Is dry corn on the cob okay?

[AllChookUp]

So I repeat my question - Should I not give them any cracked corn in the summer at all, or just limit it (mix it in with feed)?

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Scratch and cracked corn is like candy.....I don't feed it in the summer time ......thats my 2 cents...some might think different..

 

[S0rcy]

My friend fed cracked corn to her chickens in her feed (they were free to roam on her 1 acre fenced property) all summer last year, besides having hens that ran around like little maniacs, they were fine. I feed a handful of grain that includes cracked corn to my chickens each day, but our weather is nowhere approaching warm yet.

 

[soctippy]

Another thing about corn, it is very high in fat/calories and while you can feed it to your chickens they can eat to much and get fat. And when they get fat, they may stop laying eggs. I ran into this problem last year, and we ended up changing their treats to whole oats and they like them just as much!

 

[AllChookUp]

soctippy - Whole oats sounds great - I eat them myself. But it sounds like it could be expensive. Never looked at it at the feed mill.

 

[soctippy]

the last 50lbs. bag we bought at the feed store was "supposed" to be for the horses. i think it cost us around $10 for a bag, and they were labeled racehorse oats.

 

[AllChookUp]

That's not bad at all. I would think a 50-lb bag would last a while with chickens.

One side question - Do you store the oats in something airtight? I would think moisture or humidity might take a toll...

I do that for my DE.

 

[soctippy]

yea, store oats just lake your chicken feed. in a dry place. I use an old trash bin with a broken wheel. it keeps feed dry and the racoons have a heck of a time trying to get the top off, I found it on the side of the road.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Just wondering why you recommend not feed the corn in the summer, does the feeding off the cob exert the hen too much causing them to over eat? Or is corn not a good food for the summer?
I'm new and don't have my chicks, sorry if this is a well known fact, i'm still learning.

Cracked corn or shell corn gives off heat and stay in the crop for along time, thats one reason to feed it in the winter on cold blustery evenings...helps keep the birds warm overnight...

What TOH says!

 

[spook]

thanks for clearing that up, now the girls will appreciate this, lol...we have corn for them 2morrow!