NOW CONFUSED!!!!!!!

[Keni*Sue]

i just got a new hen and i bought the laying crumbles and the cracked corn. should i mix the two together or feed them separate???

 

[Imp]

You can do either, but most people here will say to keep seperated. Cracked corn aka scratch is a treat and shouldn't be given in large amounts.

Imp

 

[Keni*Sue]

then what should be givin in large ammounts as a feed???

 

[speckledhen]

All they need is layer crumbles or pellets. If you put scratch in the feed, they'll eat all the corn and not get the proper nutrients. They need calcium for hard shells and you can supplement that with oyster shell or limestone calcium. Save the corn for a treat a few times a week.

 

[Imp]

Keni*Sue :

then what should be givin in large ammounts as a feed???

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear.

Give the laying crumbles 24/7. Keep the feeder full.

The cracked corn is a treat, give them a little when you're in the yard or playing with them. Every day after work I grab a handful and sprinkle it in the yard for them.

Imp/Russ​

 

[Keni*Sue]

ok i see now, but for years i have givin all of my chickens corn and nothing else and never have had a problem, and have big healthy chickens. so if i give them JUST the crumbles that will be ok? and they wont be hungery?

 

[caralouise1974]

A chicken diet of just corn is like a human diet of just McDonalds. You can get by on it, and possibly get very fat, but it is really low in nutrients.

Hens that only eat corn are more likely to suffer health problems and lay fewer eggs. The corn should be for a treat only - in small amounts.

A proper layer feed should give them all the goodness they need, and they will not need anything else in order to thrive, apart from crushed oyster shell (to supplement the calcium they need for their egg shells) and flint grit (for digestion). They also of course need fresh clean water at all times.

The corn is unneccessary, honestly. But we all like to give our girls treats, so don't feel bad about feeding it in small amounts in the evenings

 

[Judy]

Where I live, it is common for the older folks to feed only corn and table scraps. But these chickens typically free range. Not necessarily a balanced diet, but much better balanced than just corn. I have 4 free ranging hens who mostly eat what they find in the woods and weedy areas of the property, but I have layer available for them at all times as well.

 

[Keni*Sue]

if they dont have the oyster shells will they not lay fertile eggs?

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

They won't lay fertile eggs if they don't have a rooster.

If they don't have enough calcium (oyster shell) their egg shells are really soft.