does crack corn help?

[Mogli]

hello i was just curious i feed my hens alota cracked corn in the winter i mix it in there feeder with there laying mash and i also on very cold winter days i gevem a suet cake that i grind up and then add 4 to 5 dixie cup full of crack corn into the mushed up suet cake mix it all together and serve will all the crack corn tht i feed them help them make eggs or will it just keepem warm in the co;d ive heard corn is a goodthing to feed chickens to help create more body heat swo the stay warm when its cold is that true? is it bad to feed alota corn or not ive noticed if feed them alot they fill up on crack corn and then they dont eat there layer feed

 

[Frannabelle]

Sounds like you're doing it right! I offer layer feed and scratch feed (plus morning treats)

 

[Mogli]

so it won't hurt anything if you feed your chickens alota crack corn in the super cold months does it just help keepem warm or does the corn help make eggs too? cause theres corn in there laying feed too the factory puts in the feed u see little yellow bits of corn in there so it must help make eggs rite? cause i walk around corn fields and collect alota corn i dry it shell it grind it and feed it so i put alota time in collecting corn for my 5 hens

 

[Chicken.Lytle]

Just say "NO!"

Cracked corn is more like a cookie than a balanced meal. Feed accordingly.

 

[Mogli]

what do you mean by NO lol

 

[alaskachick]

Cracked corn to a chicken is like candy corn to humans. It does not have much nutritional value but it tastes good and your chickens will eat that first instead of what is more good for them. Picture this... put a bowl of oatmeal and a bowl of Halloween candy corn and which bowl do you think they will go for first? Were not saying to not give corn at all, just throw them a handful or so every day.

 

[bigoakhunter]

IMO .... there is a place for cracked corn or scratch or BOSS... I feed my birds in the morning with a balanced , natural feed. Then about noon I give them more feed as needed. On these super COLD days, I give them some, not lots, of cracked corn or cracked corn mixed with either scratch or BOSS. This gives them a full crop of food that helps them keep warm. I cannot tell you the excat science behind it, but you can find it on the search section. Just dont give it all the time, more of a COLD weather late afternoon treat.

Just my 2 cents......

Dave

 

[Mogli]

yeah i givem it like twice a day in the cold weather so they stay warm how lond will dryd field corn last if kept nice and dry 4 -5 years or longer cause i have around 3 to 4 bushals of feed corn i crack when i need it i know corn is in there layer feed but i mix some more in there layer feed too just to givem some more body making heat food i mix it in

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Corn is around 7-8% protein. Layer feed is around 16% protein. Eggs are protein. So your egglaying might be affected if they are not finding a lot of protein elsewhere and they receive too much corn.

A handful of corn thrown out everyday is nice, IMO. Just enough for them to get a little bit.

I don't know about how long corn will last for chicken feed, but I can tell you that from researching corn seeds for gardening I read that after 2 years the corn kernels really go downhill.

Also I have noticed this with popcorn. It starts tasting stale after it is around 2 years old.

 

[Mogli]

so what your saying if there eating too much corn that can affect egg production? is there protien in corn or no? are u sayn protien helps create eggs