SONGBUN | SOCIAL CLASS IN A SOCIALIST PARADISE
POSTED June 25, 2012
The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.
Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes…
The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones.
So begins Chapter 1 of The Communist Manifesto, written by Marx and Engels and published in 1848. If we take the last paragraph, and change a couple of labels, it perfectly describes North Korea today:
The North Korean society that has sprouted from the ruins of the division of Korea and the Korean War has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones.
In fact, the North Korean regime has established 3 new classes divided into 51 categories, and has created what is widely recognized as the most oppressive society in the world. Maybe Marx rests easier now that his portrait no longer adorns Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang; it was taken down before Kim Il-sung’s centenary celebrations in April. The North Korean regime has been extremely intentional at creating and enforcing social classes based on political loyalty and this system, known as songbun (성분), is key to understanding North Korean society as a whole and specifically and the system of oppression which the ruling elite uses to maintain political control. So a new report on Songbun by our colleagues at HRNK, Marked for Life, is a great addition to the literature on NK.
The report describes songbun as a state-directed system of discrimination based on hereditary classes determined by perceived loyalty to the regime. It decides your prospects in almost every area of life, including education, occupation, military service, Party membership, treatment by the criminal justice system, housing, medical treatment, marriage, and even food supply. The individual has no control over this system, their songbun being decided by their family line, making it analogous to discrimination along racial lines. The whole system can be described as a political apartheid, reminiscent of the racial apartheid in South Africa that attracted such international criticism until it ended with the election of Nelson Mandela.
CREATION OF SONGBUN
The songbun system was devised in the early years after the formation of North Korea out of a motivation to protect the Kim regime by isolating and controlling perceived internal political threats. It did this by categorizing every single North Korean resident according to how politically safe or risky they might be. The key factors considered were your ancestors’ socioeconomic background at the time of liberation (1945), their activities during the Korean War (1950-1953), and whether you had relatives in South Korea or China (being connected to the outside world is bad for your songbun).
North Koreans were split into three broad classes:
Core (핵심), 28% of the population. Includes professional revolutionaries, descendants of ‘war heroes’ who died working or fighting for the North, peasants or those from peasant families.
Wavering (동요), 45%. Includes people who had previously lived in South Korea or China, those with relatives who went to the South, families of small-scale merchants, intellectuals, practitioners of superstition, etc.
Hostile (적대), 27%. Includes descendants of landlords, capitalists, religious people, political prisoners, those who had assisted South Korean forces during the Korean War, or were otherwise judged anti-Party or associated with external powers.
The regime keeps a file on every single person above the age of 17 (before that age your details were registered on your parent’s file), and an incredible amount of work goes into creating and regularly updating these records. The data is now managed using the software system “Faithful Servant 2.0.” This digitization makes it easier for authorities to access any citizen’s songbun file from any Ministry of Public Security computer terminal from provincial to county levels.
EFFECTS OF SONGBUN
Songbun is deeply entrenched in North Korean society and affects nearly all aspects of a North Korean’s life, including (see HRNK’s full report for further details):
Occupation: In NK, you do not choose your job. The regime chooses it for you, and it is heavily influenced by your songbun. Simply put, if you have low songbun, you will be put into gruelling manual work, whereas if you have high songbun, you might expect a relatively cushy Party cadre position. There is no element of meritocracy here and ability does not factor in much, meaning that it is quite possible that more able workers are placed in less important roles while less able workers are given positions of responsibility. This failure to efficiently utilize their national talent-pool is yet another reason why North Korea’s state-controlled economy struggles so much.
Education: Again, this is not meritocratic. If your parents have good songbun, then you are allowed to progress. Otherwise, no matter how hard you study, you will not advance academically. As you can imagine, this can cause resentment (although that resentment is sometimes aimed at the parents, not the regime). This system also ensures that “elites play together.” Those with good songbun go through the same schools and the same colleges, and they network within this pool for their future mutual benefit. Those with bad songbun are of course denied such opportunities. The importance of personal connections in North Korean society compounds the importance of songbun.
