Is cracked corn different than scratch grains?

[silkiechicken]

I have about 30 birds I think and they get only about a cup of scratch or maybe two a day if it lows in the mid 40's. They love you either way since they can't measure how much scratch you are giving them.

 

[greyfields]

I think cracked corn is the filler in scratch, being the cheapest typically to come by.

 

[silkiechicken]

Has anyone noticed a smaller percentage of corn in their scratch of late? I think the ratio of corn to other stuff in the bags I get had decreased since last year. Wonder if it's due to that whole cost of corn up due to "renewable" ethanol from corn fad. Do people forget it takes ALOT of energy to grow corn too? And it's not just the energy from corn you have to factor in? Fertilizers, pesticides, black gold to run the equipment? Why not use a non food crop for ethanol?

 

[eggzettera]

pavlova - had to look that up - never heard of it before - now I am drooling - thanks alot Bantymum.....

Corn is a heavy feeder, I personally think that corn ethanol is a joke. I recently read that: Corn production can degrade the soil, requires intensive fertilization & encourages the use of genetically modified varieties. All ethanols yield about a third less power than gasoline. The US government subsidizes it at the rate of 51 cents per gallon. If the mill producing it is fueled by coal it would be 4% worse for greenhouse gases then gasoline.

Makes you kinda wonder.......WHY?

 

[silkiechicken]

Yeah, really. And the riots over raise maize prices in mexico too. "Use solar energy, it's like free energy" NOT! Put up wind mills and pull out energy from the sun and you change the weather patterns thus causing more problems.

Conservation is key here.

As for scratch grains in various locations, I am pretty sure it is basically a combination of the most available regional dry food. I heard of some scratch grains containing things like millet which is unheard of here. A 50 lb bag of scratch grains is just $1 less then a good formulated bag of feed around here.

 

[Scrambled Egg]

I buy the scratch at my feed store and it has cracked corn mixed with wheat kernels in it. My chickens eat it like pigs and it comes in a 50 pound bag for less than $7.00. Foodlion carries the scratch that is just cracked corn and it is 25 pounds for less than $5.00. Mine seem to like the one with the wheat in it better.