8 hens so it's easy to fix in a quantity to serve all of them.

I keep layer pellets in a feeder in the coop 24/7 and I keep a waterer in the coop, too. I have it situated so that they can't stand on top of it. So far I've not had any problem with them knocking it over and making a wet mess. The nice thing about having a water source in the coop is that it doesn't freeze as fast or as often.

Everyone does things a bit differently and it takes some time to determine what works best for you and your chickens.

X2 to both of you.

Eveyone has different climate, terrain, setups, purposes and management techniques. There is no one absolute right or wrong answer.
Except perhaps my neighbor that told me he needed replacement hens because his were broken. When I asked what he was feeding, he said corn. Meaning JUST CORN with no pasture access. They were starving.

 

[hennchick]

X2 to both of you.

Eveyone has different climate, terrain, setups, purposes and management techniques. There is no one absolute right or wrong answer.
Except perhaps my neighbor that told me he needed replacement hens because his were broken. When I asked what he was feeding, he said corn. Meaning JUST CORN with no pasture access. They were starving.

I don't have to worry about my girls starving, I give them probably too much. I know the kids use them as a reason not to finish all their vegetables...

 

[shetoe]

so when do you feed them their regular feed after feeding the warm oatmeal on the cold mornings?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

By all means feed wet or soaked feed, but try to make it your chickens normal rations. Soak their feed over night using hot water so that it is not too hot when you feed it. Feed the soaked feed in the morning and outside the coop. The wet feed replaces some or most of the water that is hard to keep in a liquid state when the temps fall to the single digits.

Warm or hot water (like the water in warm cooked oatmeal) freezes faster than cold water or cold cooked oatmeal. But I doubt that with your REALITIVE high

temperatures that it is that easy to see.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

so when do you feed them their regular feed after feeding the warm oatmeal on the cold mornings?

They won't overeat their chicken chow so I keep that available as a dry feed from dawn to dusk. So the regular feed is available to them first, last and in between.
Any other things are in small doses.

By all means feed wet or soaked feed, but try to make it your chickens normal rations. Soak their feed over night using hot water so that it is not too hot when you feed it. Feed the soaked feed in the morning and outside the coop. The wet feed replaces some or most of the water that is hard to keep in a liquid state when the temps fall to the single digits.

Warm or hot water (like the water in warm cooked oatmeal) freezes faster than cold water or cold cooked oatmeal. But I doubt that with your REALITIVE high

temperatures that it is that easy to see.

I ferment feed so it's moist too but when it's below freezing I only put out an amount they can consume in 20 minutes. It's a solid rock after that. Also any probiotics are dead once they freeze so there's no benefit to it.
For about 4 days now, I won't be feeding fermented at all since it won't be above zero today, there's no point.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I don't have to worry about my girls starving, I give them probably too much. I know the kids use them as a reason not to finish all their vegetables...

I understand, I was just saying even though there are many management techniques, it is possible to absolutely get it wrong.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I would be careful about feeding warm food in the winter. Room temperature is ok, but too warm and it can cause their whole system to go off balance. Birds (and most other animals) are not really adapted for warm food. If you are just talking lukewarm then that should be fine.

As for water, it's better to put out cold water than hot water. As another poster mentioned, hot water freezes faster than cold. The best option if you have access to electric in your coop though, is a heated water pedestal for the water can (never use plastic on those things! They can melt) otherwise you will probably have to crack ice out of their waterer about two to three times a day. If I have to do that, I like to use rubber bowls. It makes it really easy to crack the ice.

 

[Mtn Laurel]

I would be careful about feeding warm food in the winter. Room temperature is ok, but too warm and it can cause their whole system to go off balance. Birds (and most other animals) are not really adapted for warm food. If you are just talking lukewarm then that should be fine.

<snip>

That's why I add cold fermented feed to just-cooked oatmeal. I figure that warm is a relative term when it's 10 degrees outside so I bring down the temp of the oatmeal to what feels room temp or even lower to me. It's not even warm by our standards but it's certainly warmer than the fermented feed that's been sitting on the back porch.