Show Off Your American Gamefowl and Chat Thread!!!

[SOHC-FTW]

Water is also frozen solid here.

 

[hillbilly91]

52° for a high today here

 

[centrarchid]

I am expecting a high of 35 F. Will start first batch of soaked oats. We will be going through a lot this year.

 

[roosterhavoc]

 

[hillbilly91]

 

[roosterhavoc]

I am expecting a high of 35 F. Will start first batch of soaked oats. We will be going through a lot this year.

What’s with the soaked oats? I’ve never seen a need to do that. Are you avoiding giving them water?

 

[roosterhavoc]

Here ya go hillfolk. Slight crack right at the leg. He’ll be fine.

 

[centrarchid]

What’s with the soaked oats? I’ve never seen a need to do that. Are you avoiding giving them water?

When it gets really cold, I can't keep liquid water in from of them all day. When growing up the reality we had was use of soaked oats to keep birds hydrated when penned. Try watering a bunch of penned birds by drawing water from a well and packing a hundred yards or more in buckets over multiple trips.



The free-range birds could keep hydrated during coldest part of winter even when not able to access liquid water for weeks at a time. They are well adapted for scavenging moisture in forage and metabolic water, much better than most mammals. That can do quite well so long as not growing or in poor health (worm issues in particular).


In a year or so I will run a water line to the barn making so I can more readily water at a moments notice. For now, during winter, access to liquid water for only an hour or so about dawn is the reality. Usually such limited access realized for only a couple weeks worth of days scattered over about 2 months. Last year it was a lot less. Still used soaked oats as was an excellent free-choice access energy source they do not try to pound down unless very thirsty or hurting on energy. Soaked corn and wheat they like to much so that if not careful weight issues more likely even when cold.

 

[hillbilly91]

 

[hillbilly91]