I throw out whole corn for my sheep and the chickens eat it. I have not seen any ill effect.
They prefer cracked. I throw whole first, then cracked. They move over to the cracked.
Google said: Grown chickens can easily eat whole corn kernels without it being cracked as long as they have access to grit. Don't worry about the size of the kernel at all.
its a good idea to feed a bit of whole corn in the evening during cold weather, as it gets digested slowly, giving their bodies fuel for heat through the night . though corn is lower in protein it is considered a high energy ,heating feed
Thank you arnie that is real good information. I should of thought of it myself.That is why I am glad I take the time to read the discussion. You know you learn something new everyday thing.
they have a smallish fenced in area...size of a dog kennel...but the ground is totally frozen and/or covered in snow so gravel is not always available...thanks.
Oyster shell is too soft to act as grit.
It's mostly Limestone and grit needs to be Silica or Granite.
Unless there's a problem with thin egg shells they don't need the extra Calcium
I had pans of both oyster shell and grit. And a larger oil pan of DI earth. That way they take what they want and a dust bath as well. I used cracked corn in winter only. Layer pellets in feed hangers that way it kept feed from being wasted. Some times I'd get a bag of scratch to mix in.
if you are feeding scratch grains and corn to laying hens, remember that will lower the overall protein intake and might affect how many eggs they will lay..
sand is OK for grit.
many crumble type feeds have sand in them,.
.......jiminwiscstayingontopic........
Huh. Wonder why they'd add that?
I wouldn't think crumble would need grit to be broken down in the gizzard, but maybe it does.
Or they add sand for weight.
I know the scratch grains I buy at the mill has a bit of granite grit in it, but larger pieces(~1/8").
Layer mash or layer crumble/pellets don't require grit, (it's a powder or a "formed" powder) but anything else does. And no, oyster shell doesn't make good grit. Shouldn't require oyster shell for calcium with layer mash either, because it's supposed to have adequate calcium added to form eggshells.
I don't feed whole corn mainly because they don't eat it very well. They seem to prefer cracked - but still only use corn for a treat/exercise. Layers need a LOT more protein than what they can get from corn.
When I first got chickens, I'd throw them a mix of oil seeds/oats/cracked corn. They'd fight over the oil seeds, settle for the oats, and didn't touch the corn. Now I don't bother offering the corn.
I tried feeding my meat chickens cracked corn and whole oats. they picked all the corn out and the oats kept building up in the feeders.
take some crumble feed and mix it with water in a bowl.
you will find sand .. I did this by accident when feeding chicks..
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