Something new for the Gals

JimWWhite

Songster
10 Years
Feb 16, 2009
1,057
8
161
Near Statesville, NC (Iredell County)
I know this has been posted before or something like it but I'll do it again since the timing is appropriate. This morning I went out and put out fresh layer pellets, cracked corn, and water before letting the Gals out of the coop. We have 19 Gold Comet pullets, all less than a year old. There was a lot of squawking and carrying on but little interest in their food. I did bring down leftover veggie scraps including greens, etc. and they scarfed those up in a flash. I took a big plastic pitcher back to the house and put in about a cup of whole milk and a heaping tablespoon of dried buttermilk powder Teresa uses for baking. Then I added some hot water from the kettle on the stove (less than boiling temp) and mixed it all up. When I got back to the run the gals knew something was up so they were all excited and underfoot to see what it was I had. I took a half scoop of their layer pellets and added it to the warm milk/water mixture and stirred it until it was a lumpy mix of about a quart and a half. I could still see most of the pellets but they were disolving. I poured the whole mass out into a big terracotta saucer and stood back. The Pigs With Feathers went at it like it was their favorite food which is yougart and rice. It was not a pretty sight. They reminded me of a parahnas in a feeding frenzy. I think it was the warmth but they cleaned it up in less than five minutes. Then they took to pecking off what they'd slung all over the place from each other until every bit of it had vanished.

I think I'm going to reserve this for those cold, cold mornings we've been having and also put it out just before the Gals go in for what will be a frosty cold night here in the Carolinas. Anyone else try this or have any variations they'd like to share?
 
Good morning! I do something similar. My hens love warm oatmeal mixed with yogurt and banana on cold winter mornings. But after eating this, their crumbles go uneaten. I've recently started to mix crumbles in with the oatmeal mixture. That way, they still get their warm oatmeal treat and the proper nutrition, and they don't know the difference. What a nice way to turn their crumbles into one of their favorite treats!
 
Same here....I use layer pellets or game bird crumbles and add warm water to it...adding BOSS, whole oats, meat scraps, veggies scraps, cracked corn etc. Basically its a mess lol They LOVE IT!!! Its a favorite cold weather treat.

I also give them cottage cheese mixed with the layer/game bird feed, or yogurt mixed with the feed.... they chow it like they have been starved for weeks lol

ITs really funny watching how excited they get...but its the same feed they have everyday lol just wet
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Great ideas...so simple! Mine get warm oatmeal & scraps, but I always worry that they're filling up on "the good stuff." So now I'm gonna mix their feed into it...
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I might give a little of the milk/mash a try too...
 
I have been doing this for about a month now. Our temps have not gotten over 30' F so every morning they get a 5qt icecream bucket of warm water and any kitchen scraps one cup of oatmeal and then I stir in their crumbles so its all a warm mushy mess and they all love it including the geese. At first I worried about nutrition but if I mix in the layer crumbles and they eat all of it I know they will be okay and what a great way for them to warm up and get some extra water since their water freezes up so quick.
 
BOSS: Black oil sunflower seeds. You get it in the wild bird feed section. It's loaded with protein and high energy.

I grind it up whole and add it regularly to their layer pellets. They never get bored with their feed this way.

This site could use a glossary of abbreviations and their definitions. But you can also use the search feature and get it that way, too.
 
I have tried both warm oatmeal, and warm cornmeal mush. They seem to like the oatmeal best, but they don't like the way it sticks to their beaks, they keep wiping them off, and then in the very cold weather, it freezes solid pretty darn quick.

What mine like best is cornbread!
 

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