Scratch on Cold Days

[cluckychick]

I feed rice and scratch in the am and pm. I got a free #50 lb bag of rice so my birds are happy little campers now

 

[NYREDS]

Feeding cracked corn or other grains does not raise a chicken's body temperature. They are warm blodded creatures, like us. Their body temperature, like ours, is regulated by by internal controls to remain at their normal temp. Corn or other grains provide ready access to energy that helps maintain their normal body temp. If not provided with these foods they draw on stored reserves [body fat] to provide this energy.

PS-uncooked rice expanding & killing birds is a myth. All grains expand with the addition of water-think about your morning oatmeal.

 

[digitS']

Quote:
Layer feed and breeder feed have the same amount of calcium. Perhaps, excessive calcium is a serious problem mostly with chicks and not adult birds. ". . . most roosters today are fed high-calcium breeder diets, which provide 4-6x their calcium needs, yet kidney dysfunction is quite rare in these birds." Ontario Ministry of Agriculture

The only thing I can think of to safely reduce commercial feed is to decide how much the birds really need. Then, weigh your feeder so as to be sure the flock is eating that much of the expensive formula each day. Then feed a high-calorie alternative like scratch/corn to help the birds meet their energy needs during cold weather.

If you don't give them anything else, they will eat the layer feed until they have sufficient calories to stay warm. If you give them too much scratch/corn, they may be deficient in the nutrients they need to be productive layers.

Just my 2 cents . . .

Steve