How to make a homemade feeder? And, is whole corn good to feed?

[jolenesdad]

But the corn is already open. Now what?

Spread it out to wildlife, and give your girls no more than 3/4 a cup a day as a treat, and probably a little less if you free range.

and like I mentioned... get more chickens and it will go faster.

 

[Kiki]

Ok, thanks. No, I don't eat a lot of junk food.

Good.
It's best for your birds if you don't feed them a lot of junk food too.

 

[Kiki]

Spread it out to wildlife, and give your girls no more than 3/4 a cup a day as a treat, and probably a little less if you free range.

and like I mentioned... get more chickens and it will go faster.

3/4 of a cup total.
Not per bird.

 

[Mother Clucker17]

Agrees.

You know how they say "take it with a grain if salt"?
You need a whole shaker full of salt with her.

Any internet advice, including here, should be taken with a grain, or more, of salt.
It can be laborious to wade thru all the info and make decision, but it's essential.

Why? Show some evidence that she really is as bad as your saying because in reality who says your opinion is correct and her's is wrong just as who says her's is right and yours is wrong?

I have always found her information useful, and depending on the time of the year some foods like corn won't hurt that much unless you give a huge amount. I have 10 chickens. A handful of corn per bird fills a 16 oz cup, I don't even feed that much. That's a huge amount and with anything balance is the key. There is a difference between just throwing out a bunch of corn and throwing out a bunch of corn, oats, rice, wheat, millet, sunflower seeds, milo, ect. Chickens have evolved to have a variety in their diet, so giving them a balanced variety is the key to feeding.

I will play devils avicate(can't spell lol) here and say thought that I don't agree with mixing anything in their feeder except powders or alfalfa pellets or inconspicuous things because the chickens will see bits of corn and stuff thought the feeder if its see through and they will dig out their feed to get to it and waste alot of food. This is very noticeable with the crumbles. It will go EVERYWHERE. Pellets are the way to go.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would feed the squirrels the corn.....

But then they might call their friends and they would call their friends then I would have 100 tree rats in the yard.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I want my hens to live long.

I think we all do, Roo. That's why, when I learned that too much calcium in the diet is harmful to my roosters, I went out and bought all-flock even though I still had plenty of layer feed. I didn't want to waste the layer feed, though. So I switched them over to the new feed gradually. You don't have to totally waste the old. And, much as I respect @aart and usually agree with her, I don't think you have to waste the corn, either. Just give them a little handful once a day with their scratch, toss it far and wide, make them work for it. It may last for months at that rate - don't feed if it goes moldy or smells musty! - but at least you won't feel that the whole 50# is a total waste.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

and like I mentioned... get more chickens and it will go faster.

You're an evil man, @jolenesdad .

 

[Kiki]

You're an evil man, @jolenesdad .

Yeah but if one is complaining about throwing away a ten dollar bag if corn or having to buy more feed...they probably don't need more mouths to feed.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I think we all do, Roo. That's why, when I learned that too much calcium in the diet is harmful to my roosters, I went out and bought all-flock even though I still had plenty of layer feed. I didn't want to waste the layer feed, though. So I switched them over to the new feed gradually. You don't have to totally waste the old. And, much as I respect @aart and usually agree with her, I don't think you have to waste the corn, either. Just give them a little handful once a day with their scratch, toss it far and wide, make them work for it. It may last for months at that rate - don't feed if it goes moldy or smells musty! - but at least you won't feel that the whole 50# is a total waste.

I don't think aart said toss it out.

I know I said toss it.

The OP has a small flock of 6 birds.....giving a small handful at a time a 50 pound bag would last forever.
I wonder what the shelf life of whole corn is......

 

[Kiki]

I said toss it too.