Family: Knowing the importance of keeping a clean record in NK society, parents impress on their children the importance of not doing anything to step outside the Party line, as it would affect the whole family. The importance of songbun also means it is one of the most important factors to consider when finding a spouse. If you marry someone of lower songbun you and your children will lose out, so people tend to marry within their songbun level, as indicated by the occupation and status of their partner’s family. (Note that these phenomena are not unique to North Korea, as people tend to marry within their own social class in other countries too. What is unique in North Korea is how this is being played out within a class system which has been systematically created according to the interests of the ruling elite.)
Internal Exile: For decades, the regime has systematically exiled tens to hundreds of thousands of low-songbun political undesirables to isolated and unfavourable mountainous areas in the northeast of North Korea. Here they have been forced into hard labour, subject to tighter controls, excluded from population centres, and effectively removed as a potential political threat. It could be argued that the regime has not only tried to cut off the outside world but is now increasingly cutting off Pyongyang from its outer provinces, leaving those who are judged as potential political threats isolated and with no way to demonstrate their frustration without risk of complete elimination.
Food: Songbun has a huge effect on a North Korean citizen’s food supply. Particularly at times of scarcity, the distribution of food and resources has been concentrated to the higher songbun levels – Pyongyang and central regime institutions (Party, government and military). This was particularly noticeable during the famine of the 1990s and the chronic food shortages that have blighted the people ever since. When the state-economy collapsed and there were not enough provisions to go round, the regime stopped providing food to the politically undesirable northeast regions, so the famine hit those regions the hardest. It has been reported that as many as 30% of the population died in the worst affected regions, particularly North Hamgyeong Province. It should come as no surprise then that around 60% of North Korean refugees who have made it to South Korea are also from that province. An issue for another post is how this demonstrates the inextricable linkage between human rights and humanitarian / economic issues in North Korea. Understanding songbun should call us to question the wisdom of distinguishing between “economic migrants” and “political refugees” when it comes to this population.
Medical Care: The public health system all but collapsed in the 1990s, but special treatment is still available for elites in Pyongyang. People of lower songbun cannot access these facilities, even if they have independent wealth, and the best they can hope for is to buy medicine on the black market.
In short, songbun institutionalizes the dominance of the ruling elite and their descendants over all other groups in society, and as this system has been implemented over several decades, the privileges of the core class have grown while the others suffered.
The operation of this system is not at all transparent but people are generally aware of it, although they may not know details, including of their own songbun. Quite a few of the North Korean refugees that I have interviewed about their songbun have not been very sure about their own level. People of higher songbun are better aware of the system, and one gentleman that I interviewed jokingly half-boasted to me that his family was “totally red, the core of the core.” To him it was clear that he had good songbun because so many of his relatives held positions of responsibility within regime institutions, and some members of his family had also been granted considerable educational opportunities.
It is worth noting that while it is extremely difficult to improve your songbun, you can easily drop levels if you get in trouble through committing criminal or political offenses, or fail to cooperate with regime officials, or if a family member gets into such trouble. The implementation of songbun therefore creates considerable fear and forces people to obey the regime, and in reality it is an effective tool used by the regime to maintain control and power.
As we might expect, the changes inside North Korea over the last 15 years have affected the implementation of this system, albeit without being able to overturn it. The interaction between marketization and songbun (both mitigating and exacerbating effects), songbun’s effect on anti-regime sentiment, and the extent to which the songbun system can constrain change in North Korea will be covered in the next blog post…
Red_Line
SOKEEL J. PARK | Research & Policy Analyst
12 Easy Ways to Get Over Your Laziness
Stop making excuses for why you cannot get it done and start focusing on all the reasons why you must make it happen, here are 12 easy ways to overcome your laziness so you can reach your goals.
By Lolly Daskal
President and CEO, Lead From Within@LollyDaskal LEAD
12 Easy Ways to Get Over Your Laziness
Stop making excuses for why you cannot get it done and start focusing on all the reasons why you must make it happen, here are 12 easy ways to overcome your laziness so you can reach your goals.
By Lolly Daskal
President and CEO, Lead From Within@LollyDaskal
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CREDIT: Getty Images
Being highly productive isn't a natural talent for everyone. Some of us have a naturally strong work ethic, while others really like our sitting-around time. But we always seem to find time for the things we want to do.
Laziness, on the other hand, appears for very specific reasons. Maybe we don't know how to do the task, maybe we feel overwhelmed by everything we do have to do. Maybe we are just plain scared and our mindset needs adjustment.
