My Chickens Won't Eat Corn?

[Arkinsaw]

My seven Rhode Island Reds will not eat corn. I've spread plain corn, and they also have corn in the scratch that I spread, but they ignore it. They also don't seem to like BOSS. I've thrown some out for them for several days, and they ignore this as well. They eat the laying pellets (mixed with yogurt) and the other grains in the scratch (they seem to like the milo the best), but they just turn up their beaks at corn.

Since it's become cold, I was thinking they'd go for the corn to help them stay warm. They are healthy active hens and don't seem to be bothered much by the cold and are laying very well.

It just seems strange to me that the two things everyone here says their chickens love, mine ignore.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
The corn won't make them warm, it will add calories which will help them combat lower temperatures. Since you feel the birds are healthy and are laying well I'd forgo the shelled corn as it will imbalance their nutrition, may result in fat hens, both of which will disrupt their laying.

Jim

 

[Mr chicken dude]

Is it cracked corn?

Or

Is it just plain old shelled corn the shelled corn might be a lot harder for them to eat than cracked...

 

[Arkinsaw]

The corn I'm putting out there is cracked.

And I have stopped putting it out since they're not eating it. It is in the scratch I put out, but again, they just leave it on the ground.

Got six eggs today, so I'm not complaining, just puzzled.

 

[redhen]

Your chickens have issues....what chicken refuses corn? Jeesh..

You sure you have chickens??

 

[rickelrod]

Same here, my RIR wont eat it either! My black Austrolorps will pick at it when there is nothing else left of the scratch.

 

[brian_M2]

Mine act like it's crack. In fact, it's what I have in one hand to squeeze inside the main door of the coop/run area to distract them while I fill up their feeder, otherwise I would get mobbed!

 

[SurprisingWoman]

My chickens don't like corn, BOSS, warm oatmeal in the morning... they are quite spoiled.

They do love millet and cheese.

Just keep trying and you can find what they love.

 

[Arkinsaw]

Same here, my RIR wont eat it either!

Well, perhaps it's a RIR thing?

Just keep trying and you can find what they love.

Well they do love dandelion greens which I've been picking and giving to them (we still have some around here even though it's freezing). And they love Chickweed, which I have to fight them for cuz I use it in a salve. And also sprouts, they love those.

So bleh to the corn. It's probably genetically altered anyway.​

 

[Spore]

Sometimes my barred rocks will devour corn and other times they ignore it. They want nothing to do with BOSS. They will eat around it in the feeder and prefer the layer feed. They do gobble up oatmeal. I bet if you fed them less they would eat up the corn in a hearbeat. Picky chickens usually have full crops.