One chicken died; another now sick

[Ashland Oregon]

I would stop the oats cooked in milk. They should only eat complete feed plus whatever they might find during free range. I’m a pretty conscientious chicken keeper and still ended up with hens with too much body fat. And it’s killing them. One even died from fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome. I don’t mean to scare you. I just hope you can learn from my mistakes. Fat can lead to laying disorders, unfortunately.

I would stop the oats cooked in milk. They should only eat complete feed plus whatever they might find during free range. I’m a pretty conscientious chicken keeper and still ended up with hens with too much body fat. And it’s killing them. One even died from fatty liver hemorrhagic syndrome. I don’t mean to scare you. I just hope you can learn from my mistakes. Fat can lead to laying disorders, unfortunately.

Well that’s not gonna happen.
They love their rolled oats cooked in milk and it has completely taken care of my weak-egg shell problem. My girls free-range all day so they’re not too plump; indeed they look fabulous. And everyone knows, it’s better to look fabulous than feel fabulous. Add to that the bonus of a fan club to greet you like you’re some kind of rock star each time you walk out of the house? Yea. Oats and milk are on the menu.
Rhubarb, on the other hand, is going the way of the copy machine on Office Space.

 

[Eggcessive]

Milk is hard for poultry to digest, and may cause diarrhea. I do give my chickens occasional Greek plain yogurt for probiotics. It has a lot of calcium as well. You can add water and a little plain yogurt to chicken feed pellets or crumbles and achieve the same thing. Oats can be part of the mixed grains in chicken feed, but is not a good sepearte food to use. You might want to read this article from a Purina representative:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/the-shocking-effect-of-oatmeal/

Having access to crushed oyster shell and or feeding a layer feed should provide enough calcium for strong egg shells.

 

[Ashland Oregon]

Milk is hard for poultry to digest, and may cause diarrhea. I do give my chickens occasional Greek plain yogurt for probiotics. It has a lot of calcium as well. You can add water and a little plain yogurt to chicken feed pellets or crumbles and achieve the same thing. Oats can be part of the mixed grains in chicken feed, but is not a good sepearte food to use. You might want to read this article from a Purina representative:
https://the-chicken-chick.com/the-shocking-effect-of-oatmeal/

Having access to crushed oyster shell and or feeding a layer feed should provide enough calcium for strong egg shells.

I agree with article; w/o milked cooked w the oatmeal, my girls have little interest in eating it either. Oatmeal, like cracked corn, are poor sources of protein and should be offered in limited doses.