Whatever the cause, if laziness is interfering with your productivity, if it's making you unresponsive to your responsibilities, if it's costing you your success, you must learn to overcome it.
Here are 12 easy ways to get on top of your laziness so you can begin to be more productive.
1. Make sure you're not overwhelmed. Sometimes we freeze up when we're overwhelmed by everything we have to do--we freeze up and don't do anything at all. Do you have realistic expectations on how much you are truly able to accomplish? If you have too much on your plate and no idea how you're going to get it all done, it may be that you're not lazy but overwhelmed.
2. Check your motivation. Similarly, if you're not motivated it is very easy to slip into what looks like laziness. To be productive we need to be motivated. If it's hard for you to stay connected to what motivates you, make up a list that you can consult when you need an extra push.
3. Look at your surroundings. Your environment and the people around you matter. Are you in a space that makes it easy to stay organized and productive? Do the people around you spend more time complaining than following their passions? If you surround yourself with people who love what they do, and are creative and motivated, their enthusiasm will rub off on you. Make sure too that your space gives you everything you need to work well.
4. Value your time. Make the most of the time you do spend working. Look at your to-do list and prioritize--you can do it in your head, on paper, or on a computer or phone-based planner. Just knowing where you are makes it harder for deadlines to sneak up on you and easier to work productively, even if it's in short bursts.
5. Reframe your thinking. If you're in a mindset where work is bad and play is good--something many of us have let over from school days--then any kind of work that needs to get done feels like punishment. Remember the things that are positive about work, such as the higher purpose of your organization or just the feeling of having accomplished something significant.
6. The source of value. It's easy to become lazy if you don't see the value in what you have to do. Try this: when you make a to-do list, include the benefits of each task. When you focus on benefits and goals, productivity becomes much more rewarding. Learn the value of each task and then work to achieve it.
7. Make new habits. If you typically put off the most complex or difficult assignments for last, switch it up and begin doing those tasks first. Pick one or two things to focus on and fully devote yourself to those tasks. You don't want to spread yourself too thin. Remember you have to work to reach your goal; it's not going to happen right away.
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8. Measure the changes. Keeping new habits in place is notoriously difficult. One effective technique to making changes to your productivity stick to is to track your results. If you can see that holding yourself accountable is helping you meet your goals, it will be easier to maintain.
9. Share your goals. If you're working toward a promotion or a new job, or gearing up to run a marathon or play at an open mic night, tell people about it! Knowing they'll be asking how things are going will keep you making progress.
10. Schedule work and break times. You need to take an occasional break, but make sure that time is limited so you don't lose momentum. For example, you could commit to working for the first 45 minutes of every hour and then take a 15-minute break. Use the timer in your phone to keep track.
11. Look for alternatives. Think of ways you can work more effectively. Is there a better way? Can you delegate or automate a task? The more you streamline, automate, delegate, and outsource, the more you can get with the same level of effort.
12. Remember, nothing changes until you do. You can have all the foolproof tips and tricks in the world, but ultimately nothing changes until you do. If your current work style is meeting your needs, you won't see a reason to change. But if you're frustrated by your lack of motivation or fear that it's holding you back, then you need to change from within. Because the truth is nothing will change until you do.
There's no simple cure for being lazy. The only way to overcome it is by setting your mind to the task and getting up and completing it. Start right now to develop the self-discipline you need to reach your goals.
Like this column? Sign up to subscribe to email alerts and you'll never miss a post.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: APR 8, 2016
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Ayurvedic Medicine: In Depth
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Key Points
Keep in Mind
What Is Ayurveda?
What the Science Says About the Safety and Side Effects of Ayurvedic Medicine
What the Science Says About the Effectiveness of Ayurvedic Medicine Research
Licensing
More to Consider
For More Information
Key References
Acknowledgments
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Ayurvedic medicine (also called Ayurveda) is one of the world’s oldest medical systems. It originated in India more than 3,000 years ago and remains one of the country’s traditional health care systems. Its concepts about health and disease promote the use of herbal compounds, special diets, and other unique health practices. India’s government and other institutes throughout the world support clinical and laboratory research on Ayurvedic medicine, within the context of the Eastern belief system. But Ayurvedic medicine isn’t widely studied as part of conventional (Western) medicine. This fact sheet provides a general overview of Ayurvedic medicine and suggests sources for additional information.
