This topic came up in one of the fodder threads I follow. "Regular" whole corn is dried after harvest, which kills the kernel, making the corn unable to sprout and grow as fodder. I was told "Deer Corn" is just bagged from the field and not dried, so the kernel is still alive, and the deer corn seed will sprout and grow.
Nobody mentioned anything about Aflotoxin, but as with all feed, I think you need to be sure it is safe for your birds. When growing fodder, many people will add a cap full of bleach to the soaking water to kill off molds.
I have both "Regular" whole corn and cracked corn for my birds. I don't know why you would need to crack the whole corn for regular sized chickens. They would just need grit, which we should have for the birds anyway. Supposedly, the corn helps heat up the birds in the cold winter, but it should not be their main feed. I usually throw some whole corn, cracked corn, scratch, grains, etc... into the coop every morning and let the chickens peck and scratch through their deep litter for the treats. They get a nice treat to warm themselves and in the process they help me keep the coop clean by turning the chicken droppings into the deep litter.
If your goal is to stretch the commercial feed, then might I suggest you consider growing fodder for your chickens. You might be able to grow corn fodder with your deer corn. I grow barley fodder, and I typically get about 5 pounds of barley grass fodder for every 1 pound of seed. In other words, a 50 pound bag of barley seed for $8.00 works out into 250 pounds of fresh green fodder for that $8.00. My chickens love it, especially in the winter when other greens are not available. But I still have commercial layer feed hanging 24/7 as their main feed.
