Feeding free range chickens

[Drumstick63]

The problem with corn for chickens is the same as with candy for kids -- empty calories robbing them of their proper nutrition.

Treat =/= dairy part of regular diet.

Well they get free range, layer feed and I forgot to write fruits and veggies also

 

[Mutchi]

save your money, stop feeding layer crumble. corn should be good, i feed cracked corn and scratch, scratch has prtien an d nutrionts in it.

 

[Drumstick63]

Wow so many contradictions in this group it’s hilarious
last person said corn is pretty much junk food and you are the opposite
what is prtien ?
i give up asking advice

 

[Mutchi]

Wow so many contradictions in this group it’s hilarious
last person said corn is pretty much junk food and you are the opposite
what is prtien ?
i give up asking advice

lol! i mean protein!

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I free range my flock - 50+ poultry, 4.5 acres +/-, 1.75 acres of that as pasture. I've a long growing season and biodiverse polycultural pasture. They get 18% complete commercial feed with free choice oyster shell to provide needed calcium for the layers. Free ranging cuts my feed need 25-30%.

Can NOT join the other posters who suggested corn, or corn and scratch, as adequate feed. Those are filler and treats, respectively. While I have no idea as to your flock management plans in terms of how long you plan to keep your birds before replacement, or the nutritional value of your pasture, even in the moderately short term I'd be concerned about your flock obtaining a balanced, nutritionally complete diet. Corn for instance is missing both Lysine and Tryptophan, two critical amino acids for poultry development, and its niacin is bound in an indigestible form. Scratch is generally low protien (8-9%), high fat, and typically contains a lot of... you guessed it, corn.

Scratch frequently contains BOSS - black oil sunflower seeds - cause they are cheap and high protein, but also high fat, and often other seeds besides. As a class, seeds tend to be low in lysine, just like corn. Your Scratch is probably filled out with some other grains, which as a class tend to be low in lysine and threonine - but at least oats tend to be (relatively) high in tryptophan, helping to balance the corn somewhat. To get that missing lysine from the plant world??? Soy or fenugreek are among the best sources. Doubtful either is in your Scratch. Lysine is not, unlike some, an amino acid the chicken can produce on its own.

They are your birds, you are welcome to roll your dice and take your chances - but the available science and studies do not support a cracked corn only or corn and scratch deit supplimented by whatever is found in your fields, seasonally. At least, not if you want your birds to be in optimal health from a feed standpoint.

 

[alwaystj9]

There is a lot of advice and opinions. I also free range my chickens. I do keep corn around because it is convenient & everything eats it -- and I can shove a handfull in my pocket and 2 hours later, it hasn't crumbled. I do feed mine lay pellets every night when I bring them in. Once in a while I toss a handful of corn in. Especially when it is nasty outside. Good luck sorting all the info out.

 

[Tonyroo]

Inform yourself what chickens require nutritionally to maintain a healthy bird. It requires doing some light reading.

Asking about this topic will give you varying answers and it's hard to weed out which is right for you. But always try to use common sense when it comes to your birds health.

 

[Mutchi]

sorry if were comfusing you, OP. i personaly think roosters dont need flock crumble. you could do somthing like turkey food? we dont know what you spesifically want from these roosters, killed for meat, pets, ect.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

and here' a good summary of some of the recent science - its a metastudy of well cited works going back over the last 30 years or so. Two things - it acknowledges greater bioavailability of artificially sourced amino acids than those bound in proteins from traditional feed sources (which doesn't help you any, but is important to the commercial mfgs pouring vitamin powder on otherwise incomplete feeds) and it acknowledges disagreement in the various recommends, which it attrubtes to differences in methodology and in some cases, breeds, for the seemingly different dietary needs. That makes intuitive sense - a CornishX has a different life cycle than a dark brahma or some form of silkie.

But as @Tonyroo said, do your research. We are just faceless voices on the internet, no guarantees any of our opinions are worth any more than you paid for them.