Key Points
Is Ayurvedic medicine safe?
Ayurvedic medicine uses a variety of products and practices. Some of these products—which may contain herbs, minerals, or metals—may be harmful, particularly if used improperly or without the direction of a trained practitioner. For example, some herbs can cause side effects or interact with conventional medicines. Also, ingesting some metals, such as lead, can be poisonous.
Is Ayurvedic medicine effective?
Studies have examined Ayurvedic medicine, including herbal products, for specific conditions. However, there aren’t enough well-controlled clinical trials and systematic research reviews—the gold standard for Western medical research—to prove that the approaches are beneficial.
Keep in Mind
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary and integrative health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help ensure coordinated and safe care.
What Is Ayurveda?
The term “Ayurveda” combines the Sanskrit words ayur (life) and veda (science or knowledge). Ayurvedic medicine, as practiced in India, is one of the oldest systems of medicine in the world. Many Ayurvedic practices predate written records and were handed down by word of mouth. Three ancient books known as the Great Trilogy were written in Sanskrit more than 2,000 years ago and are considered the main texts on Ayurvedic medicine—Caraka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Astanga Hridaya.
Key concepts of Ayurvedic medicine include universal interconnectedness (among people, their health, and the universe), the body’s constitution (prakriti), and life forces (dosha), which are often compared to the biologic humors of the ancient Greek system. Using these concepts, Ayurvedic physicians prescribe individualized treatments, including compounds of herbs or proprietary ingredients, and diet, exercise, and lifestyle recommendations.
The majority of India’s population uses Ayurvedic medicine exclusively or combined with conventional Western medicine, and it’s practiced in varying forms in Southeast Asia.
What the Science Says About the Safety and Side Effects of Ayurvedic Medicine
Ayurvedic medicine uses a variety of products and practices. Ayurvedic products are made either of herbs only or a combination of herbs, metals, minerals, or other materials in an Ayurvedic practice called rasa shastra. Some of these products may be harmful if used improperly or without the direction of a trained practitioner.
Toxicity
Ayurvedic products have the potential to be toxic. Many materials used in them haven’t been studied for safety in controlled clinical trials. In the United States, Ayurvedic products are regulated as dietary supplements. As such, they aren’t required to meet the same safety and effectiveness standards as conventional medicines. For more information on dietary supplement regulations, see the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health’s (NCCIH) fact sheet Using Dietary Supplements Wisely.
In 2008, an NCCIH-funded study examined the content of 193 Ayurvedic products purchased over the Internet and manufactured in either the United States or India. The researchers found that 21 percent of the products contained levels of lead, mercury, and/or arsenic that exceeded the standards for acceptable daily intake.
Other approaches used in Ayurvedic medicine, such as massage, special diets, and cleansing techniques may have side effects as well. To help ensure coordinated and safe care, it’s important to tell all your health care providers about any Ayurvedic products and practices or other complementary and integrative health approaches you use.
What the Science Says About the Effectiveness of Ayurvedic Medicine Research
Most clinical trials of Ayurvedic approaches have been small, had problems with research designs, or lacked appropriate control groups, potentially affecting research results.
Researchers have studied Ayurvedic approaches for schizophrenia and for diabetes; however, scientific evidence for its effectiveness for these diseases is inconclusive.
A preliminary clinical trial in 2011, funded in part by NCCIH, found that conventional and Ayurvedic treatments for rheumatoid arthritis had similar effectiveness. The conventional drug tested was methotrexate and the Ayurvedic treatment included 40 herbal compounds.
Ayurvedic practitioners use turmeric for inflammatory conditions, among other disorders. Evidence from clinical trials show that turmeric may help with certain digestive disorders and arthritis, but the research is limited.
Varieties of boswellia (Boswellia serrata, Boswellia carterii, also known as frankincense) produce a resin that has shown anti-inflammatory and immune system effects in laboratory studies. A 2011 preliminary clinical trial found that osteoarthritis patients receiving a compound derived from B. serrata gum resin had greater decreases in pain compared to patients receiving a placebo.
