Trying to make sense of all of the different types of chicken feed can be quite challenging. If you walk into any farm supply store, you'll likely find yourself standing before a long row of bags of chicken feed, perhaps scratching your head in confusion.
You may be frustrated by all the jargon when it comes to feeding your chickens, from mash to medicated, grower feed to layer feed. However, you do not need to. We will go over the basics of chicken food and further discuss the food that chickens may love the most (they'll go crazy for it!) - chicken scratch.
Chickens find food like this by scratching around in the dirt and bedding seeking tiny morsels to devour. Chicken scratch can be made with a variety of ingredients combined in a manner similar to bird food. Chicken scratch is much less expensive than bird food, however.
The ingredients used in scratch are usually millet, barley, rolled corn, oats, wheat, sunflower seeds, and other ingredients. Despite the fact that these ingredients are natural, they are also sold premixed in feed bags, so you don't have to make your own.
This can be helpful if you want to keep your birds warm on cold winter nights or to treat them to a little snack now and then. Chicken scratch, however, should not be grouped with pellets, mashes, or crumble feeds, as it really is a different kind of food altogether.
Chicken scratch must be balanced if you want them to be healthy and produce good eggs and meat. Without a nutritious diet, laying hens will halt egg production or will lay eggs of poor quality. Changes in demeanor or even feather loss may occur.
Therefore, when it comes to feeding your chickens chicken scratch, you should follow this advice.
Chicken scratch does not provide the nutrients your chickens need, unlike regular feed. Typically, chicken feed contains the precise ratio of fiber, fat, and protein your chickens need to stay healthy. There will also be trace elements such as copper sulfate, selenium, iron sulfate, and amino acids (such as methionine). These feeds may also contain vitamin supplements and calcium carbonate, which promotes good eggshell development.
In the old days, you would have served your poultry homemade scratch whenever you had the chance - which wasn't very often. It's a good idea to follow the same routine today and avoid giving your chickens too many treats (such as scratch) on a regular basis.
If you're still unsure how chicken scratch differs from other chicken feed, here are the key categories you should know.
As an example, consider that the average chicken eats about 100 grams of food a day, or half a cup. Regardless of whether the layer feed is in pellet, crumble, or mash form, your chicken will likely consume about sixteen percent protein per serving. This amount of protein is ample for chickens that lay eggs.
The amount of scratch and other feed supplements (like kitchen scraps) you feed your chicken should not exceed 10 percent of their daily diet (around 2 teaspoons). You might overdo it on calories and nutrients, otherwise. Moreover, your chicken may skip its regular feed in favor of these treats, increasing its risk of malnutrition and other problems. If you give your chickens too much scratch, you are essentially diluting their diet - scratch contains only half the amount of protein as layer feed, so it isn't as nutritious as layer feed.
If you have ten chickens, give them half a cup of scratch each day. That is about 2 1/2 teaspoons of scratch per chicken, or one or two beakfuls. While this may not seem like a lot, you'll likely find that your chickens will be satisfied with it. Plus, if you feed your chickens too much scratch (especially if they have other options for foraging), the seeds will likely remain on the ground. Besides going to waste, the leftover seed can also attract rats, pests, and other predators.
Here are the times when scratch grain can be fed to chickens:
You can use chicken scratch as a great training tool to help your chickens get used to your presence. You should not use scratch with very young chickens or chicks, and should only use chicken scratch after your chickens are fully grown.
Using chicken scratch, you can even train your chickens to eat from your hands if you want to fully domesticate them. Scratch can be used as a training reward for good behavior or to encourage behavior modification. By being trained with scratch, many chickens have performed tricks or navigated obstacle courses.
In this method, you basically encourage the chickens to turn the compost and aerate it for you while they search for hidden treats. Furthermore, chickens' digestive systems can benefit from the microbes in the pile.
As long as the scratch is fed in moderation, it won't harm your chickens. Besides encouraging foraging, it can also help reduce problems related to boredom in the coop (like egg eating).
If you have any of the following conditions, don't give your chickens scratch:
Protein deficiency doesn't just affect egg and meat production. Feather plucking, nipping, egg eating, and even cannibalism can be symptoms of too little protein in your flock. Even though it sounds gruesome, if your birds don't receive enough protein, they will turn to other sources to meet their nutritional requirements.
Other chickens are included as well.
