This Cooking Is For the Birds

 

by Jennifer Burcke

I've officially crossed over to crazy chicken lady status. How do I know? Easy. I found myself standing at the stove this morning chopping apples and cooking oatmeal for the seven chickens who live at 1840 Farm. What has become of me?

It's been dreadfully cold here in the past week. So cold that we've been changing the chickens' water two or three times a day. Each time, we find a waterer that is frozen solid. Fresh water goes into the coop, frozen waterers come out a few hours later. The coop is covered in icicles and the weather isn't forecast to be warming up anytime soon.

In my quest to help the girls make it through this tough stretch of cold temperatures, I did a little research. Turns out that oatmeal makes a good cold weather treat for chickens. It made sense. After all, my family enjoys a warm bowl of oats on a cold morning, why not the chickens?

I wondered if our chickens would like oatmeal. They love fruit and vegetables, but oatmeal seemed like a bit of a stretch. It didn't have the color array that fresh fruits and vegetables provide. It also didn't have any aroma to speak of. I was worried that I might end up with seven hens looking at me as if I had placed warm wallpaper paste in their treat bowl.

I figured that it was worth a try, so I set about to make a batch of oatmeal. After it had thickened, I chopped up a red delicious apple and added it to the mix along with one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Suddenly, the oatmeal had the smell of fresh baked apples. This was no wallpaper paste.

I have read that supplementing a chicken's diet with apple cider vinegar can provide several health benefits. I found articles claiming that apple cider vinegar could be used to improve the health of a chicken's digestive system, making the bird less susceptible to worms. I read that one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar added to one gallon of water could be used to give an antibacterial boost to a coop's water supply. I also found an article that claimed that apple cider vinegar can even help to increase egg production.

I am not a veterinarian or an avian nutritionist. I don't know if apple cider vinegar delivers on any of these promises. I figured that adding it to the oatmeal would help in the aroma department and that it couldn't hurt where good chicken health was concerned. After sprinkling a little flax seed on top, my chicken's oatmeal was ready to serve.

I bundled up for the cold weather and made the treacherous, icy journey to the coop while balancing an unfrozen waterer and the steaming bowl of oatmeal. I opened the coop door and was greeted with a chicken melody. The hens were very curious about the odd-looking treat I had for them. As soon as I set the bowl down, there was a chicken convention at hand. They were eyeing the mixture and trying to work up the courage to take the first bite.

As usual, Bertha the Barred Plymouth Rock was surveying the situation from a safe distance. As the Queen Bee of the flock, she was not going to be the one to take the first bite. Instead, she would rely on one of the other hens to act as the royal food taster. She goes to great lengths to keep herself out of danger. It is clear that she views herself as the leader of the flock and feels that it is her responsibility to always stay on guard. She doesn't go looking for adventure in the coop or the treat bowl.

It didn't take long for the other hens to assume their position. Fawkes the Silver Laced Wyandotte cautiously took the first dip into the thick mixture and emerged with remnants on her beak. She began to happily go back for more. Suddenly, five other interested hens were surrounding her, hoping for a turn at the bowl.

Bertha wasn't yet convinced. She waited to make sure that no one was going to be overcome with ill effects due to this strange concoction. Then her curiosity got the best of her. She couldn't stand it any longer and sauntered up to the bowl. The others stopped eating and made way for her. She dipped her beak royally into the bowl, lifted her head and declared it delicious. Let them eat oatmeal!

Oatmeal fit for a Queen Hen

6 cups water
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 apple
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon flax seed

In medium pot, bring water to a rolling boil. Add oats and stir to incorporate. Cook for approximately five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cover. Allow to rest for two minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the apple. The seeds must be removed as they contain trace amounts of cyanide, which can be toxic to chickens. Chop the seeded apple and set aside.

Combine half of the oatmeal mixture with the chopped apple and vinegar and stir to combine. Sprinkle flax seed on top. Store remaining oatmeal in refrigerator and use within three days.