Cracked corn

chickengirl12

In the Brooder
7 Years
Feb 20, 2012
25
0
22
Does feeding cracked corn help chickens in any way. I have heard that it has no nutritional value and all it does is stretch the feed?
 
Corn is a very desirable grain, for some reason a bunch of people (mostly on this site) believe that corn has no nutritional value which is very incorrect.


TDN = Total Digestible Nutrients
NEm = Net Energy of Maintenance
NEg = Net Energy of Gain
CP = Crude Protein
NDF = Neutral Detergent Fiber
ADF = Acid Detergent Fiber

Table 1. Nutrient content of various feed grains (NRC, 1996).

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Corn Barley Wheat Oats Sorghum
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TDN, % 90 88 88 77 82
NEm, Mcal/lb 1.02 0.94 0.99 0.84 0.91
NEg, Mcal/lb 0.70 0.64 0.68 0.55 0.61
CP, % 9.8 13.2 14.2 13.6 12.6
Escape Protein, % of CP 55 27 23 17 57
NDF, % 10.8 18.1 11.8 29.3 16.1
ADF, % 3.3 5.8 4.2 14.0 6.4
-----------------------------------------------------------------



Table 2. Mineral content of major feed grains (NRC, 1996).
----------------------------------------------------------
Corn Barley Wheat Oats Sorghum
----------------------------------------------------------
Calcium, % 0.03 0.05 0.05 0.01 0.04
Phosphorus, % 0.32 0.35 0.44 0.41 0.34
Potassium, % 0.44 0.57 0.40 0.51 0.44
Magnesium, % 0.12 0.12 0.13 0.16 0.17
Sodium, % 0.01 0.01 0.01 0.02 0.01
Sulfur, % 0.11 0.15 0.14 0.21 0.14
Copper, ppm 2.5 5.3 6.5 8.6 4.7
Iron, ppm 54.5 59.5 45.1 94.1 80.8
Manganese, ppm 7.9 18.3 36.6 40.3 15.4
Selenium, ppm 0.14 - 0.05 0.24 0.46
Zinc, ppm 24.2 13.0 38.1 40.8 0.99
Cobalt, ppm - 0.35 - 0.06 -
Molybdenum, ppm 0.60 1.16 0.12 1.70 -
----------------------------------------------------------



Table 3. Nutrient content of corn using different harvest, storage,
or processing methods.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Escape
Dry TDN, NEm, NEg, Protein,
Corn Type Matter % Mcal/lb Mcal/lb CP, % % of CP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dry Rolled Corn 86 90 1.02 0.70 9.8 60
Ear Corn 87 83 0.92 0.62 9.0 60
Steam Flaked Corn 82 94 1.06 0.73 10.0 45
High Moisture Corn 75 90 1.02 0.70 10.0 40
High Moisture Ear Corn 75 83 0.92 0.62 8.7 40
High Moisture Snapped Corn 74 81 0.90 0.59 8.8 40
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
We sometimes use cracked corn as a source of extra energy for the birds during coldest months. We don't give them much, though -- maybe a cup or two per day for 3-5 birds, scattered on the ground. And of course they have unlimted access to their regular feed as well.
 
We sometimes use cracked corn as a source of extra energy for the birds during coldest months. We don't give them much, though -- maybe a cup or two per day for 3-5 birds, scattered on the ground. And of course they have unlimted access to their regular feed as well.

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You beat me to it.

I feed cracked corn to the flock during the cold months of winter, about an hour or so before I put them to bed. It keeps them warm and cozy...
 
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I'm glad to see this.I have been told that cracked corn was good in the winter.Awhile back there was some people on BYC that highly suggested that there was no warmth value to cracked corn.I know of more people that believe it than don't.I also like the nutritional facts that were posted.Thanks
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I'm glad to see this.I have been told that cracked corn was good in the winter.Awhile back there was some people on BYC that highly suggested that there was no warmth value to cracked corn.I know of more people that believe it than don't.I also like the nutritional facts that were posted.Thanks
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One of the guy's your talking about has a PHD in animal nutrition and knows what he is talking about.
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Since most chicken feed will range from 50 to 70 percent Corn, there is really no more "warmth value" in Corn than there regular feed.

Chris
 
One of the guy's your talking about has a PHD in animal nutrition and knows what he is talking about.
wink.png

Since most chicken feed will range from 50 to 70 percent Corn, there is really no more "warmth value" in Corn than there regular feed.

Chris
As far as any heat value in corn nutrition you are probably right.Cracked corn and feed would have pretty much the same value.By the chickens breaking down the corn I look at it as having to work harder causing the body put out more heat.Not because of the nutritional value,but by the body working harder to digest it.Not only that but when you feed cracked corn you are feeding more than the 50 to 70% range,so I also feel that this could also make a difference of some sort.
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I have read in some husbandry book, BC (before chickens) that cracked corn is like candy to chickens and should be fed to them in the same manner as one would feed candy to a child... I load them up on it... lol.,.,. just kidding.,,

thanks for the info.
 

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