Homemade Chicken Feed Recipe--How Does This Sound?

[notachickennut]

Whole dried? I should have clarified, the *will* eat it but they can't really digest it well, not that it matters, corn is pretty devoid of nutrients. It's just carbs.

Yes, whole dried. Sold as whole cleaned corn. As long as chickens have access to grit, or small rocks they can digest things a LOT harder than corn.

https://chickenandchicksinfo.com/can-chickens-eat-whole-corn/

 

[Ridgerunner]

Whole dried? I should have clarified, the *will* eat it but they can't really digest it well, not that it matters, corn is pretty devoid of nutrients. It's just carbs.

Have you actually looked at the nutritional value of corn? The actual values will depend on the type of corn, when and how it is harvested and stored. I think these are fairly representative values of the corn we would feed out chickens. The information did not copy as nicely as I'd like, Neither did the link. I'll copying a link, then I searched for "Corn grain, yellow. But do your own research. People are more likely to believe their own research anyway.

https://www.nutritionvalue.org

This is based on a serving size of 166 grams. A lot of those percents are based on daily values for humans, not chickens, so don't be too misled by that. As you see, protein provided is 16 grams so corn is about 10% protein. But like any other cereal grain corn also provides a lot more, including minerals and vitamins. It is not just protein. There is a reason corn was one of the "three sisters" grown by many of the Native American tribes. Carbohydrates were part of that but not the only reason.

I'm not saying that corn should be a major component of their daily diet. Like everything else, it should not. But you might want to check your facts if you think corn is "pretty devoid of nutrients".

Nutrition Facts
Portion Size	166 g
Calories Per Portion	606
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7.9g	10 %
Saturated Fat 1.1g	6 %
Sodium 58mg	3 %
Total Carbohydrate 123g	45 %
Dietary Fiber 12g	43 %
Sugar 1.1g
Protein 16g	32 %
Vitamin D 0.00mcg	0 %
Calcium 11.62mg	1 %
Iron 4.50mg	25 %
Potassium 476mg	10 %
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contribute to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Vitamins
Nutrient	Amount	DV
Vitamin A, RAE	18.26 mcg	2 %
Carotene, alpha	104.58 mcg
Carotene, beta	161.02 mcg
Cryptoxanthin, beta	0.00 mcg
Lutein + zeaxanthin	2249.30 mcg
Lycopene	0.00 mcg
Retinol	0.00 mcg
Thiamin [Vitamin B1]	0.639 mg	53 %
Riboflavin [Vitamin B2]	0.334 mg	26 %
Niacin [Vitamin B3]	6.021 mg	38 %
Pantothenic acid [Vitamin B5]	0.704 mg	14 %
Vitamin B6	1.033 mg	79 %
Vitamin B12 [Cobalamin]	0.00 mcg	0 %
Vitamin B12, added	0.00 mcg
Folate, DFE [Vitamin B9]	31.54 mcg	8 %
Folate, food	31.54 mcg
Folic acid	0.00 mcg
Vitamin C [Ascorbic acid]	0.0 mg	0 %
Vitamin D	0.00 mcg	0 %
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	0.81 mg	4 %
Vitamin E, added	0.00 mg
Tocopherol, alpha	0.81 mg
Vitamin K	0.5 mcg	0 %

Minerals
Nutrient	Amount	DV
Calcium, Ca	11.62 mg	1 %
Copper, Cu	0.521 mg	58 %
Iron, Fe	4.50 mg	25 %
Magnesium, Mg	210.82 mg	53 %
Manganese, Mn	0.805 mg	35 %
Phosphorus, P	348.60 mg	50 %
Potassium, K	476.42 mg	10 %
Selenium, Se	25.7 mcg	47 %
Sodium, Na	58.10 mg	3 %
Zinc, Zn	3.67 mg	33 %

Proteins and Aminoacids
Nutrient

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Here's Feedipedia on Corn. Click on the "Nutritional Aspects" tab for a good survey. You need to know how to read the nutritional tables, or it can be deceptive, but they are next tab over.

it has its uses - protein isn't the whole story, making feed involves balancing, LOTS of balancing.

