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[Banus]

Hi All,

 

When making our porridge oats in the morning I've started making a little extra for the girls. We use either Quaker or Scotts Porridge Oats, making it with semi skimmed milk with a small dollop of natural honey. The girls love and and wolf it down in no time. Obviously I only let them have it when it's cool.

 

So.......are there any big No No's as to treating chickens with a little porridge on a daily basis? I thought I'd check before it becomes a regular thing and someone says Noooooooooooo!

[The Dogmother]

I wouldn't bother, especially in the morning when they ought to be eating their pellets. Carbs like that have very little place in the avian diet and just cause them to gain fat and they will eventually stop laying.

 

Ideally their diet should be about 95-98% layers feed with just a few greens or windfall fruit in the late afternoon/evening. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's really a case of being cruel to be kind - they are not designed to live on human processed food, nor dairy/honey; it's a bit like feeding your dog on sponge cake.... it has no nutritional value for them and is unhealthy.

[Banus]

Brilliant - and thanks for that. This is exactly what I'm after. Straight forward honest advice and no, you haven't burst my bubble and I take on board your comments which I understand. They do have a good diet of Omlet and layers pellets with grit and fresh water twice a day with cider vinegar with garlic, but they seem to be pooing for England at the moment so we're going to try Garvo pellets (sp) as apparantly they eat less of that and therefore deposit less. It was recommended by Newland Poultry in Malvern and apparantly it has good reviews on here.

 

Thanks for the advice.

[The Dogmother]

You're welcome

 

They will still eat plenty of the garvo, but they seem to poo less on it - perhaps there's just less ash (padding) in it. If you're worried about the amount of poo hybrids produce, then try bantams next time, they poo far less.

[majuka]

I also wouldn't give it regularly, for the above reasons, but I do give my girls porridge as a warming treat when it is really cold ( I do theirs with water not milk).

[Mercedes55]

I wouldn't bother, especially in the morning when they ought to be eating their pellets. Carbs like that have very little place in the avian diet and just cause them to gain fat and they will eventually stop laying.

 

Ideally their diet should be about 95-98% layers feed with just a few greens or windfall fruit in the late afternoon/evening. Sorry to burst your bubble, but it's really a case of being cruel to be kind - they are not designed to live on human processed food, nor dairy/honey; it's a bit like feeding your dog on sponge cake.... it has no nutritional value for them and is unhealthy.

 

We do give one of our ex batts porridge made with water, but only in the afternoon or evening. She needs to put some meat on her as she is very light compared to our other ex batts and although she does seem to eat her pellets she just doesn't seem to put any weight on. However she will tuck into her bowl of porridge with great gusto, more so if some raisins are added. She doesn't lay now so we don't have to worry on that count

[The Dogmother]

Porridge as made with warm water and layers feed is fine, but not with milk and oats. Older hens will tend to lose a bit of muscle weight and go a bit scrawny, especially ex-batts, they will need extra protein - mealworms or other dried critters are typically around 45% protein and ideal for this.

 

When chickens gain fat, they don't pile it on around the outside as we do; it goes on inside the skeleton, around the internal organs which is one reason why it's so unhealthy to feed them lots of carbs or processed stuff. It will gradually smother their organs and kill them.

[Mercedes55]

Porridge as made with warm water and layers feed is fine, but not with milk and oats. Older hens will tend to lose a bit of muscle weight and go a bit scrawny, especially ex-batts, they will need extra protein - mealworms or other dried critters are typically around 45% protein and ideal for this.

 

When chickens gain fat, they don't pile it on around the outside as we do; it goes on inside the skeleton, around the internal organs which is one reason why it's so unhealthy to feed them lots of carbs or processed stuff. It will gradually smother their organs and kill them.

 

Thanks for that, very interesting. She does actually like a bowl of pellets made into mash too, so seems to make more sense to give her that with some mealworms. It's my OH who obsesses about her weight as last time he took this particular girl to the vet they said how underweight she was. I keep telling him most ex batts seem on the scrawny side, but I have to say she is lighter than the others.

[The Dogmother]

Hens are all different; my RIR bantam is built like a whippet but lays stonking eggs.

 

I'd give yours extra protein but not worry unduly unless she seems unwell.

[Mercedes55]

Hens are all different; my RIR bantam is built like a whippet but lays stonking eggs.

 

I'd give yours extra protein but not worry unduly unless she seems unwell.

 

I don't think she's unwell, she does eat and her poos are normal, although she has had the odd bout of illness that has meant a visit to the vet. She is kind of slow in herself, but despite, or maybe because of all that, she is still top hen

[Lavenders_Blue]

It's my OH who obsesses about her weight as last time he took this particular girl to the vet they said how underweight she was.

 

Vets always seem to say this. I have taken two of my girls to the vets and was told they were both skinny. They were fine, not underweight, both ate like horses, just regular lean laying hens.

 

I sometimes think vets expect laying hens to be like the plump supermarket roasting chickens

[beach chick]

totally agree with lavenders - unless they are real chicken experts, most vets seem to think that if you can feel the breastbone the chicken is half starved! I did manage to find a chicken vet at one of the satellite branches of our usual practice, and he has NEVER said any that I took to him were underweight!! good vet - but the receptionist thinks its hysterical when I call for an appointment with "the chicken vet", for some reason I have a complete mental block about his real name... it might be Nigel?

[C&T]

Our chooks regularly get porridge made with mash and water, but as a very occasional treat they get a few well soaked porridge oats in natural yoghurt, mixed with bran. They love it - but it is very occasional and not many!

[clucker1]

So, in the winter when it is very cold with snow, etc....I gave my lot girls porridge made with milk last winter. Would I be better to make it with water in future? Thank you, RIP Polo nasty fox got you, you very sweet bunny xxx

[The Dogmother]

Yes, as posted above, make it with layers feed and water. That's all.

[lovebugette]

Cripes! Mine have had porridge with organic milk, raisins and honey and a sprinkle of chicken spice for tea since day one 3 years ago. Doubt they'd speak to me EVER again if I stopped now.

 

Luckily no signs of harm to date and my ex-batts love it. After all, 8 hens around a small bowl of porridge equates to only a few beakfuls so maybe they'll be ok. Always imagine that in the harsh winter months a warming bowl of porridge is bliss (even if a little naughty!)

 

The chook equivalent of a naughty slice of cake.....

[zakjon-98]

I make my chickens weetabix sometimes !