Do your chickens eat cracked corn in scratch? - Page 3

my chickens don't want to eat the scratch if i put it in a bowl.

they only want to eat it if i throw it on the ground, than they sworm to it. I guess that is why they call it scratch.

I have chickens approx 8wks old. A few have died lately, I am concerned the corn that I mixed with laying crumbles has killed them.

Does anybody think the corn could have contributed? I heard their gizzards cant break down the corn.

Lots of chickens over the years have eaten a lot of corn without problems.  So, I suspect that the corn is only a problem if it is spoiled or contaminated in some way.

If they have grit, they can digest corn.

Quote:

Originally Posted by givhansdude 

my chickens don't want to eat the scratch if i put it in a bowl.

they only want to eat it if i throw it on the ground, than they sworm to it. I guess that is why they call it scratch.

 

I have chickens approx 8wks old. A few have died lately, I am concerned the corn that I mixed with laying crumbles has killed them.

Does anybody think the corn could have contributed? I heard their gizzards cant break down the corn.

You may never know for sure.

What one can know for sure is that some deer corn, corn sold to bait deer in, has certain characteristics or substances that can be dangerous for chicken feed.  Don't try to save money feeding corn not cleared as feed for domestic animal feed.

Also, 8 week old chicks should not eat calcium laden feed designed for laying hens.  The studies are easily found and read on Google about how a high calcium diet can destroy kidneys and other internal functions of young and growing birds fed a high calcium diet.  Since they aren't laying eggs, they've no way to rid their bodies of the  rich calcium intake. 

Mine will eat anything i throw in the pen EXCEPT sweet potatoes.

I'm not sure that the corn is the problem. Mine eat it although they prefer all the other bits of the scratch first and only eat the corn if they are really bored. Otherwise they eat everything I throw in there except leftover bread things. Not sure why they don't like the bread or pancakes or waffles or biscuits ... when I had chickens a few years back they loved pancakes.

My chickens love the crackdmcorn in the scratch. I was unaware that some chickens don't like it.

My chickens love the cracked corn in the scratch. I was unaware that some chickens don't like it.

The chicken run is the  area under our deck. Right above the run is our bird feeder. So all the residues that the birds bill out of the feeder falls down into the run...the chicks love bird seed.

Thanks Fred for the calcium info. One more questions, I went out to feed up tonight, I found what looks like a tent of some blod in the chicks poo. 

I dont think it was all of them, I hope it was only coming from 1. I dont really know why there would be blood, what you think?

What was the consistency of the poo? Has it been watery lately, or normal with the white "cap?" It's possible it could be coccidiosis.