Licensing
No states in the United States license Ayurvedic practitioners, although a few have approved Ayurvedic schools. Many Ayurvedic practitioners are licensed in other health care fields, such as midwifery or massage. For more information on credentialing complementary health practitioners, see the NCCIH fact sheet Credentialing: Understanding the Education, Training, Regulation, and Licensing of Complementary Health Practitioners.
More to Consider
Do not use Ayurvedic medicine to replace conventional care or to postpone seeing a health care provider about a medical problem.
Women who are pregnant or nursing, or people who are thinking of using Ayurvedic approaches to treat a child, should consult their (or their child’s) health care provider.
Tell all your health care providers about any complementary and integrative health approaches you use. Give them a full picture of what you do to manage your health. This will help to ensure coordinated and safe care.
For More Information
NCCIH Clearinghouse
The NCCIH Clearinghouse provides information on NCCIH and complementary and integrative health approaches, including publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature. The Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals to practitioners.
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PubMed®
A service of the National Library of Medicine, PubMed® contains publication information and (in most cases) brief summaries of articles from scientific and medical journals. For guidance from NCCIH on using PubMed, see How To Find Information About Complementary Health Approaches on PubMed.
Web site:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
NIH Clinical Research Trials and You
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has created a Web site, NIH Clinical Research Trials and You, to help people learn about clinical trials, why they matter, and how to participate. The site includes questions and answers about clinical trials, guidance on how to find clinical trials through ClinicalTrials.gov and other resources, and stories about the personal experiences of clinical trial participants. Clinical trials are necessary to find better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat diseases.
Web site:
www.nih.gov/health/clinicaltrials/
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RePORTER is a database of information on federally funded scientific and medical research projects being conducted at research institutions.
Web site:
projectreporter.nih.gov/reporter.cfm
Key References
Agarwal V, Abhijnhan A, Raviraj P. Ayurvedic medicine for schizophrenia. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007;(4):CD006867 [edited 2010]. Accessed at www.thecochranelibrary.com on January 8, 2013.
Barnes PM, Bloom B, Nahin R. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007. (361KB PDF) CDC National Health Statistics Report #12. 2008.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Lead poisoning in pregnant women who used Ayurvedic medications from India—New York City, 2011-2012. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2012; 61(33):641–646.
Chopra A, Doiphode VV. Ayurvedic medicine. Core concept, therapeutic principles, and current relevance.. Medical Clinics of North America. 2002;86(1):75–89.
Conboy L, Edshteyn I, Garivaltis H. Ayurveda and Panchakarma: measuring the effects of a holistic health intervention. Scientific World Journal. 2009;9:272–280.
Gogtay NJ, Bhatt HA, Dalvi SS, et al. The use and safety of non-allopathic Indian medicines. Drug Safety. 2002;25(14):1005–1019.
Goldblatt E, Snider P, Quinn S, et al. Clinicians’ and Educators’ Desk Reference on the Licensed Complementary and Alternative Healthcare Professions. Seattle, WA: Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care; 2009.
Saper RB, Kales SN, Paquin J, et al. Lead, mercury, and arsenic in U.S.- and Indian-manufactured Ayurvedic medicines sold via the Internet. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2008;300(8):915–923.
Shankar K, Liao LP. Traditional systems of medicine. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America. 2004;15(4):725–747.
Sridharan K, Mohan R, Ramaratnam S, et al. Ayurvedic treatments for diabetes mellitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011;(12):CD008288. Accessed at www.thecochranelibrary.com on July 15, 2013.
White B, Judkins DZ. Clinical Inquiry. Does turmeric relieve inflammatory conditions? Journal of Family Practice. 2011;60(3):155-156.
Vishal AA, Mishra A, Raychaudhuri SP. A double blind, randomized, placebo controlled clinical study evaluates the early efficacy of aflapin in subjects with osteoarthritis of knee. International Journal of Medical Sciences. 2011;8(7):615-622.
Acknowledgments
NCCIH thanks Wendy Weber, N.D., Ph.D., M.P.H, NCCIH, and John (Jack) Killen, Jr., M.D., for their review of the 2013 update of this fact sheet.
This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain. Duplication is encouraged.
NCCIH has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your primary health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy is not an endorsement by NCCIH.
* Note: PDF files require a viewer such as the free Adobe Reader (link is external).