Therefore, you should feed chicken scratch only if your chickens are confined to a coop and have no access to natural boredom-busters like fresh pasture. And remember, chicken scratch is best fed in the winter, when foraging opportunities are fewer. If possible, you should look for alternatives throughout the rest of the year.
The first ten weeks of a chick's life should be spent feeding it a starter feed with a protein content of ten to twenty percent. Your chicks will receive the nutrition they need to stay healthy, and this sort of feed is specifically designed to match the chick's sensitive digestion and special developmental needs.
The following ingredients should be mixed in equal parts:
A dose of fresh or minced garlic can also be added to the mixture if you want to bolster your flock's health and prevent parasitic diseases.
Consider the following:
In addition to providing your chickens with a place to scratch and dig for food, these options remove the expense of chicken scratch. There is very little work involved with these since they won't be processed and you won't have to harvest them yourself (the chickens will harvest them for you).
The scratch you feed your chickens can contribute to their health and happiness, and it can also make your life easier when it comes to training and managing your flock. You can successfully include chicken scratch as a part of your flock's feeding regimen once you have a basic understanding of how it can (and should) be used.
It is important to remember that everything in moderation is healthy when raising chickens.
You may be frustrated by all the jargon when it comes to feeding your chickens, from mash to medicated, grower feed to layer feed. However, you do not need to. We will go over the basics of chicken food and further discuss the food that chickens may love the most (they'll go crazy for it!) - chicken scratch.
What is Chicken Scratch?
It is relatively easy to understand chicken scratch. Chicken scratch is a stand-alone category of food, as opposed to chicken feed, which is divided into several subcategories. Regular chicken feed, like pellets, crumbles, and mashed potatoes, are your chicken's staple food whereas chicken scratch is more like a dessert.Chickens find food like this by scratching around in the dirt and bedding seeking tiny morsels to devour. Chicken scratch can be made with a variety of ingredients combined in a manner similar to bird food. Chicken scratch is much less expensive than bird food, however.
The ingredients used in scratch are usually millet, barley, rolled corn, oats, wheat, sunflower seeds, and other ingredients. Despite the fact that these ingredients are natural, they are also sold premixed in feed bags, so you don't have to make your own.
How Often Can I Feed Chicken Scratch?
In general, you should not feed chicken scratch every day, but you can use it occasionally as a treat. Cracked corn and other grains are commonly used to make chicken scratch. It's a great treat for your chickens, and they'll enjoy eating it. Despite the fact that chicken scratch contains valuable nutrients and can aid your chickens in gaining weight quickly, it is mostly made up of dense carbohydrates that your chickens will quickly convert into fat.This can be helpful if you want to keep your birds warm on cold winter nights or to treat them to a little snack now and then. Chicken scratch, however, should not be grouped with pellets, mashes, or crumble feeds, as it really is a different kind of food altogether.
Chicken scratch must be balanced if you want them to be healthy and produce good eggs and meat. Without a nutritious diet, laying hens will halt egg production or will lay eggs of poor quality. Changes in demeanor or even feather loss may occur.
Therefore, when it comes to feeding your chickens chicken scratch, you should follow this advice.
What is the Difference Between Chicken Scratch and Chicken Feed?
Although chicken scratch is thought to be a relatively new concept for backyard chicken farmers, this bagged feed has a long history. Before commercial feed was available, you may have fed your mixed flock old seeds, table scraps, or leftover grains to supplement their diet. Instead of being given a steady supply of store-bought pellets, the chickens would have had to scratch for their dinner.Chicken scratch does not provide the nutrients your chickens need, unlike regular feed. Typically, chicken feed contains the precise ratio of fiber, fat, and protein your chickens need to stay healthy. There will also be trace elements such as copper sulfate, selenium, iron sulfate, and amino acids (such as methionine). These feeds may also contain vitamin supplements and calcium carbonate, which promotes good eggshell development.
In the old days, you would have served your poultry homemade scratch whenever you had the chance - which wasn't very often. It's a good idea to follow the same routine today and avoid giving your chickens too many treats (such as scratch) on a regular basis.
If you're still unsure how chicken scratch differs from other chicken feed, here are the key categories you should know.
