Porrige

[Crundy]

I see a lot of people saying they feed their chooks porridge, So questions are:
1) Do you make it up with milk or water?
2) Warm or cold?
3) Would Alpen do the business as well?

[Suechooks]

Porridge is strictly for cold weather as oats cause overheating if its warm. So bearing that in mind
1) I make mine with water and T...o Value oats and feed it at bedtime in the winter to give them something to keep them warm in the long cold winter nights.
2) If you can give it with the chill off its good.
3) Alpen would have added sugar and salt so personally no I wouldn't give it.
I add a bit of mixed corn too.

[Hans Mum]

as Sue says, i use any cheapy oats, make it with boiling water and let it cool a bit cause when they get it they go mad for it....they havent had any for a couple of months now though, just corn at bedtime now.

[pdblake]

Can you give them other cereal, like the crushed bits out of the bottom of weetabix (or tesco's cheapo equivalent) boxes, rice snaps, things like that?

[Hans Mum]

mine didnt like weetabix (fussy or what) havent tried rice snaps but mine love boiled rice so they might do....what about the sugar/salt content though?

[pdblake]

I would have thought that the porridge oats, regardless of brand, would have all kinds of cack added anyway (says he who eats Tesco's cheapest himself)

[Flummery]

I think oats are just oats. It's the cereals made from them that have salt, sugar, permitted emulsifier or whatever (I made that up I think!). Plain rolled oats should be fine.

[MaureenHall]

Can you give them other cereal, like the crushed bits out of the bottom of weetabix (or tesco's cheapo equivalent) boxes, rice snaps, things like that?

Just be aware of the sugar/salt content like the others have said. If you get a sugar-free muesli I should think that'd be ok (as long as there's no salt in it!) I give mine the crumbs from the bottom of the cereal packets, but not often, I don't go through that many packets

[Bephlam]

I use cheap porridge oats...make it with water, and add frozen sweetcorn and poultry spice (or for their extra special treat...meal worms). I feed it warm..but not hot, and they LOVE it.

I wouldn't use Alpen, but I do use cheap wheatabix things (no added salt or sugar, etc) and give them this softened with water, pro biotic yoghurt and fruit mixed in. They also love that!

I don't give these treats every day though....!!

[Lemon]

When it was cold, we gave the girlees a warm pellet mash. Pellets with a few spoons of hot water turn it to a crumble texture - they love it!
Hubby feeds them porridge with milk (why milk? but i don't grumble - has calcium i suppose!) I use hot water - they eat it all the same!

[Crundy]

When it was cold, we gave the girlees a warm pellet mash. Pellets with a few spoons of hot water turn it to a crumble texture - they love it!

That's a cool idea. So just make up a porridge with layers pellets and some poultry spice? I'll have to give that a go.

[MaureenHall]

Yes that's right, and you can add some mashed potato or cooked peelings to it too, they go crazy for it!

[Crundy]

A fiver says my pair won't. Since trying sweetcorn they won't eat anything else. We've had to stop giving it to them.

[Lemon]

A fiver says my pair won't. Since trying sweetcorn they won't eat anything else. We've had to stop giving it to them.

I bought a Super mixed corn which has bits of dried peas and sweetcorn and they won't touch them......but last year when I tied a fesh sweetcorn cob in their run they ate that with much gusto.

[Crundy]

Sweetcorn is like crack to chickens. I almost lost fingers the last time I offered some. They actually jump for my hands if they think I have sweetcorn on me.