When I was younger and wanted to find the answer to a question I trotted off to the library and hoped it would be amid all the stacks of books. Fast forward a few decades and with the click of a mouse we can find an overwhelming, and often conflicting, amount of information.
I’m on a number of Facebook chicken groups and I do surf the internet as well. One of the contentious topics is whether oatmeal is bad for your flock. Some time ago, I scrolled by the Chicken Chick’s article entitled “The Shocking Effect Of An Oatmeal Breakfast On Chickens” which struck me as a bit of fear mongering. Issues are often more nuanced, and less black and white, than many folks treat them. This is a case in point.
When you Google chickens + oatmeal the first thing that appears in the feed is the above-mentioned post. This time, I took a deeper look. One of the things that struck me (after the sensational title) is the Avian Nutritionist who acted as the expert consultation works for Purina Mills, one of the largest suppliers of manufactured poultry feed.
Following his comments are a number of graphic photos of necropsies of birds with necrotic enteritis (implied as a result of eating oatmeal) and a ‘dramatization’ photo of the effects of beta glucan on the avian digestive system. And guess what? All roads lead back to the solution of providing your birds Purina feed. Sorry if I sound skeptical, but I don’t believe that’s the whole story. (FYI: Purina is owned by Nestle, the world’s largest food company with a net worth of $315 billion as of June 2020).
It’s not surprising that an employee of a large corporation would support their viewpoint. It might sound like sour grapes on my part, but it often follows when folks are sponsored by business they are beholden to those interests. It’s unrealistic to think there won’t be some bias towards those who supply your paycheque. I consider my blog an undiscovered gem and as long as I have no ties to money I am free from outside influences. There may be some bias, but at least it’s my own, and I do endeavour to base my work in science.
The second post in my Google search was from Fresh Eggs Daily, another popular chicken site. Interestingly enough, she recommends oatmeal, purporting that “Adding a 3% ration of oat hulls to chickens’ diets can reduce pecking and aggression which often will lead to cannibalism in flocks – and oats are proven to make chickens more resistant to heat stress and exhaustion.” She cited no studies to back up that claim, but did mention that “oats do contain beta-glucan, like many other grains including barley, rice, millet and maize. There is some indication that beta-glucan – especially that in barley – while helpful in immune system health, can be detrimental to poultry in large enough amounts, so like all other treats, oatmeal should be fed in moderation”.
I then looked at a number of science based posts and studies on the issue. Here’s what I found:
Beta-glucans are naturally occurring polysaccharides and soluble fibres, which are most abundant in raw foods and found naturally in cereal grains (oats, barley, wheat and rye), yeast and some mushrooms. Whole grains, as close to their natural states as possible, such as steel-cut oats and pearl barley, contain the highest levels. Any processing done to the grains actually reduces the amount of beta-glucan.
As a soluble fibre, beta-glucan is not digested, but works to slow food transit in the intestines. This seems to be the sticking point around why oatmeal isn’t good for your flock: it can potentially inhibit nutrient uptake. That’s quite possible, but beta-glucans have a long list of benefits, such as slowing the absorption of carbohydrates, resulting in steadier blood sugar levels, and as it moves slowly through the small intestine it takes cholesterol-rich bile acids with it.
Beta-glucans are a catalyst for immune system function by activating every immune system cell in the body: macrophages, neutrophils, basophils and natural killer cells. In vitro studies have shown that beta-glucans can enhance the activity of macrophages as well as activate antimicrobial activity of some immune system cells.
Their extracts have been found to be effective in preventing performance decline in broiler chickens challenged with coccidia and Clostridium perfringens. Birds fed yeast beta glucan supplements had significantly increased body weight, improved feed efficiency and a decrease in weight loss that is associated with necrotic enteritis. Beta-glucans have also been shown to prevent the colonization of bacteria such as Salmonella and E.coli.
They are a number of nutrients in oatmeal that are beneficial to chickens: antioxidants, copper, folate, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, protein, vitamins B1 (thiamine) and B5 (pantothenic acid). In winter a cooked bowl of oatmeal is a great way to warm your flock.
One study reported: “The energy content of naked (hulled) oats is 17% and similar to that of wheat. Oats (both regular and naked) contain beta-glucans, which can cause digestive problems and sticky litter when fed to poultry. Researchers have reported that up to 40% of naked oats could be included in broiler diets with no adverse effect on growth, feed efficiency, shrinkage, dressing percentage or bone strength.”