Starter Feed
Chickens are fed starter feed, a protein-rich food, at the beginning of their lives, when they are baby chicks. The starter blend is usually fed to young chicks for a minimum of six weeks, and sometimes for as long as ten weeks. The feed is high in protein and helps chicks grow into pullets. You can also find starter/grower feed at certain farm supply outlets that can be fed from birth until 20 weeks of age as an alternative to chick starter feed.Grower Feed
In essence, grower feed is a transition feed between chick feed and layer and broiler feed. It will have less calcium than layer feed, but it will ensure your chickens' growth until they are ready to begin laying. It contains fewer vitamins and minerals than layer feed, but it does not need to - your chickens do not yet require them.Layer Feed
In most chickens' diets, layer feed is the primary source of nutrition. It is formulated with a carefully balanced balance of calcium, protein, vitamins, and minerals, including extra calcium to keep chicken eggs healthy. You can provide your laying hens with crushed oyster shells (free choice). Neither young chicks nor pullets should be fed this food as they can suffer from kidney damage among other problems.Broiler Feed
Broiler feeds are those used for chickens that will not be raised for eggs, but for meat production (or dual-purpose breeds). Your chickens will grow faster with these foods as they are higher in protein.Mash
Mash is an unprocessed, loose chicken feed that is fine and easily digestible. People generally do not feed young birds mash, but most chick starters come in this form. On the other hand, crumble is slightly more compact, similar to the texture of oatmeal. It is easier to work with than mash, but not as rigid as pellets.Pellets
Adult chickens are usually fed pellets. Essentially, they're little bullets of feed that won't go to waste in the event of a feeder tipping over. Feed pellets are convenient and easy to store.Shell Grit
Another common type of feed is shell grit. If you keep your chickens completely inside or serve any type of scratch to them, this is an integral part of their diet. Grit is a rich source of calcium for your hens, so their eggs are strong and sturdy. You should always feed it to your hens if you are giving them chicken scratch, as it helps them digest food more easily.Medicated vs. Unmedicated
Feed is also available in medicated and unmedicated varieties. Medicated chicken feed contains amprolium, a chemical that protects your chickens against disease, such as coccidiosis. It is not necessary to use medicated feed if your chickens were vaccinated, and many organic and all-natural farmers also avoid medicated feed as a general rule.Chicken Scratch: How Much & How Often Should I Feed It?
You should feed your chickens scratch in quantities that do not exceed ten percent of their daily food intake. The concept seems simple enough, but can be a bit confusing in practice.As an example, consider that the average chicken eats about 100 grams of food a day, or half a cup. Regardless of whether the layer feed is in pellet, crumble, or mash form, your chicken will likely consume about sixteen percent protein per serving. This amount of protein is ample for chickens that lay eggs.
The amount of scratch and other feed supplements (like kitchen scraps) you feed your chicken should not exceed 10 percent of their daily diet (around 2 teaspoons). You might overdo it on calories and nutrients, otherwise. Moreover, your chicken may skip its regular feed in favor of these treats, increasing its risk of malnutrition and other problems. If you give your chickens too much scratch, you are essentially diluting their diet - scratch contains only half the amount of protein as layer feed, so it isn't as nutritious as layer feed.
If you have ten chickens, give them half a cup of scratch each day. That is about 2 1/2 teaspoons of scratch per chicken, or one or two beakfuls. While this may not seem like a lot, you'll likely find that your chickens will be satisfied with it. Plus, if you feed your chickens too much scratch (especially if they have other options for foraging), the seeds will likely remain on the ground. Besides going to waste, the leftover seed can also attract rats, pests, and other predators.
The Benefits of Feeding Chicken Scratch
Many consider chicken scratch to be an unnecessary expense, and there is some truth in that. Even so, there are times when chicken scratch can prove to be valuable and serve a multitude of purposes around the homestead.Here are the times when scratch grain can be fed to chickens:
1. When you are training your chickens
Chicken scratch will help you teach your chickens to trust you and to associate you with food, if you've adopted a backyard chicken flock. It's possible to do this with regular feed, but withholding feed at any time can cause serious problems for your backyard flocks.You can use chicken scratch as a great training tool to help your chickens get used to your presence. You should not use scratch with very young chickens or chicks, and should only use chicken scratch after your chickens are fully grown.
Using chicken scratch, you can even train your chickens to eat from your hands if you want to fully domesticate them. Scratch can be used as a training reward for good behavior or to encourage behavior modification. By being trained with scratch, many chickens have performed tricks or navigated obstacle courses.