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January 2015
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Note: Kim Cosmos Bedding consists of chopped banana plant trunks topped with aerobically composted coffee grounds (originally from Starbucks), mixed with on-farm sourced organic hog and quail manures, fresh weeds, various tropical leguminous tree leaves, spent mushroom substrate and chopped fresh vegetables. The worms are fed with chopped vegetables and mature organic hog manure…
Like · Reply · 3 mins http://www.wormfarmingsecrets.com/commercial-worm-farming/melendres-agricultural-farm/ 50 Square Meters Of Worm Composting Beds Producing 11k Liters Of Worm Poo Every 45 Days…
Melendres Agricultural Farm is located in Antipolo City, Rizal, Philippines.
At the moment they have about 50 square meters of vermicomposting beds with African nightcrawlers under 100 square meters of roof space, and produce 140 sacks (80 liters each), of prime vermicast every 45 days (that’s 11,200 liters in total)…
50 Square Meters Of Vermicomposting Beds...
Currently, harvesting is done with a manual screen. However they are building a small trommel, and adding a sack filling station with loading conveyor, automatic scale and sack closing sewing machine.
The sacks in this photo are for immediate local consumption and are not lined. For retail sales, they add a polyethylene micro-perforated liner to control moisture and still allow the bacteria to breath…
50 Square Meters Of Vermicomposting Beds...
The roof rafters and purlins were milled from a mango tree that destroyed the vermi house during a typhoon in 2014. The vermi house was the first structure reconstructed on the farm following the typhoon.
They are also in the process of adding another 150 square meters of covered beds, using dry stacked concrete blocks, not mortared as the ones shown. The floors of the beds are native soil to allow drainage.
Bedding consists of chopped banana plant trunks topped with aerobically composted coffee grounds (originally from Starbucks), mixed with on-farm sourced organic hog and quail manures, fresh weeds, various tropical leguminous tree leaves, spent mushroom substrate and chopped fresh vegetables. The worms are fed with chopped vegetables and mature organic hog manure…
50 Square Meters Of Vermicomposting Beds...
Here is a photo of the farm, on which they grow lettuces, culinary herbs, mushrooms and organic hogs…
50 Square Meters Of Vermicomposting Beds...
Mike Melendres and James Tomell in front of one of the sprouting houses. They use a mixture of vermicast, fine biochar and leaf mold in their sprouting mix and using quality seeds, their germination rate is 99+ percent…
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What to feed your chickens so they lay eggs year round.
Becky's Homestead
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Becky shows you what she feeds her chickens so they lay eggs all year long. She talks about what laying mash to buy, oats, bread, and whole corn vs cracked corn. Becky also talks about how important it is to keep the chicken water clean.
Get answers to your homesteading questions here: http://beckyshomestead.com/ask-becky
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MM Reporter
MM Reporter1 year ago
Whole corn vs cracked corn??? No difference except the hens might need a sand gravel source for breaking up the whole corn in their craw. Oh, and that's one of the reasons for grinding corn for chickens. Also, ground corn works better for mixing with other grains, etc...
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Dragonheat13
Dragonheat131 week ago (edited)
It's just like she said. The whole corn contains more oil than the cracked. It helps keep fowls warm in the winter. Our ducks are fed whole corn in the winter. unfortunately, our spoiled chickens won't eat the whole corn. The only way our chickens will eat corn is if it's still on the cob! We are guilty of giving our chickens noodles in the winter for a treat. During the summer, we give them the cutworms from the garden.
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Chris Grayling
Chris Grayling4 days ago
The process of grinding any grain product (or corn) and exposing the components to the air reduces the nutritional content. Same goes for slicing a vegetable. The key argument here is make sure the corn is NOT GMO! And yes, feed it whole if you are going to feed corn at all. Great videos Becky, BTW.
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Ognjen Mali
Ognjen Mali2 months ago
Becky will you marry me
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Casilyn Akins
Casilyn Akins2 weeks ago
Ognjen Mali lol ikr that was a stupid question
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Paul Sweet
Paul Sweet2 weeks ago
Ognjen Mali lol fare enough
Reply 1
loganv0410
loganv04102 years ago
"Might as well be feeding them gravel" followed by foolishness about whole corn having calories while cracked (by inference) doesn't ignores reality to an unbelievable degree.
Reply 33
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polly jetix
polly jetix1 month ago
I live in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.