 

[notachickennut]

Have you actually looked at the nutritional value of corn? The actual values will depend on the type of corn, when and how it is harvested and stored. I think these are fairly representative values of the corn we would feed out chickens. The information did not copy as nicely as I'd like, Neither did the link. I'll copying a link, then I searched for "Corn grain, yellow. But do your own research. People are more likely to believe their own research anyway.

https://www.nutritionvalue.org

This is based on a serving size of 166 grams. A lot of those percents are based on daily values for humans, not chickens, so don't be too misled by that. As you see, protein provided is 16 grams so corn is about 10% protein. But like any other cereal grain corn also provides a lot more, including minerals and vitamins. It is not just protein. There is a reason corn was one of the "three sisters" grown by many of the Native American tribes. Carbohydrates were part of that but not the only reason.

I'm not saying that corn should be a major component of their daily diet. Like everything else, it should not. But you might want to check your facts if you think corn is "pretty devoid of nutrients".

Nutrition Facts
Portion Size	166 g
Calories Per Portion	606
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 7.9g	10 %
Saturated Fat 1.1g	6 %
Sodium 58mg	3 %
Total Carbohydrate 123g	45 %
Dietary Fiber 12g	43 %
Sugar 1.1g
Protein 16g	32 %
Vitamin D 0.00mcg	0 %
Calcium 11.62mg	1 %
Iron 4.50mg	25 %
Potassium 476mg	10 %
* The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contribute to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrient	Amount	DV
Vitamins
Vitamin A, RAE	18.26 mcg	2 %
Carotene, alpha	104.58 mcg
Carotene, beta	161.02 mcg
Cryptoxanthin, beta	0.00 mcg
Lutein + zeaxanthin	2249.30 mcg
Lycopene	0.00 mcg
Retinol	0.00 mcg
Thiamin [Vitamin B1]	0.639 mg	53 %
Riboflavin [Vitamin B2]	0.334 mg	26 %
Niacin [Vitamin B3]	6.021 mg	38 %
Pantothenic acid [Vitamin B5]	0.704 mg	14 %
Vitamin B6	1.033 mg	79 %
Vitamin B12 [Cobalamin]	0.00 mcg	0 %
Vitamin B12, added	0.00 mcg
Folate, DFE [Vitamin B9]	31.54 mcg	8 %
Folate, food	31.54 mcg
Folic acid	0.00 mcg
Vitamin C [Ascorbic acid]	0.0 mg	0 %
Vitamin D	0.00 mcg	0 %
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	0.81 mg	4 %
Vitamin E, added	0.00 mg
Tocopherol, alpha	0.81 mg
Vitamin K	0.5 mcg	0 %

Nutrient	Amount	DV
Minerals
Calcium, Ca	11.62 mg	1 %
Copper, Cu	0.521 mg	58 %
Iron, Fe	4.50 mg	25 %
Magnesium, Mg	210.82 mg	53 %
Manganese, Mn	0.805 mg	35 %
Phosphorus, P	348.60 mg	50 %
Potassium, K	476.42 mg	10 %
Selenium, Se	25.7 mcg	47 %
Sodium, Na	58.10 mg	3 %
Zinc, Zn	3.67 mg	33 %

Nutrient
Proteins and Aminoacids

Very similar to the data in the link I shared.

 

[Folly's place]

Agree with the last posters; corn is a lovely ingredient, as part of a balanced diet. Alone, it's not, but not meant to be fed alone.
Balancing a diet for high performance is tricky, and our modern chickens fit this description. Small birds producing maybe thirty eggs each year, at most, and not who we're feeding here!
Mary

 

[Pegasus667]

Whole dried? I should have clarified, the *will* eat it but they can't really digest it well, not that it matters, corn is pretty devoid of nutrients. It's just carbs.

Our corn has 9%protein so I wouldn't say it was void of nutrients

 

[BatTikvah]

Or, perhaps, does anyone know of an organic, soy-free feed that is whole grain and cheaper than Scratch and Peck?

Modesto Milling