sweet oats (horse feed) for a treat?

[Gonzo]

I wonder if sweet oats would make a good treat for chickens? I'm trying to get my husband and kids away from the chicken scratch... they treat them with scratch way too much! It's a just a thought... We have about 30 chickens, and we go through a 40lb bag of scratch every 2 weeks!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Hi,
What makes the oats "sweet"? I know nothing of horse feeds.

In general oats are a fine snack, they have higher protein than say corn or wheat but lower than sunflower, flax or alfalfa. They tend to be a little higher fat than the ALL the afore mentioned grains, about double what corn has. So you wouldn't want to feed too much oats.

Now.. 40lbs of scratch lasting two weeks for 30 chickens is too much scratch. Unless that is your only feed for them, in which case I would encourage you to vary the content a bit for better quality birds. As a sole ration your 40lbs would last a week... as a "snack" it should last 3 weeks!

Here's how I figure...
40lbs = 640oz
30 chickens should eat about 1oz per day as a snack = 640 servings /30 chickens = 21 days worth
or as a sole ration is about 1 weeks worth for the same 30 chickens.

Hope that helps!! How are your babies growing???

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

We give our chickens and goats sweet feed as a treat. Just make sure that they don't get too much since molasses is a laxative.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Molasses makes it sweet? I see..

well.. chickens LOVE oats.. no need to add sweetener to them. Perhaps you'd do well to just find a bag of plain whole oats or pressed oats for the chickens.

If the molasses is affecting them you'll notice wetter stickier stinkier poop...

 

[LynneP]

I give about a cup to 12 birds every two weeks or so. The molasses is an emetic and is useful in winter detoxifying of the gut, but should not be used daily.

 

[halo]

My chickens go in the fields and clean up after the horses have eaten. No telling how much they are getting; all I know is I am run over with eggs right now. So it must be good for them.

 

[Gonzo]

The babies are soo big now! The white orp male (Gonzo) is our favorite! He's pretty! They're also spoiled rotten. They get nutrina layer feed for there food, in addition to fruits and veggies. It's just My hubby and kids can't got out there without giving them scratch. I wish I could hide it from them!
Quote:

 

[DawnSuiter]

I'd love to see a pic

Do you have access to Burkmann Feeds? Your practically so close, I thought maybe so.. they are regional as far as I know, and are out of Bowling Green KY.. They have a Kickin Chicken Premium Gamebird feed that is ALL WHOLE grain and is 16% protein... it LOOKS like treats because it is. But it is a complete feed. You could switch out your "scratch" for this or something like it and your "people" wouldn't know a difference, neither will the chickens, except for the fact that they will be getting a balanced diet as a treat.

This is now the main staple of food here for the 6 month and older chickens. I can make my own bagged mix and get within $.07/lb of the price but can't offer the same variety that this feed does.. and because it's whole grains, I know they haven't yet lost much of their nutritional content.

For comparison, it contains:

Soft Wheat
Hard Red Wheat
Groats
Milo,
Corn,
Safflower
Sunflower
Barley
as well as plant, animal & mineral pellets
Nutritional Estimates: Protein 16% (min), Fat 3.5% (min) and Fiber 6% (max)

I've got my own "Chix Mix" now that contains
Soft Wheat Berries, Whole Flax Seed, Course Cracked Corn, Field Peas, Alfalfa Pellets, Black Oil Sunflower Seeds, Fish Meal, Oat Groats, Granite Grit, Vitamin & Mineral Supplement, & a little Diatomaceous Earth
Nutritional Estimates: Crude Protein 16%, Crude Fat 8%, Crude Fiber 5%

but like I said, I can't quite get it down to the same cost per pound, but I didn't use any milo or barley (not my first choices anyway) and they don't use any Flax... I've played with adding the groats to my mix, but can't keep up the protein with them... so I give this out to make up for the differences & flaws that I see in it as a "complete feed" and use the groats elsewhere

 

[Gonzo]

I'll check into that... Sounds good to me! I'll get my daughter to get some pics this week of the group for you.

 

[Alley]

Please post pics, I would love to see them!