In Defense of Whole Corn

[Bodhisan]

And almost guaranteed they were free ranged and able to balance their ration.

I know this is true for a fact.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

@alwaystj9 is a bad influence! I was buying layer pellet today and grabbed a bag of whole corn.

The goats don’t seem interested, but the chickens are thrilled.

Also thrilled...my son. He just turned 9...when he was 4 or 5, I used to set him up in the run with a mill grinder and a bucket of corn. Clearly, he hasn’t outgrown - I barely had the bag open and he was pulling down his grinder and setting it up

That’s a lot of feed and entertainment value for $9 a bag!

 

[alwaystj9]

My kids loved playing in the corn when they were young. The corn maze actually has a corn pit (like a sandbox) for the kids to play in.

 

[Magnumchicken]

I am growing wheat corn and soybeans for my chickens. The wheat is waking up now. Week or 2 ill plant corn and soy.

Sometimes i get table scraps from a restaurant. Mostly toast and pancakes. That will really piss off the nevercorn group

Just keep in mind the macros. If feeding a lot of starch like corn, i give them a freezerburned fish or old hamburger or extra soy for protien to balance it out. Ill put some used cooking oil to get the fat levels up if needed. If they are eating tons of bugs or worms, i give them corn with oil to balance out the macros.

 

[alwaystj9]

My chickens want some pancakes...

 

[Winter Creek Coop]

Look out for feed nazis! My chickens get soaked and/or fermented mixed grains as their feed almost exclusively. I do like @Magnumchicken does and supplement with scraps and meat and such. Yes I free range so they find what they need.

What is interesting is how they cycle through what they want from the scratch. Mine usually pick out the sunflower seeds first, but then it depends. Sometimes the whole flock picks out all of the milo and walk away and leaves the corn, oats, and wheat etc. Then other times they gobble up the corn or the oats. But as a flock they must have similar needs because they all seem to crave the same thing at the same time.

 

[Magnumchicken]

Look out for feed nazis! My chickens get soaked and/or fermented mixed grains as their feed almost exclusively. I do like @Magnumchicken does and supplement with scraps and meat and such. Yes I free range so they find what they need.

What is interesting is how they cycle through what they want from the scratch. Mine usually pick out the sunflower seeds first, but then it depends. Sometimes the whole flock picks out all of the milo and walk away and leaves the corn, oats, and wheat etc. Then other times they gobble up the corn or the oats. But as a flock they must have similar needs because they all seem to crave the same thing at the same time.

Its funny to watch 6 chickens surround 6 worms and they all fight over one. 7th chicken then comes in and eat the other 5 worms.

The food nazis and nevercorn groups they dont mean harm. They just have different perception. For me, economics is a high priority for me having chickens. They are my compost heap and fertilizer bags. As long as their eggs taste awesome and dont have any toxins, guess what my chickens eat? Whatever i feed them or whatever they find.

 

[Red-Stars-in-RI]

Up here in Rhode Island, “Johnny Cakes” are a traditional breakfast treat...those are cornmeal pancakes.

 

[cedar hill farm]

I always have cheap whole corn in a barrel in the feed room. Nouveau chicken people and scientific chicken people hate this. For lots of reasons, all of which they have abundantly shared with me. I almost suspect that some people are paid off by TSC to bash anyone that doesn't purchase fancy-bagged "Happy Hen Special Treat" or "Magic Baby Chicky Surprise" for their flock.
I like corn because everything eats it. I like corn because I can carry handsfuls in my pockets and it doesn't crumble. I like that it's not sticky. Clothing with corn left in the pockets will go through the washer & dryer and it is still corn-shaped afterwards. My ancient toothless horse still thinks it's a treat even if it goes straight through her (this is why chickens love horse poop). I can toss a couple of handfulls in the pen and lock up the chickens mid day if I need to. I can take a handfull and catch a goat. I can use it to lure my animals to or away from something in an emergency. I can mix it with a handful of pellets so that the feed is visible in low light or awkward spaces...It's the only treat that I have ever found that everything rushes toward (this includes the dogs) (just not the cat). It is in addition to regular pellets but can be fed in an emergency if I run out of pellets.
I am tired of the corn lectures. I recently edited a post I was making to remove the references to corn because I didn't want to read the bad corn crap. Since then I realized that I shouldn't have to apologize for using corn so I quit apologizing or deleting references to corn. Maybe some homesteader who shops at a chain feed store will remember this when the overprocessed chicken product from the chain store is not available.

amen to that! all of it!

 

[MysteryChicken]

Had to put my birds on a diet after giving them corn during the winter for extra fat. Reason, found fatty livers in birds we butchered.

Corn is good in moderation, but bad in excess. Feed as a treat, not as a main diet.