Oatmeal for chickens during winter?

[NatJ]

Soaked oats will be more economical.

As would wet chicken feed, which has the advantage of being more nutritionally balanced as well.

I will be trying some stuff out and seeing how they like it

I will be curious to hear whether the chickens seem to like some things more than others, or whether they like all the variations equally well.

 

[Sycamore Hill Chicks]

I would use chicken food + water.

The chickens really like it.
It's properly balanced nutritionally, so you don't have to worry about limiting the amount.
Also very quick to prepare--chicken food soaks up water fast, with no cooking required.
It's often cheaper, too. (Cheaper + healthier is a great combination.)

Yes to.much oatmeal can cause problems

 

[aart]

Anything with calories will release heat as they digest it.
Chicken food usually has a lot of corn in it too.

Exactly!
The whole corn = heat thing is a fallacy that will never die.

I don't think they need 'warm' food, don't think it really does them any good.
Another one of those things that makes the keeper feel good to give.
And a steamy bowl of anything could create condensation on their combs/wattles in cold weather. Wet or damp comb/wattles = frostbite.

Only time I give rolled oats is during extreme cold waves,
I make a solution of Sav-a-chick electrolytes/vitamins
and use as many oats as it takes to soak up the solution.
It's served at my house room temperature and is eaten up pretty quickly.
I've found it really reduces cold stress.

 

[NatJ]

I don't think they need 'warm' food, don't think it really does them any good.
Another one of those things that makes the keeper feel good to give.
And a steamy bowl of anything could create condensation on their combs/wattles in cold weather. Wet or damp comb/wattles = frostbite.

I figure if they eat actual cold food, they have to warm it up.
So anything up to body temperature may be slightly helpful.
But I would not want to serve it any warmer than chicken-body temperature, because I don't want to burn their mouths!

I haven't worried about the condensation, because I tend to serve an amount they can gobble down in less than 10 minutes, so I figure it's not there long enough to cause any real issues. (And I've never noticed it steaming at the temperatures I use.)

 

[centrarchid]

OP, what is your base diet? Layer of 14 to 16% crude, grower / flock raiser of 18 to 20% crude protein, or something else. Supplementing the layer formulations on lower end of protein range with oatmeal I would do only when very cold and energy need of birds elevated. The higher nutrient density feeds I could not hesitate to provide 10% of diet as oatmeal (as dry matter) and go up to 25% with my birds when it gets really cold. Care must be taken such that intake of oatmeal does not conflict with intake of the base diet.

 

[Mrs. K]

The problem with wet feed and cold temperatures is it freezes solid. However, soaked oats or grain, will soak up the water, but the little pieces do not freeze in a solid clump like oatmeal or cornmeal will.

I do not have heated water, so in very bitter weather, I think that the soaked grain can add a little water to them too.

Mrs K

 

[NatJ]

The problem with wet feed and cold temperatures is it freezes solid. However, soaked oats or grain, will soak up the water, but the little pieces do not freeze in a solid clump like oatmeal or cornmeal will.

I had not thought of wet pieces that could freeze without sticking together--good idea using whole grains for that.

When I have served wet feed in cold weather, it would be gone in less than 10 minutes. If it took longer than that, or if I ever found any frozen to the dish, I would give less the next time. The chickens always had free-choice dry feed and I carried fresh (unfrozen) water at least twice a day. That meant they could get almost full on the wet feed, then fill in the edges with dry feed + water before it froze again.

 

[centrarchid]

Mine will consumed frozen wet feed. They will also consume frozen fish (trout, carp, sunfish) and even deer carcass. Process slow but they consume at rate more than fast enough to meet their needs.