Winter food

[SuziQ18]

i have 15 hens. I have been reading about oats and cracked corn for the winter to help keep them warm, and to feed this mix in the late afternoon, while still having layer feed readily available all day?
Is this a good idea? I also hang a cabbage ball for them to keep busy!

I give my chickens cracked corn in a.m. after cleaning coop and again in p.m. when I lock them up at night. Yes it does keep them warm during cool evenings

 

[pamonarch]

I'm not saying Dumor or Purina is bad but just sub-par, I am saying there is some very good chicken feeds out there. Just according to where you live as to what feeds you can find. Tuckers, Showtime, Kent and Bluebonnet all make quality poultry feeds(there are many more brands of quality feeds).

I would be glad to help you find one in your area.

That would be great,thank you..i live near wellsboro pa...

 

[Titan Farm]

don't feed to much scratch because it is like candy and will make them fat and lazy. .

Most chickens that are fed high amounts of "scratch" (as in the typical store bought scratch) will not get fat (as in over weight) or lazy, the calories with in the scratch are burned off somewhat quickly. Feeding a high protein, low low calorie feed will make your chicken fatter and quicker than a typical scratch will.

 

[lazy gardener]

Most chickens that are fed high amounts of "scratch" (as in the typical store bought scratch) will not get fat (as in over weight) or lazy, the calories with in the scratch are burned off somewhat quickly. Feeding a high protein, low low calorie feed will make your chicken fatter and quicker than a typical scratch will.

Please, let's see a study to back that up. A doctor friend of mine says: a calorie is a calorie, is a calorie. Burn more calories than you eat and you will loose weight. Eat more calories than you burn, and you will gain weight.

The whole concept of corn or scratch keeping a bird warmer in the winter simply does not hold water. Have yet to see a study that supports this theory.

 

[Titan Farm]

LOL, Your doctor friend is right to a point, a calorie is a calorie BUT your doctor friend know nothing about poultry (chicken nutrition). Chickens eat to fill a caloric need and once that need is met they tend to stop eating until they need to meet that need again.
In short a chicken will eat more of a low calorie feed than a high calorie feed.

I agree that corn will not keep a chicken warm or over heat them.

 

[pamonarch]

don't feed to much scratch because it is like candy and will make them fat and lazy. .

i only throw in a little over a cup in with the oats, about 2 cups and a half cup of sunflower seeds..thats for all 15 birds..they seem to be happy

 

[Farm boy 14]

That's good

 

[doubleleft]

That would be great,thank you..i live near wellsboro pa...

You should be able to find just about any brand of poultry food

That would be great,thank you..i live near wellsboro pa...

I found 4 feed stores in your area that should offer quality feeds #1- Owletts Sunshine Farm Market, #2- Cornell Bros. inc Feed Store, #3- Rockwell Farm Feed, #4- Hamptons Agway.
I would look for a poultry feed that offers Meat or Fish Protein(listed at least 3rd or 4th on ingredients), No less than 4% Fat(i prefer up to 6% or higher) ..... when you find these two requirements the protein will be fine 12% up to 20% or so.
Let me know if this helps

 

[Beer can]

I don't feed any 'treats', other than unlimited greens and protein meat/egg/cooked dry beans etc, and only in limited amounts, too much protein is a waste.
Hung cabbage in winter is great, keeps them occupied mostly. Funny first time i tried it the birds avoided the hanging cabbage like they were scarred of the strange alien
I haven't harvested them yet but I have good size bed of mammoth red mangel beets, supposed to have the same food quality of grain and like the cabbage stick the beet on a nail in the coop gives the birds something to peck at occupying them in the winter plus saves on feed.
I don't think my birds need anything extra such as corn to keep them warm in winter, plenty of grains in their laying mash anyway. When I process them they are plenty fat so they definitely don't need any more.
We get cold, freezing to below, some stretches of zero F and colder and -20 F windchill.
I have Jersey Giants and Naked Necks, even the nakeds with half the feathers in a sorta hoop coop with a completely open side handle the cold great. The nakeds are the first out of the coop and into the snow, I'm bundled up freezing my butt off and they're laughing at me flapping their wings

Just a thought on those who do like to feed corn for a treat. I'm actually planning on growing some next yr for us and the birds. From what I've read, the colored 'Indian' corn has a higher protein level and is healthier with anti-oxidents, micro nutrients and minerals. And soft starches if you get the flour type. Painted Mountain corn is supposed to be 13%+ protein, regular whole or cracked corn from what I can find is 6-10% TSC labels theirs at 8%.
Plenty for sale out there right now at farm markets for fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations.

 

[lazy gardener]

LOL, Your doctor friend is right to a point, a calorie is a calorie BUT your doctor friend know nothing about poultry (chicken nutrition). Chickens eat to fill a caloric need and once that need is met they tend to stop eating until they need to meet that need again.
In short a chicken will eat more of a low calorie feed than a high calorie feed.

I agree that corn will not keep a chicken warm or over heat them.

Not to be contentious, but do you have a degree in poultry nutrition? Your statement about a chicken eating more of a low calorie feed than a high calorie feed does not compute in this discussion. Basic animal physiology regarding use of nutrients to convert those nutrients to energy, tissue growth, and support of other physiological functions is the same across species.

Definition of a calorie:
the energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water through 1 °C, equal to one thousand small calories and often used to measure the energy value of foods.

Regardless of how dense a calorie is, it still produces the same amount of energy.

For now, I'm done with this discussion.