Is there something negative about feed chickens corn?

[cracked egg]

Actually, GMO is NOT perfectly safe to eat. It messes with hormones because of it's very nature of being manipulated by humans to grow faster, taller, stronger, more disease resistant, and with more kernels. Hybrid corn, which is nature way of modifying it, is ok. Too many people think GMO is good but look at us Americans ... we're huge and corn is a really big part of our diet. It's almost impossible to get non-GMO corn seeds anywhere, and I look because I grow them.


I stopped giving my chickens corn only a short time ago, and already their egg production is up. That's the only change I did. So ... no more corn for my girls. They really enjoy amaranth, quinoa, millet and flax seeds. For some reason, they don't like BOSS. And if they need help keeping warm in the winter (like here in Colorado), ground up alfalfa helps there.


Just my 2 cents.

Baker creek seeds carries a bunch of Heirloom non gmo corn varieties. I grow a giant indian type corn that grows huge ears and most have at least 3 ears to the stalk. I also started with the millet,sorghum,amaranth and sunflower from their seeds. Basically everything we grow is from their seeds and can see the difference in the hardiness and the taste of the Heirloom varieties.

 

[rachlore]

I suppose corn isn't good for chickens... is it? I hadn't heard anything about corn and chickens till I saw this forum. Wow.

 

[my sunwolf]

Corn is fine for chickens in small quantities. GMO are unfortunate but we could argue all day about it. I don't know about you all, but I actually have to make a profit on my chickens and there is no way I can do so while feeding organic, however much I would like to. So GMO it is. I like it when replies include STUDIES with data as opposed to people ranting about what they think this or that does, whether for or against GMO. I personally am against GMO, but it's interesting to hear how the other side justifies it.

Poor OP, they did not realize the can of worms they were opening

 

[Mogli]

i feed my laying hens corn CRACKED corn so they can digest it better i feed them it in the winter as a treat on cold winter days & nites to help keepem warm at nite when they fly up to there roost pole at nite for bed time. they love crack corn they gather around the treat box i built for them i dump the cracked corn in there & they start pecking away at it & giggle & chirp while they eat it they LOVE it. they have DUMOR layer crumble feed 24/7 in the coop for them to eat too. i get all my feild corn for FREE i used to work at a dairy farm & the farmer gave me permision to walk around in his corn feilds & i pick up all the ears of corn i want then i takem home & letem dry out good & i have an old antique hand corn sheller that i run the ears of corn through then when im ready to feed my hens some crack corn i run the shelled corn through a elecrtic motor grinder & vola fresh cracked corn all for FREE

 

[jak2002003]

Nothing wrong with corn in a chicken diet. But for home egg laying birds or pets it would not be good to freed only corn and nothing else as it would be an unbalanced diet.

There are some humane reasons about not eating corn fed chickens - because 'corn fed' chickens in the supermarket are factory farmed and only fed corn - its a cheap feed. It will colour the flesh with a yellow tint that some people like. Hand in hand with factory farmed corn fed chicken goes many hormones and chemicals and cruel rearing conditions. That is why the doctor friend may have asked the question.


approx 3 quaters of beef cattle in American are CORN FED. So for those people that think it bad because it GM, they need to stop eating beef!

 

[Cindy in PA]

Nothing wrong with corn in a chicken diet. But for home egg laying birds or pets it would not be good to freed only corn and nothing else as it would be an unbalanced diet.

There are some humane reasons about not eating corn fed chickens - because 'corn fed' chickens in the supermarket are factory farmed and only fed corn - its a cheap feed. It will colour the flesh with a yellow tint that some people like. Hand in hand with factory farmed corn fed chicken goes many hormones and chemicals and cruel rearing conditions. That is why the doctor friend may have asked the question.


approx 3 quaters of beef cattle in American are CORN FED. So for those people that think it bad because it GM, they need to stop eating beef!

I stopped eating grain fed beef a decade ago. Grass fed local beef is the only way to go!

 

[4 the Birds]

Corn is safe to feed chickens!!

I feed a little cracked corn to my layers daily during the Winter months. You can add it to their layer feed or toss on the ground. They free range in the field for bugs and we also give them table scraps. My grandparents were farmers and back in the old days they did not have chicken feed or dog food or cat food. The cats got milk from the cows, the dogs ate table sraps and the chickens ate corn.

It will surprise alot of people that corn is in ALOT foods that we eat! Peanut Butter, Cookies, Soup, Yogurt, Ketchup, Soda, Milk, Cat food, Dog Food, Chicken Feed... just to name a few. Even the plastic bottles that you drink bottled water from has some corn in it!

 

[Egghead_Jr]

the most dangerous thing about it is...well...asking about feeding it

 

[JillParham]

Whoever says GMO's are not bad for you obviously has not educated themselves. I highly suggest you learn about them and do not buy products from Monsanto, they are a monopoly, learn about it.

 

[NeideckerFarms]

GMO means the crops have had genes inserted, in the case of the cereal grains mentioned above, genes to allow them to be resistant to Roundup or to resist parasites like certain insects that feed on corn in the larvae (caterpillar) stage. This is different from breeding different strains together to develop hybreds, as is done to produce (for example) meat birds such as cornish crosses.

Aside from questions about the wholesomeness of GMO grains, the problems with GMO crops is that:

1. The genes spread to surrounding crops, and farmers that don't use GMO seeds have been sued by Monsato for using their own seeds to plant crops after they have been infused with the modified genes (which are patented) from other farmer's nearby fields. This travesty of the justice system has been upheld in both Canada and the USA.

2. The modified genes for catarpillar resistance can spread to surrounding plants. Some of those affected are plants like Milkweed, plants that are vital for certain butterfly and moth populations to lay their eggs on. This has the potential to seriously affect the population of these insects, which are not only beautiful but also are pollinators for many different plants.

Yes! This.