Chicken eats corn regularly, that’s ok. But when they eat grain all the time, then they may lack vitamins. Because grain and cracked corn include low protein and other vitamins.
So you need to provide extra nutrient feed for them.
Now, a question may arise in your mind: Is crushed (cracked) corn good (healthier) feed for the chicken?
For carbohydrates, you need to provide cracked grain to them.
What is Cracked Corn for Chickens or Poultry Birds?
Different types of small pieces of dried corn are called cracked grains. These types of organic cracked corn for the chicken flocks are required for carbohydrates.
They get energy from this type of food. Besides, it produces heat for them. As a result, poultry birds can enjoy their life by playing outside the field.
The size of this feed may vary but they can easily eat this feed at any time.
I think you want to know the detailed answer to this question: can chickens and other poultry birds eat cracked corn?
The choice for this food may turn into an addiction for the chicken.
So, you shouldn’t supply excessive crushing grain to them. Because it may turn into an overweight chicken if they eat too much.
In this situation, this grain is bad for them. If you are worried about losing the weight of your chicken, you can read another article.
Is Cracked Corn Good for Chickens?
You can provide crushing grain to your chicken. You can easily know the benefits of cracked corn for the chickens.
Now, the question is, is this type of food healthy for them?
Sometimes you think that a feed supplement of nutritious foods is important.
Here, I have included more important notes for you.
- Should you continue to provide this food to chickens?
- Should you provide extra nutritious foods?
- Should you stop the supply of crushing grain?
- Is this type of feed good for the poultry birds?
To know the answers to these questions, you have already read many blogs. Now, I think, you will get reliable answers to these questions.
I think you have come to the right blog site where you can get the answer to these questions. You should also know some more notes about poultry feed.
That is why I have shared some basic information about this feed.
So continue reading and don’t skip…
Is Cracked Corn Ok for Chickens in Winter and Summer?
Normally when you provide grain to the chicken, they can’t create enough temperature for them in the winter season.
In this situation, if you provide cracked grain and grit to them, they can live in the winter season with fewer heating problems.
This type of feed is full of carbohydrates and helps the chicken to produce more heat as required. Besides, this feed works well in their digestive system and produces quick heat.
You should provide this crushing grain to them by maintaining a routine for their better health. You can provide this type of feed to the chicken.
The energy source of this type of feed is calories. So in the summer season, chicken also needs calories.
Supply of excess crushing grain is not required and you can save the budget too. You can make a chart for providing this type of feed.
If you don’t know the timetable, you can take help from the poultry vets.
Is Cracked Corn Affordable for Chickens?
Yes, this type of cheap chicken feed is an affordable option.
Chicken can also eat organic chicken feed easily because the size of scratch grains is not large.
But remember: you should supply other nutritious food such as earthworms, vegetables, etc.
You can get more information about this food if you know the answer to these questions (below).
- Can chicken eat earthworms?
- Can chicken eat asparagus and broccoli?
- Can chicken eat Brussel sprouts and cabbage?
- Can chicken eat shrimp, lobster, and crab shells?
What to Feed Chickens and Other Poultry Birds
Chicken can eat crushing grain and other food such as beans, green leaf, commercial feed, ground corn, oyster shell, selected shell grit mixture, corn cob, corn husks, sweet corn, dent corn, selected bird seed, layer feed (protein grower feed), flock block, apples, fruit, vegetables, etc.
They also have a huge interest in eating vegetables, bananas, and fruit. They can also eat broccoli, potato peel, carrot, and citric fruits (orange).
Sometimes they eat deer corn, cat food, and pet food for getting high protein.
What not to Feed Poultry Birds
You may have a question: what should you feed your chickens regularly? You can provide healthy feed for your chickens if you try.
Here, I have shared some examples. Such as avocado skins, dried beans, raw potato, avocado, animal feed, snacks, uncooked rice, chocolate, garlic onion, and any kind of stale food.
When to Start Feeding Cracked Corn to the Chickens?
After 42 days from birth, most of the raising chickens start eating small pieces of grains, corn kernels, and crushing grain.
This time may vary for the broilers because at an early stage they may have problems digesting this type of food.
You should also provide essential nutrients to the baby chicks for 1 week-18 week.
Cracked Corn for Free Range Chickens
If you have free-range mature birds (poultry), you should provide them with fewer amounts of cracked grain.
Though this type of food doesn’t contain enough protein, this food is also important. Free-range backyard chickens eat insects from the yard and soil.
You will be glad to know that insects are full of protein and plenty of insects are found in that location.
So, if the chicken fills their stomach with crushing grain, then it can’t eat insects.
Cracked Corn vs Whole Corn (For Chickens and Poultry Birds)
Regular grain turns into smaller pieces of grain by using some process. The grinder is used in that operation for converting small sizes.
