oatmeal????

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Yea I know they like it, but does it have to be cooked?

Mine love it uncooked and that is the only way to get them back in the coop at night. My Barred Rock seems to like it the best and will follow and sit in my lap for it.

Please say it is ok Please.

 

[mudhen]

I don't feed it cooked. Never thought to try rolled oats though.
I've been mixing in whole oats in their feed mixture.
I think it's rice that must be cooked to feed it to chickens.

Sorry, I'm not much help, am I? Guess I'll keep an eye out here and learn something too when some wise sage posts and answer.....

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Thanks the oatmeal they eat is what you would eat for breakfast my kids thought they would like at once and now they are hooked

 

[Heidi]

I've been feeding my chickens a hand full of Old Fashion Quaker Oats about twice a week since they were 8 weeks old (they are 19 weeks now). So far there hasn't been any ill effects. I did read a thread a couple months ago and they were feeding theirs only whole - organic oats.

 

[dlhunicorn]

their basic feed has specific enzymes added when grains are in the feed to deal with anti-nutritional factors (human grade oats will be less of a problem and is easier for them to digest and absorb the nutrients from)... pellets, well heat (i.e. "cooking") neutralizes these factors. As long as it is not in excessive amount I do not think it will hurt (though if you are dealing with a sick bird or if the birds are under stress like extreme heat or cold or illness or parasites) you might want to think about cooking it in water first ...I add just enough to their meal to make it "clumpy" though I occasionally give a bit as you do for a change and as a "treat"...
A cornell univ. study spoke of (cooked) oatmeal aiding in digestion (therefore nutrient uptake) especially with calcium.

 

[cheapcheap_jeepjeep]

Thanks all at least now I know they can have their cake (oatmeal in this case) and eat it too.... I really did not want to make them mad at me over oatmeal. I only give them about 1 cup a day between 11 of them so they have to make sure they get it.

 

[chickenfeathers]

When it's cold in the winter, I cook oatmeal for my chickens.

They love it!

 

[psimek]

My chickens like oatmeal cooked and raw. I read that cooked oatmeal before roosting will help them sleep. One thing they did not like was grits.

 

[Poison Ivy]

I give mine the double rolled oats with their layer pellets every morning they love it.

 

[pattycake]

Mine are still quite young (6 weeks) but I feed them a handful of quick oats (what my kids eat, not the sweetened stuff of course) mixed with yogurt as part of their evening treat. It adds up to just a few bites for each chick, but they love it and I need some kind of bribe to make them come in from exploring the blackberry bushes.