cracked corn diet okay for 3 month old chickens?

[sacchicken931]

I went to the feed store yesterday to get some organic feed for my 3 month old chickens. They told me that since my chickens aren't laying eggs yet that I don't have to give them the egg laying feed. That cracked corn is good for now. I bought the corn but this doesn't seem right to me. How do you get a balanced diet on cracked corn?

 

[claud]

What kind of feed store would tell you that?

They should be on grower until they lay - then the layer feed.

Keep the corn for a treat sometimes but go get some real food for them.

 

[WalkingWolf]

Only give the cracked corn for treats, if they are free ranging you can give them a little to entice them into their coop and to increase body temp when it is cool. Feeding a diet of cracked corn is actually more expensive than layer or maintenance feed. They will eat more of the cracked corn then they would the other, in the long run costing more or the same.

I feed my penned birds no scratch at all, strictly layer, starter, and maintenance. I give them scraps from the produce dept when I can get them. Free rangers get a little scratch of a night before roosting to increase their internal temps. As the bugs disappear with cold weather I will give the same mix for penned birds in the morning to get them going.

 

[al6517]

The critical ingrediant in commercial feed is Lysine, a vital ammino acid which the chicken needs to build muscle structure but cannot produce it, and must obtain it through feed. Corn alone cannot help this chicken grow properly.

AL

 

[sacchicken931]

Okay, thanks everyone. I just called the feed store and they've agreed to take back the cracked corn for the grower.