Keith Serving Warm Oatmeal To His Flock (Tracy Begg) 
Oatmeal For My Flock 
Oatmeal Breakfast (E. Asquith)
A 1940 article in an Iowa State University publication titled “Oats Rank First For Poultry Feed” studied various grains – oats, wheat, corn and barley – on chicken health issues. They concluded that birds fed an oat diet had higher growth rates, were more vigorous, had a lower incidence of slipped tendon and mortality than those fed other grains.
I think like many contentious topics there is probably some truth to both sides of the argument. There wasn’t overwhelming evidence to suggest that oatmeal was harmful, except in large quantities. On the contrary, in focusing on beta-glucans detractors often minimize the nutritional value and benefits of oatmeal. Like with most things, moderation is key.
Credits: Annals Of Translational Medicine; The Chicken Chick; Farm State Reporter; Fresh Eggs Daily; NIH; Poultry Site; Science Direct; UK College of Agriculture, Food & Environment.
Bitchin' Chickens 
What a great read! Thank you so much for sharing. I love to give my flock a bowl of warm oats with spinach and dried soldier fly larvaenon “cold” days here in PCB. They really seem to enjoy it and this make some feel better to know that the few times a year that they get it, I am doing no harm.
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Watching Keith talk to his girls while giving them their oatmeal treat is just too cute. 🙂
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Thanks for addressing this topic. It’s nice not to feel alone in the confusion over chickens and oats. I’ve fallen down the same rabbit hole with the same articles. I had accidentally gotten my chicks hooked on oats while crate-training and worried I’d done a bad thing. Articles swing between good and bad: oats are great for gizzard function, nutrient absorption, lowered mortality…while possibly hard on crops (the hulled oats) and may cause changes in egg texture and increased “vent feather soilage.” Hmm. There are historical accounts of well-known chicken farmers feeding diets that are 40+% oats to older flocks, and it’s not hard to find feeds with oats as an ingredient. Plus, ours LOVE them, so for now, oats are a “yes” for us. Moderation in all things. I like serving warm oatmeal on cold mornings but mix it with their crumble for a nice mash.
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I’ve recently learned I’ve been feeding my hens way too much oatmeal every day. A couple weeks ago one of them started laying shelless eggs. I stopped the oatmeal after learning that beta glucans inhibit nutrient uptake, and now Wanda’s eggs have shells again, but they aren’t back to normal yet. I’m wondering if her system will heal itself or if I need to do something to help her. There’s lots of info online about oats but I can find nothing about how to fix the over-oating-problem now that I’ve caused it. All responses very much appreciated! Thanks!
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There are a number of factors that affect egg shell quality. If you go back to feeding a balanced diet and ensure she has access to calcium (either oyster shells or crushed egg shells) she should be fine.
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They are getting oyster shell and egg shell alternately and seem to be doing fine. Thanks for your hopeful and helpful comments!
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Love the info! I have a few peckers myself and I’m always looking for better ways to “feed the kids,” so to speak. LOL! I always show your “Memes” to my grandkids when they visit their meemaw… they laugh…! They say I’m “cool” for being hip with their “Memes”.
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Thanks for the feedback and glad you enjoy my memes.
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Thank you thank you thank you! I was in a vortex of sadness after thinking that I might have ruined her health. Glad I found this!
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Thank you so much for digging in and getting some clarification on this topic. I am completely new to chickens, still in the homework phase and learning. Hope to have some in early spring and to do good by them!
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I appreciate that you did the work and shared your findings.
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I appreciate that you did the work and shared your findings. I occasionally give my girls warm oatmeal on a freezing Montana morning. It makes ME feel better to think I am giving them a treat. It’s nice to know that the occasional oatmeal treat can also have such good health benefits.
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Good! I too read that first post and disagreed with it. You really have t’scratch between the straw to get facts about feed, not myths… I’ve spent hours scratching for real info, so yours is helpful.
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I live in rural Alaska and I feed my 10 chickens a mash of oatmeal, dry crumble mixed with warm water, cinnamon, honey and the occasional mashed banana every morning during the winter (Oct-April). It’s usually well below freezing every day and they are healthy active girls, laying 8-10 eggs per day. They also have the occasional vegetable scraps, pumpkin or squash to peck on, and dry crumble/pellets, grit/calcium and water available 24/7. My neighbor has had chickens for 6 years and I try to followed his routine. I think everything is relative to where you live, feed that’s readily available and a secure weather proof coop and outdoor covered run.
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