Cracked corn

Thanks for the great info.

So am I crazy to feed them cc every day to save money... I have 130 birds.

I mix a homemade scratch of cracked corn, whole oats and black oiler sunflower seeds - equal parts. During winter I feed this scratch when I bring the hens in about 2 hrs before the lights go out. I want to boost protein for egg formation (happens during sleep) and provide metabolic warmth for the cold nights. From a metabolic perspective - Corn is a simple carbohydrate much like rice or sugar - it metabolizes pretty quick so think of it as a hot fuel. The whole oats are complex carbohydrates and take longer to breakdown and provide a "sustained" metabolic heat over a longer period than cracked corn. The BOSS are concentrated protein and fat which takes even longer to break down and provides a "longer sustained" metabolic heat. So you can see the mix provides metabolic heat helping to keep the chickens warm through the entire night and provides extra protein needed to keep up egg production, plus vitamin A, C and E. It also keeps the chickens busy at the end of the day so that they don't pick on each other and the group is more relaxed for bedtime. By feeding early evening the chickens don't rely on the scratch as their sole nutrition. Hope this helps folks better understand a little how and why cracked corn, whole oats and sunflower seeds make a nice bedtime snack.