Scratch

[chicknmania]

Is is ok to feed scratch and only feed layer occasionally, if the chickens are also getting vitamins everyday and oyster shell for the hens? My son read that layer feed contains chemicals and stuff that may not be good for them if it's fed every day. Our chickens also get table scraps and forage as supplements.

 

[Barnyard Dawg]

My wife feeds our chickens steamed rice from our rice cooker with some feed pellets and DE mixed in. They also get chopped vegetable mostly leafy, oyster shell and very little scratch my wife tells me it make them fat and they free range.

 

[eichenluft]

I get a bag of layer pellets and a bag of scratch, mix them together and add some dry cat food - not much cat food but they LOVE the cat food! And feed the hens about 2 scoops (about 1# per scoop) per day. They eat everything but have been leaving the cracked corn behind. Weird. They are also free-range so they peck around the farm all day. I throw them crunched up egg shells once in a while. I haven't been giving them "treats" - should I? 10 hens and I've been getting 7-8 eggs per day, they appear healthy, in good feather - how can I tell if they are fat?

molly

 

[chickbea]

If your hens are free-ranging, it is highly unlikely that they could get too fat because they are getting exercise. Fat hens have trouble laying also, and it sounds like your daily production is great.
If you can't feel your hen's breastbone, she is too fat!

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Read the label attached to your bag of feed, it will tell you what you are feeding your flock. You don't have to buy the chemical-laden feed if you don't want to..there are other choices.

We were feeding our flock vegetarian layer feed. Now they get certified organic vegetarian layer feed and we leave it available 24/7. They eat more feed in winter because they have not been able to forage outside - snow was up to 4' deep. They eat less feed the rest of the year because they forage our 2 acres sun up to sun down.

We provide fresh water, grit and oyster shell 24/7 also.