When to give chickens oats, whole corn, scratch, treats, etc...

[chickengeorgeto]

… too much corn or scratch can make them obese. The layer feed is formulated to provide everything they need to be healthy and lay eggs. Adding anything else reduces the amount of layer feed they will eat and that starts to knock their diet out of balance. Short term this is not too much of a problem but over weeks and months it can cause a build up of fatty deposits in their body...

Not only the fatty deposits bad on a chickens' liver but these deposits of fat can and do lead to hen deaths because of egg Peritonitis. The reason for this is because hens (and roosters to) carry most of their body fat around clustered around their vent or egg laying opening. The result is trouble forcing the eggs out of the body and often this can result in an egg being broken inside of the hen.

 

[Wisegirl99]

T

The general consensus is to add all the artificial light in the morning and let your chickens put themselves to bed naturally with the setting sun. If the sun sets at 5, then you would need to have lights come on at 3am to achieve 14 hours of light. You do not want the lights to go off when they are off the roost.
But to answer your original question, treats are treats. They aren't on a schedule. Some people use them to get their chickens in the coop, some use them to get them out of the coop. I use them to use up food items. You are not going to harm them however you choose to do it.

Thanks for your reply. I do appreciate any help. How would you answer this portion of my question.... "Should I give them some whole corn and oats in the morning and wait until around 3 or 4 to give them any treats like fresh fruits and veggies? Or should I be giving them the fresh fruits and veggies first thing in the morning? Also, how much whole corn and oats do I give?"

 

[rebrascora]

T

Thanks for your reply. I do appreciate any help. How would you answer this portion of my question.... "Should I give them some whole corn and oats in the morning and wait until around 3 or 4 to give them any treats like fresh fruits and veggies? Or should I be giving them the fresh fruits and veggies first thing in the morning? Also, how much whole corn and oats do I give?"

What is the percentage protein of your layer feed? If it is only 16%, I would give them very little corn and oats... less than a tablespoon of both combined each bird a day. Ie one tablespoon of the mixed grains each and not every day. If they have a higher protein feed then you can give a little more but not double.
I don't think it makes a huge difference as to when you treat them. I am not sure how long it takes to release the calories from whole grains as compared to a pellet or crumble but I would suspect at least several hours, so the suggestion that they might burn the calories from them off free ranging if you feed it to them in the morning may not be accurate. Many people feed corn on a night so that the birds are digesting it whilst they roost and believe it keeps them warmer because their body has to work harder to break down the grains. I do not think it is nearly as important as not giving them too much of such treats. I would probably give the greens in the morning and the corn at night as it can sometimes be helpful to get them in when you want to go out earlier and they are still happily ranging.
I still don't understand how they are starving on a morning when they have access to their feed in the coop? I think you may be misinterpreting that. Can you explain?

 

[Percheron chick]

T

Thanks for your reply. I do appreciate any help. How would you answer this portion of my question.... "Should I give them some whole corn and oats in the morning and wait until around 3 or 4 to give them any treats like fresh fruits and veggies? Or should I be giving them the fresh fruits and veggies first thing in the morning? Also, how much whole corn and oats do I give?"

. You are trying to elevate fruits, veggies, oats... to a necessary component of the hens diet. It is not. It is a treat. Sometimes you eat pie for breakfast. Sometimes it's a bedtime snack but most of the time, it doesn't exist. Feed them when you need to dump the compost pail, feed them when you need them to put themselves to bed before they want to. Give them a handful of goodies whenever just because you can. As long as they eat their layer and provide eggs, you're good.

 

[Granny Hatchet]

Did I miss how old these "hens" are ? You said you have had them for 2 months. Are they in fact grown hens ?

 

[Acre4Me]

I think you may be giving too many treats or too frequently. 2x per day of treats (non formulated feed) is a lot. All of what you provide sound great, but might be too much or frequent.

Lighting: we also have light in our coop, for 2-3 weeks now. 15 hours of light and to get that it needs to be on before sunrise and after sunset (also not interested in our 2 roosters crowing really early nor causing neighbor rooster to crow). Because we only light the coop with a single (protected and outdoor rated) light, it’s not exactly *bright*, but has improved the egg production. Our flock includes 12 pullets, 2 of which have never laid an egg yet. As the days waned, egg production waned. Once we added light, egg production increased so our pullets were influenced by light. The flock is already on roosts before lights go out as they come in as the sun sets, then walk around and roost before the light turns off, so no chicken is caught off guard when the light goes off (also on a timer). Keep using light if you want eggs.

Have fun! I know my tween loves caring for our chickens!

 

[Acre4Me]

Wanted to add that one “treat” we give is the chicken feed turned into mush by adding water, stir, and let sit till water is mostly absorbed and looks like. “Treat”. Our chickens go wild for wet food. This is not the same as fermented feed bc I add water, let sit for only 5-10 min, then give to the chickens.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

. You are trying to elevate fruits, veggies, oats... to a necessary component of the hens diet. It is not. It is a treat ....

Things like strawberries, watermelon, kale, other fruits and vegies are not chicken treats. These eatables are given to their flocks by chicken keepers who either feel guilty about confining their birds or else keepers who are frustrated mothers, big mothers, or little mothers looking to replace their real or imagined family members with a compliant domestic animal.

 

[Shadrach]

Things like strawberries, watermelon, kale, other fruits and vegies are not chicken treats. These eatables are given to their flocks by chicken keepers who either feel guilty about confining their birds or else keepers who are frustrated mothers, big mothers, or little mothers looking to replace their real or imagined family members with a compliant domestic animal.

 

[NNYchick]

Wanted to add that one “treat” we give is the chicken feed turned into mush by adding water, stir, and let sit till water is mostly absorbed and looks like. “Treat”. Our chickens go wild for wet food. This is not the same as fermented feed bc I add water, let sit for only 5-10 min, then give to the chickens.

I do the same thing. It’s cold now where I am so I add hot water to their regular pellets/crumble and they gobble it up like it’s a treat, but I know I’m not diluting thier nutrition and they are getting extra hydration too, they have access to feeders with 20% protein all flock pellets 24/7 and In the evening I give a small amount of sprouted grains about an hour before dark. In the summer they don’t get an evening treat because they are out in the yard in the late afternoon filling up on weeds and bugs. They get kitchen scraps and scratch on a rare occasion. Scratch a little more when it’s really cold out to get them moving.