These small pieces of grain are called cracked corn that is easier to digest for the chicken. On the other hand, they need more energy to digest whole corn.
Feeding chickens cooked corn is needed for easy digestion.
Besides, their gizzards (the internal body parts of the chickens) have digestibility and these body parts are also ready to grind grain at any time.
The Best Way to Feed Cracked Corn to the Chickens
If you have a question about how to feed chickens or other birds? You shouldn’t worry about it.
You can provide this food as normal. This type of cracked grain is full of carbohydrates so you should provide it in the morning.
After eating, the chicken will get energy in their body. As a result, they can pass the whole day happily.
For the free-range chicken, they can eat insects from the ground. At the end of the day, they will get carbohydrates from crushing grain and protein from insects.
So the best way to provide this type of crushing grain is to keep it in the chicken feeder (one type of pot) in the early morning.
Use Cracked Grain To Train the Chickens or Poultry Birds
Cracked grain is easy to eat for chickens and they love these foods too. You can train your poultry birds by providing this type of food.
You can also use this food as scratch feed for the poultry birds. Some chicken keepers are also using some sound techniques and cracked grain for training their chickens.
After completing the specific training, free-range chicken can automatically enter the coop or their living places at the end of the evening.
My Overview
Here, I have tried to share the need for raw corn for the poultry birds. If you don’t have an idea about the supply of grain to the chicken, you should read this post.
I have also shared some other information about food that is needed for you.
If you read this article, you will get the answer to this question: Should you provide only cracked grain to the chicken?
You may read the FAQ section (some questions and answers are included) if you want to know more.
FAQ: Crack Corn Chicken Feed
How Much-Cracked Corn to Feed Poultry Birds or Chickens?
Almost $40- $45 is required for collecting the chicken’s cracked corn in a 50-52 lbs (pounds) bag.
Don’t take this pricing as a standard and it may vary according to the different marketplace for different situations.
Is Cracked Corn Suitable (Good) for Laying Chickens?
Laying chickens need healthy ingredients (vitamins, minerals, and protein) for the development of egg yolk and the growth of egg production.
This type of crushing grain has carbohydrates that shouldn’t be regular for them. You may supply vegetables and other healthy food for them.
To lay more eggs, you may provide some more food items (given below):
- Sunflower Seeds
- Mealworms.
- Japanese Beetles
- etc.
Can Ducks and Other Poultry Birds Eat Cracked Corn?
Yes, they can eat this type of feed. You should also ensure to supply other nutritious food to them.
Do Laying Hens Need More Vitamins and Proteins?
Laying hens require less protein but they need vitamins as a requirement. On the other hand, roosters and meat chickens need extra protein and vitamins.
This is why you should create a separate food menu for the hens and rooster. This is not mandatory but you should do it if you want to get better feedback from them.
After reading this writing, You will get the difference between the cracked grain and the whole grain.
You will also know: Which type of grain is better? You will also know what other balanced diets are required for chicken.
You can give some training to chickens as a treat by providing crushing grain. In this article, I have shared some more details about this topic and you should read that topic.
If you want to start a poultry farm, you should know the basic information about different types of poultry feed.
This is why, first, you should also know the tools that are used in the poultry area. Such as the chicken heater, waterer, feeder, elevated coop for chicken, etc.
Besides, you should also be alert about the health of the poultry birds.
This is why healthy crack corn for chicken feed is important if you want to make some profit from a poultry farm and it’s a challenge too.
I have also shared some more notes in other blog posts. You should read those articles if you want to know more.
Winter and summer seasons are the main crucial time for the chickens. If you can provide feed to them by following the chart, you can get better results.
Some chicken owners ignore this issue and just supply normal food to the chicken. This is why they can’t do the poultry business for the long term.
How Often Can Chickens (Hens) Have Crack Corn?
You shouldn’t allow this type of feed to eat for more than 25 minutes per day. It may be a handful of grain for 2-3 chickens at a time.
You should also add nutritious food according to the daily chart. Contact the poultry vet, if you don’t have a chart.
Can Chickens and Other Poultry Birds Live on Corn Alone?
Chicken needs amino acids, fatty acids, and other nutrients that aren’t contained in chicken corn. So you should add the additional feed for the chicken’s health.
What’s the Best Feed for Poultry Birds (Chickens)?
You may provide below the variety of foods for your chickens. such as leafy greens, vegetables, berries, and some other healthy food that chickens can eat by pecking. They also rub their beaks for specific reasons.
What is the Best Source of Protein for Poultry Birds (Chickens, Hens)?
Mealworms, insects, sprouts, seeds, and other specific food are the better source of protein and vitamins. (source1, source2)
You should prepare a daily chart to allow these foods to the chickens.
