Growing up my granny always fed corn to her chickens , they free ranged and ate corn daily, dad said when he was growing up corn was what everyone (living near him) fed their free range chickens ....corn and whatever the chickens found out there on their own, they always had eggs and plenty of chicken dinners. My chickens can't range like they did years ago due to increase in predators and such , I do throw them some cracked corn everyday as scratch feed but I don't relay on it for their daily nutrition.