OATMEAL IN THE MORNING FOR BREAKFAST

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

is it ok to give my chicken oatmeal every morning for breakfast,,,,sometimes mixed with fruit or plain yogurt or scrambled eggs......

 

[Toothpick]

I don’t know about every morning. I’ve heard some “human food” can have to many nutrients or not enough for chickens. So I always provide chick food and then layer feed once they are older. I add in table scraps whenever we have it. But they don’t get them consistently every day or in place of their own chicken food. I think this way they always have the minimum amount of nutrients needed. And a little extra at times.

 

[DobieLover]

is it ok to give my chicken oatmeal every morning for breakfast,,,,sometimes mixed with fruit or plain yogurt or scrambled eggs......

If you make the "oatmeal" out of chick crumbles or All Flock or something like that it would be! I've done just that. I also use All Flock crumbles for "scratch". My birds don't seem to care. To them, it's a treat. To me, it's completely balanced nutrition.
Give this article a read.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Oatmeal has been found to be problematic when fed regularly.

Lol DobieLover beat me to the link.

I too use their regular feed soaked and made into a mash every morning.

Even in summer I give the mash. It is needed for my crooked beaked bird.

 

[DobieLover]

Oatmeal has been found to be problematic when fed regularly.

Lol DobieLover beat me to the link.

I too use their regular feed soaked and made into a mash every morning.

Even in summer I give the mash. It is needed for me crooked beaked bird.

Primarily, my flock is fed fermented. But I added to the flock recently and can't ferment enough for a full day with the method I use so I make mashes and feed them when I get home from work what they need to get them through the rest of the day. With the heat lately, I use ice water to make the mash. They really love it. I put a pinch of electrolytes in it once a week to help them tolerate the heat better.

 

[Henriettamom919]

Oats as a fast are fine but the problem is they might start forgoing their nutritionally sound feed and wait for the oats. I made this mistake early on in chicken keeping and getting them back on their regular food was a pain.

Now they only get oats AFTER they've had "breakfast" and only occasionally. Now if only I could keep them out of the plentiful wild blackberries

 

[MissChick@dee]

I used to give oatmeal.
And I read all the suggestions to soak/wet their feed I thought well ... that didn’t sound very yummie. Blah blah blah.
Then I tried it. OMGosh!
Just because I didn’t think it sounded good Don’t tell the chickens because they LOVE it.
Takes a bit of playing around until you get the consistency you like to serve lol. It doesn’t take much water or time. I run water over the pellets then drain it. Let it sit for a couple minutes. Fluff with a fork.
In winter I warm it in the micro wave~careful it gets HOT quick!
In summer I serve it with cool water.
The chickens think it’s something wonderful.
So don’t knock it till ya try it.
I was over treating my chickens. Ya know making salad bowls for them seriously I was over the top ~ which was so unhealthy.
Mash helped ME correct the problem I started. And yes they still get treats but 1/4 of what they used to.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I've never given oatmeal to my chickens, even before reading the article.
I make a very wet mash with their poultry feed and refrigerated water during a heat wave.
In cooler weather you could add warm water. Add in some cut up fruit or berries, no citrus fruits.
I find my chickens don't like any seeds or whole grains in their mash made with Crumbles. So maybe no added raspberries.
Some people food isn't good for chickens. GC

 

[noregerts]

I used to give oatmeal.
And I read all the suggestions to soak/wet their feed I thought well ... that didn’t sound very yummie. Blah blah blah.
Then I tried it. OMGosh!
Just because I didn’t think it sounded good Don’t tell the chickens because they LOVE it.
Takes a bit of playing around until you get the consistency you like to serve lol. It doesn’t take much water or time. I run water over the pellets then drain it. Let it sit for a couple minutes. Fluff with a fork.
In winter I warm it in the micro wave~careful it gets HOT quick!
In summer I serve it with cool water.
The chickens think it’s something wonderful.
So don’t knock it till ya try it.
I was over treating my chickens. Ya know making salad bowls for them seriously I was over the top ~ which was so unhealthy.
Mash helped ME correct the problem I started. And yes they still get treats but 1/4 of what they used to.

I know right? Back when I was a new chicken-mama I would get upset if something I gave them, like watermelon for example, flipped over and got dirty. One day I said to myself "Self, these gals are pulling worms out of the mud and gobbling them down like the best thing they ever had. I highly doubt that they care if there's dirt on the watermelon.". Live and learn.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

i have 16 hens i only make about 2 cups of oatmeal uncooked for all of them, so they all dont get very much...they have dry layena pellets available to them all day long, and in the afternoon they get the pellet mash...with cold water to help cool them down, so i do not deprive them of their nutritional nutrients......they love that mash as much as the oatmeal, but they do look forward to it in the morning.......