feed?

[Anonymous]

hi everyone,

this may sound a bit dumb but i was windering if it was alright to just feed my girls just mixed corn for a week. the reason is i brought both the layers pellets and the corn a the same time, the layers has ran out andi still have half a bag of mixed corn left but i'm going to have had for six months soon and i know it ccan go off if you keep it to long.
isn't layers pellets just corn that has been processed?

sorry just wanted to check before i do it.

my other question is i have heard of other people feeding wheat in the winter ( someone said it helped them keep warmer) i have seen wheat at the farm shop and it's about the same price, does anyone feed there chooks on wheat.

thanks for any advice.

kat

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Kat,

I do know a poultry keeper,who does only feed her hens on corn and doesn't seem to have any problems.They are also free ranging though,so also eating other stuff.The reason I believe for not exclusively feeding corn is because the chooks will eat that at the expense of other foods,missing out on some other nutrients.
Also,corn can make them put excessive weight on,so your chooks might get a bit fat which not checked could lead to other possible health problems.
Saying that though,the weather is colder now so probably for one week wouldn't do any harm.It isn't something I've done myself though,so am probably not experienced enough to advise on this.

I think wheat is very similar,too much would be bad or could be bad for chooks,but a little amount shouldn't do any harm.Once again though,I have no personal experience to base this on.I think when the muesli type of hen food was more readily available than pellets etc,most hens were noted for picking their favourites i.e. wheat out and eating that first.

 

[girlracer265]

i'm not an expert but i do know a poultry breeder who only feeds mixed corn in autumn/ winter as he doesn't particularly want his chickens laying. so i guess it won't harm but they might not lay as much

 

[Anonymous]

i have worked in a corn mill shop selling chicken food, i always advised people to feed corn in the afternoon as it will fill their crops in the mornings and wont be broken down for them to eat any thing else, some people only fed corn to their chickens with out any problems, i have only fed corn to mine for some time with out any problems, but mine have a two acre field to roam about in, and a muck heap to mess about in so loads of protein from worms.I wouldnt worry about yours as its not going to be for long.Layers pellet contain a lot more than mashed wheat and corn, ive seen them making it, { my memory escapes me to what they put in it }

 

[Tim]

Corn can make your chooks fat and they can stop laying (in the summer of course) - but is great for promoting natural foraging behaviours, keeping them alert and active. It should only really be used as a treat, a handful or so per bird usually.

I disagree with feeding just wheat or mixed corn over the winter - there is insufficient protein in corn (approx 10%) and this can vary according to the actual quality of the wheat.

The vitamins (mainly B2, B6, B12 and C) that are important for body maintenance aren't present in sufficient quantities in corn. Quality controls are in place when pellets are produced to guarantee certain levels are met and the feeds are properly formulated for sustenance.

The protein and vitamins they need are soon burnt up in the winter maintaining heat so it's important not to lower their protein levels. This is therefore also a good time to top them up with multi-vitamins.

The reason muliti-vitamins are also recommended when you get new chickens is because they eat less when stressed (by the move) and consequently, their vitamin levels drop...

If birds get insuifficient protein, they can start feather pecking to get the extra protein they need from the feathers, something none of us want to see happening over winter

Truely free-range birds can indeed find many of the vitamins they need, as well as protein from worms, slugs, etc- but during the winter months these are harder for them to find and it's not wise to leave this to chance. How many worms do you see when the ground is frozen for example...

There is no single ingredient that can supply all the essential nutrients at the required level. Combinations are therefore used in feeds which may be formulated using as few as 6 ingredients or as many as 18 when micronutrient sources and feed additives are used.

There's a new article just been uploaded on the PK site that goes into more detail about what can be found in poultry feeds and why these things are in there. Poultry Nutrition - What's in your birds feed?

You can feed ducks out of lay wheat over the winter - their requirements are different though :roll: