# Best feed for chickens??



## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Which do you consider to be the best feed for laying hens.. Oats or corn?


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## trbizwiz (Mar 26, 2010)

Seems oats would be more digestible. Best might be a mix of cracked corn milled oats and ground sunflower seeds. Then you would meet many nutrition reqs and avoid soy. People seem to want to avoid soy. 


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

whole oats have more protein but still not a complete feed.

think corn is around 9% and whole oats 12-14% ? 

they will survive on either but will not be real productive, cracked corn will cut my layers production in half, that is when offered along with 16% layer, they will eat the carp out of the corn but it cuts production. if just on cracked corn lucky to get any production.

as far as beans go to up protein, make sure they are cooked, other wise they contain a poison that will damage the birds digestive tracts and limit food up take and could even kill the bird.

for the price your better off feeding a good layer and max your production.


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## WstTxLady (Mar 14, 2009)

oats are better then corn but both can be used but NOT for a sole feed, they wont get enough to produce good eggs or be as healthy.


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## trbizwiz (Mar 26, 2010)

I free range mine and give them a supplement of cracked corn, and soy meal. I give them very little supplement. Only at evening time when they are cooped up, just to make sure they go to bed with a full crop and energy. I do have pleanty of cow patties and legumes in addition to rye grass and grain and fescue for them to forage during free ranging.
For my purposes I am more interested in eggs from free ranging, and the nutrition that provides for my family. Because I free range I have higher losses due mostly to predation, so I cant justify expensive feed as well. In the chicken business, the way I see it you can spend money on birds with a calculated collateral damage due to predation or you can spend money on expensive feed. Its my belief that free range eggs and meat are superior nutritionally for my families consumption, so I chose to spend money on replacement birds. I am actively hatching and raising my own birds as well. Hopefully I can get away from spending money on replacements. Also I respect my animals and do my best to provide them protection, safety, and comfort. THats the reason I provide a supplement at all. But I believe they get the bulk of their needs from foraging, and I dont need to provide a balanced feed. I do plant seasonal annual crops for my livestock to forage and thustly I free range year round. My production dropped by a third this winter, but my hens did lay all winter. I have only lost one grown hen in the last 10 months, so my security measures seem to be paying off as well. 
My way is not for everyone, and I am still experimenting with ways to improve. I aknoweledge there are likely better ways. But so far this works for me.
I intend to plant corn, soy, and sunflowers this spring. I will grind and mix most of my own on farm produced truly organic feed then. I will also hold back seed for planting next year. This will be much more work, but it will lead to true sustainability. 
I am not saying I am right, and I still have many questions of my own, but this is working until I figure it all out.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Mine are free rangeing. Reason I want to find out which would be better, is that I can buy a ton bulk of either, and they give me the equevalent of 300lbs extra. I cant afford to buy a ton of each, and I dont want to buy both at a lesser poundage.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Is the corn cracked and are the oats rolled? Either grain will be much better with some minimal processing.

I would probably buy the oats. Oats are used to cut the percentage of protein in the diet. But corn is like feeding the birds straight candy. It'll make them fat, and overly fat laying hens don't lay eggs.

Either one fed in large amounts will cut the number of eggs you get.

If the birds are free ranging, they are eating bugs and bugs are good protein. If all you are doing is throwing out a couple of handfuls of grain, get the oats.


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## Joshie (Dec 8, 2008)

FarmBoyBill said:


> Mine are free rangeing. Reason I want to find out which would be better, is that I can buy a ton bulk of either, and they give me the equevalent of 300lbs extra. I cant afford to buy a ton of each, and I dont want to buy both at a lesser poundage.


You can purchase game bird/layer feed in bulk.


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## FarmboyBill (Aug 19, 2005)

Not at my store you cant. I want to know as I intend to feed this to my goats also, And likely to any hogs I might get. I feed a layer pellet along with the corn, and the birds are free range. The corn is whole. I feed whole as when I raise corn, I dont want to have to figure out how to crack it. They eat it whole just fine, and they were out of a egg farm


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## trbizwiz (Mar 26, 2010)

TDN is total digestible nutrients. Whole corn is not all that digestible. You might as well buy smaller lots of cracked corn for more money. The net effect will be close or slightly in favor of cracked corn. 
If whole corn goes in and whole corn goes out what do ya suppose you've gained other than expense??


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