Cracked corn or scratch

[centrarchid]

Because cracked digests easier? I guess they don't have any problem digesting whole corn either. Around my parts whole corn is only .20c a bag cheaper than cracked, but I'm going by TSC prices. 50 # crack = $9.99.

So long as ample grit is provided my birds can handle digesting the whole kernels even as three week old chicks so long as they don't get too much. I get a fair portion of my feeds through TSC as well although not always cheapest option which is where price difference is as I see it. I have been getting cheaper whole corn (usually depending on market price) from our local farmers coop. We up here are much closer to corn-belt so that may impact price differences as well.

 

[MandalaMaMa]

Hey what's everyone's feeling between scratch and BOSS. Which is better or are they same. I realize both are treats but have been wondering if one is more healthier.

 

[centrarchid]

Between production seasons I use both. During peak and final stages of molt sunflower seeds are used to provide oils that may be important for feathers. When temperatures get really cold the sunflower seeds in addition to the scratch / whole corn are upped to increase energy intake. This is done in a matter to ensure all balanced formulation is consumed first preventing nutritional deficiencies from developing.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

Because cracked digests easier? I guess they don't have any problem digesting whole corn either. Around my parts whole corn is only .20c a bag cheaper than cracked, but I'm going by TSC prices. 50 # crack = $9.99.

So long as ample grit is provided my birds can handle digesting the whole kernels even as three week old chicks so long as they don't get too much.  I get a fair portion of my feeds through TSC as well although not always cheapest option which is where price difference is as I see it.  I have been getting cheaper whole corn (usually depending on market price) from our local farmers coop.  We up here are much closer to corn-belt so that may impact price differences as well.

3 weeks? You either got some big chicks or some small corn. All those bittys I hatched this year are getting big and they are going free range so I don't see any sense in buying expensive mash much longer. Presently my mash/scratch bill is $30 per month but I can see that x3 as birds mature. I will be comparing corn prices very soon. Whatever's cheapest is what they will be eating.

 

[centrarchid]

American Games and American Dominiques can choke down dent corn just fine by the time they are three weeks old. Same birds are also free-ranged but really get excited by the occasional whole kernel at dawn and just before going to roost under mama. By time they are five weeks a good third of what they top crop off with as they are getting ready for roost is whole corn. Diet overall still sound since balance of crop fill comes form grasshoppers that are even larger than corn kernels.

 

[Michael Apple]

Presently my mash/scratch bill is $30 per month but I can see that x3 as birds mature. I will be comparing corn prices very soon. Whatever's cheapest is what they will be eating.

I certainly understand the desire to make feed bills affordable. I have seen one of the biggest mistakes a person in the hobby, or raising birds for meat and eggs can make, is to cut expenses using cheap feed. A person is much farther ahead with 25 well fed, healthy chickens than he is with 100 undernourished, half-sick ones. I'd cut down the size of my flock, not the quality of feed.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

 Presently my mash/scratch bill is $30 per month but I can see that x3 as birds mature. I will be comparing corn prices very soon. Whatever's cheapest is what they will be eating.

I certainly understand the desire to make feed bills affordable. I have seen one of the biggest mistakes a person in the hobby, or raising birds for meat and eggs can make, is to cut expenses using cheap feed. A person is much farther ahead with 25 well fed, healthy chickens than he is with 100 undernourished, half-sick ones. I'd cut down the size of my flock, not the quality of feed.

I agree and that's good advice, Michael. I didn't mention it because it was irrevelant to the thread topic but as my birds get big enough that local cats won't eat them they free range. My penned birds are always feed the appropiate starter/grower etc. mash.

 

[centrarchid]

I agree and that's good advice, Michael. I didn't mention it because it was irrevelant to the thread topic but as my birds get big enough that local cats won't eat them they free range. My penned birds are always feed the appropiate starter/grower etc. mash.

Free-range when trying to control feed cost involves more than simply allowing the birds to stretch their legs. The forage base can vary greatly and approach nothing when ground is denuded or plants are basically the same as a well manicured lawn. Insects and other invertebrates are very important as protein sources and protein is usually the first limiting nutrient, especially if birds do not get away from picked over area immediately around feeder and roost. With birds exhibiting strong foraging habit on ground that has a robust insect population, energy can be limiting especially with when plants are starting to die back because of heat or frost. When insects are easy come by, that is when you can get by with using the lowest quality scratches and grains without compromising growth / production. A flock I have centered on house is provided little more than whole corn this time of year yet growth is rapid with birds being rock solid in the hand but one must keep in mind the corn represents only a small portion of what they consume. Sometime after frost, if birds are unable to increase area foraged, then protein can become limiting for younger birds although most of time that limitation can be relieved by making available higher protein grains (relative to energy content) or simply limited amounts of a complete high protein diet. Thus, season can greatly impact what you can get away with in your efforts to control feed costs.


Most folks raising chickens free-range do not take advantage of the lands capacity spare feed costs either because they push system too hard (too many birds per unit area) or they do not effectively supplement forage as needed.

 

[SophiaMoon]

As to why chose cracked over whole corn, cracked corn wont grow. When i fed whole corn i would sometimes find corn growing in strange places like the flower beds. Mind you it was to the wild birds and I did not have chickens then, but if the chickens miss any corn I dont want it growing in my yard so i feed cracked corn.

 

[SoManyHats]

I certainly understand the desire to make feed bills affordable. I have seen one of the biggest mistakes a person in the hobby, or raising birds for meat and eggs can make, is to cut expenses using cheap feed. A person is much farther ahead with 25 well fed, healthy chickens than he is with 100 undernourished, half-sick ones. I'd cut down the size of my flock, not the quality of feed.

Amen and amen.