Is feeding oatmeal to chickens ok???

[GardeNerd]

Kacey's Krazee's wrote: HighcountryChickens, could you post or send me your recipe for your flock block? I have been following a thread on here, but still haven't heard of a good recipe. I am not that great of a cook to be experimenting !! We could be in big trouble here if I started doing that!

I am thinking there are others too that would love to know too.

I would love a copy of that too! Oh, yes, please post how you make one!

Quote:
You can officially go stand in a corner.........Brrrrrr!

Yeah, but it is because of our pleasant weather that an old tiny house on a postage stamp size lot, like mine, costs a half million dollars around here.

I think I would trade my weather for the land and big houses in other parts of the country any day! I could have sooooo many more chickens, too! If you look at my website you can see I am a wantabe farm girl.​

 

[Amethyste]

goodness my girls LOVE LOVE LOVE oatmeal. I give to them dry, I give to them cooked, I give it to them whole as a treat <whole horse oats>.

They adore the stuff! Their favorite is when I take the game bird crumbles and oatmeal and add hot water to it so its like a slurry, and add apples/bananas, peas and other veggie scraps, with bits of meat etc from the night before. They SCARF it like they have been without food for months...and I know darn well well they have been eating the pellets cos I watch them lol

I also toss it dry on the grond for them and you would think they get out magnifying glasses to get every single possible last crumb off the ground. Between the dry oatmeal and the BOSS...I have a the surefire chicken bribe lol

 

[MimiChick]

Since it's been on the cold side here, low teens to twenties, I've been giving my girls a warm breakfast in the mornings and warm supper at night - oatmeal heated with water in the microwave, then I add some of their pellets, some raisins, shredded carrots, apple bits, BOSS, scrambled egg... whatever I have handy. Sometimes I add in some vitamins too. They come running out of their roost box in the morning and eat it right up.

The roost box isn't heated and gets down into the 20's at night sometimes, so I've been giving them some of the same warm mash before they go to bed. That way they have nice warm bellies for the night. They've been weathering the cold just fine and seem to be very happy and healthy. I just wish they'd start laying some eggs

They range in age from 25 weeks to 35 weeks and I haven't seen a single egg

. Anyone know what else I can add to jump start them?

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
14 daylight hours is ideal for egglaying, so maybe once the days get longer your girls will kick it into gear. Some folks add lighting to the coops in the winter. I don't, but I know others do to keep production going in the darker months. I am not sure if it needs to be a gradual thing or not. Best wishes.

 

[poultrypatch]

GardeNerd..... WOW !!!! I'm totally impressed with your yard !! What a great job !!! It maybe small but you know how to "do with".
Coop is adorable, loved Gracie and I'm not even a cat person ! Don't get me wrong, dogs more my style. Nothing against cats. I think what impressed me with Gracie was that lovely mouse hanging from her mouth ! :--))
NICE JOB !!! You have much talent !
Liz
Rochester, MA

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
I am blushing Thanks for the compliments, but it is easy to be a good gardener when we have such a long mild growing season.
Gracie, the cat, brings me all sorts of fun gifts like that mouse, I just happened to have the camera handy. I like both cats and dogs. They both fill their different niches in our hearts and lives around here.

After all the talk of chickens liking the oatmeal cooked, I did let my girls try. You are all correct. Even Southern California Chicks dig it!

 

[Amethyste]

Quote:
Welll, not sure how apt this is to YOUR situation, but I sat my girls down and had THE TALK with them. Explained to them that they were all getting to the age when they should be helping their elders pay the egg rent, and that they should all be good girls and get to business...because no eggs=no melons/etc!!! I explained to them that they were expected to pull their weight, and no matter HOW adorable they were coming up to me and attempting to peep at me, that it was not going to work, cos I am HEAD HEN , and my word was law. They were all about 22 weeks old at the time. I then brought out the big guns...the KFC picture and ceremoniously hung it up in the coop.

I had an egg the following day LOL I dont think the KFC pic actually worked but the timing was funny

My DH listened to me lecturing the girls and thought it was hilarious cos they were all in front of me in a group watching me intently, seemingly listening to everything I was saying....and cocking their head and bokking at the right times and everything. He said it sounded like I was talking to a bunch of teenagers lol

 

[GardeNerd]

Quote:
Welll, not sure how apt this is to YOUR situation, but I sat my girls down and had THE TALK with them. Explained to them that they were all getting to the age when they should be helping their elders pay the egg rent, and that they should all be good girls and get to business...because no eggs=no melons/etc!!! I explained to them that they were expected to pull their weight, and no matter HOW adorable they were coming up to me and attempting to peep at me, that it was not going to work, cos I am HEAD HEN , and my word was law. They were all about 22 weeks old at the time. I then brought out the big guns...the KFC picture and ceremoniously hung it up in the coop.

I had an egg the following day LOL I dont think the KFC pic actually worked but the timing was funny

My DH listened to me lecturing the girls and thought it was hilarious cos they were all in front of me in a group watching me intently, seemingly listening to everything I was saying....and cocking their head and bokking at the right times and everything. He said it sounded like I was talking to a bunch of teenagers lol

"The Talk" according to my neighbor is putting fake eggs in their nest boxes. I never realized anyone actually HAD the talk with them.

 

[Amethyste]

Quote:
Welll, not sure how apt this is to YOUR situation, but I sat my girls down and had THE TALK with them. Explained to them that they were all getting to the age when they should be helping their elders pay the egg rent, and that they should all be good girls and get to business...because no eggs=no melons/etc!!! I explained to them that they were expected to pull their weight, and no matter HOW adorable they were coming up to me and attempting to peep at me, that it was not going to work, cos I am HEAD HEN , and my word was law. They were all about 22 weeks old at the time. I then brought out the big guns...the KFC picture and ceremoniously hung it up in the coop.

I had an egg the following day LOL I dont think the KFC pic actually worked but the timing was funny

My DH listened to me lecturing the girls and thought it was hilarious cos they were all in front of me in a group watching me intently, seemingly listening to everything I was saying....and cocking their head and bokking at the right times and everything. He said it sounded like I was talking to a bunch of teenagers lol

"The Talk" according to my neighbor is putting fake eggs in their nest boxes. I never realized anyone actually HAD the talk with them.

Oh I did that too with the golf balls...but they mysteriously disappeared...they just came back yesterday and we have no idea where they have been. We cleaned out the entire coop and went thru shavings looking for them , and no golf balls. They were BRIGHT pink and purple so they would have been obvious.

But they just showed up back in the orginal spot in the nesting area...and no one but me and DH have keys to coop lol I think the girls are doing this on purpose. The golf balls were NOT in the coop lol so I don't have a clue who ran off with them.

 

[makohl]

i think it makes one of my silkies sick? anyone ever had a problem with that? very cornfused!!!