Reply 1
Darby Dupree
Darby Dupree1 month ago
My brother in law lives near Richmond. :)
Reply
Aziz Habib
Aziz Habib1 month ago
love from Afghanistan. thank u so much for sharing . I love this video so much.
Reply 4
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Paul Sweet
Paul Sweet2 weeks ago
bob bot not the place for that nonsense boy
Reply 1
bob bot
bob bot2 weeks ago
I didn't say they deserve it. I say we bombed them so fucking much
Reply
Jalal Dawod
Jalal Dawod3 days ago
Holy boobs
Reply
MusketeerinFlorida
MusketeerinFlorida3 weeks ago
Wow, you just saved me some $$ ! I was wasting money on cracked corn. Thanks Becky! MiF
Reply
Cify
Cify1 week ago
so i googled Laying mash...
"it's a grain-based feed with ingredients such as bone, meat scrap and limestone" ... what !
ok ! i'm not giving my chickens laying mash.
Reply
noviceprepper53
noviceprepper531 week ago
thanks Becky
Reply
Matthew Niedbala
Matthew Niedbala3 weeks ago
Cracked corn is just corn that's cracked. It looses oil but damn it's not useless. I guess that's important tho.
Reply 1
Daniel Morse
Daniel Morse3 weeks ago
We also used to give them suet and some remains from the table. We got year long eggs also with the whole corn. Clean water 24/7.
Reply 1
Krista Schlecht
Krista Schlecht1 week ago
I'm glad this works for you. But science has proven it's the light not the feed that allows them to produce eggs. They need that light in their eyes for egg production. Winter where we live there is hardly any light. So production goes down.
Reply
Andrew Paeth
Andrew Paeth3 weeks ago
Hens that quit laying get ate around here...
Reply 1
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Andrew Paeth
Andrew Paeth2 weeks ago
You must be from the Ivy league homesteads...congrats!
Reply
Robert Sparling
Robert Sparling2 weeks ago
I grew up as an Iowa farm boy.
Reply
Randy Tyler
Randy Tyler15 hours ago
let's watch a video on chickens and turn it into a 1 thousand comment hate fest! oh, I'm too late.
Reply
The Derptor
The Derptor2 weeks ago
I had bad lucky with none natural deaths my first hen was had a fox break-in and then I think it was my rooster because there was no sign of breakin the chest feathers ripped off and the neck ripped up
Reply
Robert Sparling
Robert Sparling2 weeks ago
Gotta put them in at night.
Reply
The Derptor
The Derptor2 weeks ago
The fox dug into our pen we've got smart predators
Reply
marcelino mata
marcelino mata3 weeks ago
can i wash eggs &will it hurt them . marcelino thank you
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Paul Sweet
Paul Sweet2 weeks ago
ford2n2003 very interesting I did not know that thanks for sharing your info
Reply
Tim Harris
Tim Harris1 week ago
ford2n2003 do some research on that. From what I've read unwashed eggs will last about a month out on the counter. If you refrigerate them they will last up to 6 months. Check out The Happy Chicken Coop. That's where I found my info.
Reply
jack dula
jack dula1 week ago
a good rooster around works every time lol
Reply 1
Simple seeker
Simple seeker5 days ago
I really admire and respect you, and your log cabin is beautiful
Reply
Linda Readman
Linda Readman2 weeks ago
Are you using organic or GMO corn? I know there's so many GMO corns out there and it's not healthy.
Reply
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Linda Readman
Linda Readman2 weeks ago
Check out on Netflix. GMO, Consumed, Food Choices.
Reply 1
farmr7
farmr72 weeks ago (edited)
Linda - I will repeat. There are no peer reviewed scientific factual studies to support what you're saying. What you refer to is not science. And yes , I have a university degree in the science of agriculture with a major in animal science including poultry. And, our laying and meat flocks of chickens did well. Even in dark and cold winter in western Canada - the key is daylight and balanced rations.
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Reply 1
Jt Bearclaw
Jt Bearclaw2 weeks ago
Awesome info Becky. You are One cool homesteader
Reply
Mike Albright
Mike Albright1 week ago
Also try feeding Greens Like lettuce leaves.
Reply
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8 Best Egg-Laying Chicken Breeds
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Find out the best chicken breed for eggs. Best Egg-Laying chicken breeds that you can keep.
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