Winter food

[Titan Farm]

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.

My statement does "compute" in this discussion.
I know what a calorie is, I also know that a calorie is more correctly measured as 4.184 joules. You may want to look into poultry nutrition and how different types of energy break down differently into calories and are used differently by poultry.

 

[centrarchid]

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.

This is correct. I have a degree very much set in animal nutrition and conduct research related to the subject as part of day job. My animals have a hard time switching how they manage regulate feed intake. Generally, they feed to point where energy needs are met. Where things get interesting is where they have choices in terms of what they can consume.

Critters that do deviate from this pattern are things like aphids and other suckers of plant sap. The eat the calories and excrete the excess as honey dew retaining the nitrogenous components involving amino acids.

 

[pamonarch]

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.

I know ...i read about the cabbage ball somewhere, and I'm glad I did..they love it!! I tried kale and they ignored it..lol I've cut back on the corn scratch a little bit because I noticed they weren't eating much of the layer crumbles and I need them to eat more of that stuff with all the nutrients in it...ill just give them greens and fruits..lol thank you for your input...

 

[Chullicken]

My little flock used to love corn, now they kind of shun if off unless they run out of their usual feed during the day. Some days they just eat more than others. I skip all that corn in the winter thing and just use fermented feed. Regular layer feed and/or feather builder type for this. Its very well liked and I also heat it up usually in the evenings and add oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic. They absolutely destroy it. Fermented I've been told and read is more easily converted which I notice my ladies eat a lot less a day with that method.

 

[doubleleft]

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.

Have you thought about planting some "Argentina Flint Corn"? Over the years I've heard it is one of the best, if not the best.

 

[pamonarch]

My little flock used to love corn, now they kind of shun if off unless they run out of their usual feed during the day. Some days they just eat more than others. I skip all that corn in the winter thing and just use fermented feed. Regular layer feed and/or feather builder type for this. Its very well liked and I also heat it up usually in the evenings and add oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic. They absolutely destroy it. Fermented I've been told and read is more easily converted which I notice my ladies eat a lot less a day with that method.

What is fermented feed? I have a neighbor that makes oatmeal like she was eating it and gives it to her girls,.she adds goats milk to it too...i have a bag of whole oats I've been giving them,,they aren't crazy about it though..i may try adding some hot water to it to soften it a bit..maybe just a few cups to try it? Then add berries..lol

 

[lazy gardener]

This article will explain everything about the how and why of fermented feed:

https://tikktok.wordpress.com/2014/04/13/fermented-feed-faq/

 

[black_dove2]

During winter months I offer a base diet that is in the range of 19 to 20% crude protein. The amount offered is roughly that they will consume in its entirety when temperature is about 50 degrees F. As temperatures drop, the birds need more energy to keep warm. I could respond by simply adding more feed with the 19 to 20% crude protein, but that is expensive. The approach I take is to provide, in addition to the conserved level of basal diet, a mixture of grains I consider to be an energy source. The mixture is made up of whole grains that approximates scratch mixes you can by. When it get cold I try to feed birds twice a day where first feeding is dominated by the basal diet and second is the grain mix. The whole grain nature ensures birds can see grains even in low light levels typical of winter. Generally, all feed offered in morning is consumed before that second allotment of feed is offered. When the chickens are really hungry they will come down from roost to eat if light level sufficient, especially when snow is on the ground.

My birds have it tougher than most, even when compared to chickens kept much further north. Most of mine sleep effectively under stars during the winter with minimal protection from wind. This sets the stage where the birds and I develop a rapport I know when they need more of energy dense supplement / scratch.

Care is taken not to dilute intake of the basal diet as intake of the whole grains increases. When it get really cold, feed intake of the chickens can more than double. Since we have decent weather predictions, you can anticipate needs and add a little more or less of the energy dense fraction to carry birds through night and into next morning.

Curious if your birds are free ranging they would need more than chickens getting less exercise? I have two in a 9' x 20' run. They are eating much more than my friend that were bought same time. Hers have much more limited area.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

You will keep your birds better entertained and warmer too if you will keep a deep layer of wheat straw or shredded corn shucks in your coop, pen, or run and toss all your feed into the shucks or straw, thus forcing everyone to scratch for their dinner like the deity intended for chickens to do to find their daily bread..

 

[centrarchid]

Curious if your birds are free ranging they would need more than chickens getting less exercise? I have two in a 9' x 20' run. They are eating much more than my friend that were bought same time. Hers have much more limited area.

Free-range I think the birds do eat more. Actual foraging requires considerable energy investment walking around, pecking and scratching. They also eat a lot that has lower energy density than actual feeds so more energy invested in processing relative to energy extracted. As few years back I followed chickens around clock checking on them every 15 minutes. The interspersed feeding with loafing and other low activity activities. They walked better than a mile during coarse of day and engaged in a couple of flights (game chickens so possible). My penned birds do much less I think investing a great deal less in actual feeding.