cracked corn?

[Sharona]

I also read that the more fat you add to the diet the more heat they produce.

 

[FluffyChickenMama]

I guess the fatter anything is the hotter it is.. Sure is the case for me..

.. lol.. but I have heard that corn causes them to heat up...

 

[Colonel Sanders]

I followed Gail Damerow's idea of mixing oats n 50/50 with feed. So far happy chickens. I will feed some corn in the winter. Helps to keep them warm. Other than a few treats here and there they eat the mixed food and free range grub. I am amazed at only 10 weeks how docile they have become. I think I have 23 pets now.

 

[MayberrySaint]

Quote:
I also used the oat/starter mix (50/50). I started it at 8 wks of age and will keep them on it until they start to lay. The pullets seem happy and are growing well. I was hoping it would lower my feed cost a bit, but the only whole oats I can get from Southern States are reclaimed (recleaned?) oats for horses and they are actually $1.50 per 50 lb bag higher than the Chick starter. Makes no sense from a $ per calorie (or protein) cost. Taking advantage of those rich horse owners...lol.

 

[Colonel Sanders]

We just can't win sometimes. I really don't even notice the cost of feed for them. It relaxes me and make me happy. Cheeper than Disneyworld.

 

[BeckyLa]

What kind of oats do you use? I couldn't find rolled so I got crimped. It was half waste and the chickens thought I was crazy. It's so hard to find anything around here!

 

[Colonel Sanders]

I will check the bag and see what kind. I got them from TSC though.

 

[silkiechicken]

Quote:
I adopted a small flock of chickens from a lady who kept them as pets and they were FAT compared to my free range no corn except winter as treats diet. Their bodies were noticeably rounder at their rear ends and the cushions on the hens were very round and bulgy. They were also slower and didn't move as quickly. A month here and they probably lost a pound each, thinned down, and were much spunkier. It was probably a result of free ranging and a pellet rather than corn and treat based diet.

 

[devora]

Thanks for the description. I’ve only ever had my chickens so don’t know how to judge spunkyness, but mine seem spunky. They run about the place and hardly ever sit around watching TV (unless it’s wrestling; they love wrestling).

 

[fowlweatherfriends]

Hi,
Yes, corn is a HOT food-very good in winter fall and spring only. It causes the body to heat up which is not good in already high temps. The body has to work harder to digest, metabolize, and gather nutrients from it, thus causing more body heat.