Winter Delight

[Jaguar6]

Hello,

I thought that I would share a little recipe that I saw on the internet a while back for those chilly winter mornings.

Prepare a batch of hot oatmeal and let it cool down until warm to touch. Add in protein such as worms, bugs or sunflower seeds. You can also make your oatmeal with milk for an extra boost of protein.

It will keep the girl toasty warm and there won't be a drop left.

Enjoy!

 

[Amethyste]

LOL I have been doing this for a long long time....

My girls prefer it tho when it is cold outside, to have their oatmeal to be steamy! Not HOT but not room temperature either. I add in some powdered milk, usually, or some yogurt/cottage cheese. I add in a variety of things such as melon chunks, or BOSS, whole oats/various veggies, scrambled eggs, toast leftovers, pieces of chicken/beef/pork whatever was leftover from dinner, etc etc etc.

They LOVE it!!!

I also do the same thing but with mashed potatoes as well instead of the oatmeal. I dont add salt, but I do add cayenne pepper and they go bonkers for it. They LOVE it when I put things in the potatoes as well like peas/carrots etc.

 

[gumpsgirl]

I wouldn't advise giving regular milk to chickens. Buttermilk is okay, but I wouldn't do regular milk.

As for feeding them a warm bowl of oatmeal durning the winter months, my girls get one every day! Well, most every day. They love it too!

 

[2DogsFarm]

My spoiled pullets get a bowl of oatmeal with plain yogurt (about 1Tbsp per bird) every morning.

I let it cool to room temp in warm weather, but now they get it nearly right from the microwave.

They roost right by the coop door and most mornings I get mugged for oatmeal by roosting hens who start eating from the bowl as soon as I get in the door!
Breakfast in bed?

They pick the bowl so clean I use it to collect eggs in the evening.

 

[AnnieOakley379]

Mine like oatmeal too.

Quote:
Why not feed milk occasionally?

 

[gumpsgirl]

I'm sorry! I stand corrected! I was told last year by a old timer farmer here that you don't feed chickens milk. I'm not generally one who asks the question why unless it sounds totally screwy, so I just assumed it was bad for them. After questioning and researching a bit more, I found that I am wrong! It turns out that it is actually good for them! Sorry for posting the wrong info. everyone!

 

[elmo]

Sounds good. One thought, though. If you add the worms or bugs, just don't leave it out on the counter where one of your family members might think it's breakfast for them.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
Actually, chickens (like other birds) can't digest the lactose in milk, so it tends to go through them. If you give them enough of it, it can cause diarrhea. A little bit shouldn't bother them, though.

Yogurt and cheese are chemically different (most of the lactose has been converted to something else), so these products don't cause the problems that milk can.

http://www.exoticpetvet.net/avian/dairy.html

 

[ChickenCat]

Well I know mine love buttermilk. And I've given them coucos and of course rice. i haven't found anything these girls won't eat actually.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I don't do it often, but sometimes feeding a hot mash like that can be a real boost for winter egg production. Once in a while we'll get a particularly blowy, wet, and cold front come through that is just miserable to be outside in. This often craters egg production for a few days so if it's a particularly bad one I'll take some of the mash ration and pour boiling water over it. Maybe throw in some oats or some such and mix it all up. Use enough water that it's all thoroughly wet, but not so much as to make it pourable. It should be quite thick. Feed only what they can clean up in about fifteen minutes or so.

It seems to give them a morale boost and keeps production up. It's not a permanent cure though because after awhile they get used to it and production will plateau, but for the first couple of particularly nasty, cold wet days it can be useful.

.....Alan.