2. Getting your chickens to sleep on time
Chicken scratch can be an excellent bedtime tool! Start by feeding scratch only in the evening. The chickens will likely not be interested in going out to forage late at night, so there will be minimal waste. When the chickens are young and beginning to figure out the purpose of the chicken coop, you can use scratch to train them to go into the coop at night. After they figure out bedtime, you can either stop using scratch or feed it less frequently.3. Cleaning your chicken coop
Scratch can also be used to ensure that the bedding in your coop is turned over regularly. Scratch can be incredibly helpful if you use the deep litter method of bedding your coop, where you only change bedding once or twice a year and instead make a mini-compost system inside.In this method, you basically encourage the chickens to turn the compost and aerate it for you while they search for hidden treats. Furthermore, chickens' digestive systems can benefit from the microbes in the pile.
4. During cold weather
In cold climates, chicken scratch can provide a short-term boost of heat for your flock. On cold days and nights, all creatures must consume more calories just to keep warm and maintain a healthy body temperature. The energy it takes to digest chicken scratch helps generate the heat needed to stay warm. Moreover, your chickens will be more active when searching for scratch in the coop bedding, so they will also become warm from the physical activity.When Should Chicken Scratch Be Avoided?
It is important to remember that chicken scratch is essentially the junk food of the chicken world. You would not give your dog a biscuit every day, just as you would not give your children an entire chocolate cake every day. The same applies to chicken scratch.As long as the scratch is fed in moderation, it won't harm your chickens. Besides encouraging foraging, it can also help reduce problems related to boredom in the coop (like egg eating).
If you have any of the following conditions, don't give your chickens scratch:
1. It is your policy to let your chickens free range most of the time
It is likely you will not need to feed much (or any) chicken scratch if you have free-range chickens. Chicken scratch is unlikely to be noticed since your chickens understand how to forage on their own, and since they have the freedom to roam and find healthier treats (such as grass and insects) on their own.2. You have a limited budget
You may want to consider forgoing chicken scratch if you're on a budget. Because it's not a crucial part of your chicken's diet, you should consider it more of a luxury rather than a necessity. In addition, if your space is limited, keeping a big bag of scratch can be quite a hassle, particularly if you only give out a few handfuls of it each day.3. Your chickens don't get enough nutrients
Chicken scratch contains half the protein of regular layer feed, as we mentioned earlier. It is important to avoid feeding too much scratch to your chickens since it can lead to protein deficiency if they stop eating their regular feed in favor of scratch.Protein deficiency doesn't just affect egg and meat production. Feather plucking, nipping, egg eating, and even cannibalism can be symptoms of too little protein in your flock. Even though it sounds gruesome, if your birds don't receive enough protein, they will turn to other sources to meet their nutritional requirements.
Other chickens are included as well.
Therefore, you should feed chicken scratch only if your chickens are confined to a coop and have no access to natural boredom-busters like fresh pasture. And remember, chicken scratch is best fed in the winter, when foraging opportunities are fewer. If possible, you should look for alternatives throughout the rest of the year.
4. Feeding chicks or pullets
You should not feed scratch to baby chicks until they are five or six weeks old, and that might be too soon. You can also use scratch for plain cracked corn or any seeds of your choice - just stick with chick starter. Since chicks are still developing their natural ability to digest their food, they will have problems digesting scratch without some additional grit.The first ten weeks of a chick's life should be spent feeding it a starter feed with a protein content of ten to twenty percent. Your chicks will receive the nutrition they need to stay healthy, and this sort of feed is specifically designed to match the chick's sensitive digestion and special developmental needs.
Making Chicken Scratch
It's easy to buy chicken scratch at just about any farm supply store, but if the costs become too much, you can also make it at home.The following ingredients should be mixed in equal parts:
- Cracked corn
- Barley
- Flax seeds
- Raisins
- Sunflower seeds
- Wheat
A dose of fresh or minced garlic can also be added to the mixture if you want to bolster your flock's health and prevent parasitic diseases.
Are There Good Alternatives to Chicken Scratch?
Whether you're looking to feed chicken scratch as a training aid or to keep your birds warm in the winter, you have other options besides scratch grain. There are also other treats you can use.Consider the following:
1. Kitchen leftovers
Keep in mind those kitchen scraps along with cooked eggs and other protein-rich foods like mealworms. You probably already have kitchen scraps around the kitchen, so using them is more cost-effective than buying a 50-pound bag of chicken scratch.2. Mealworms and maggots
It is possible to raise your own mealworms (or maggots) to feed your chickens occasionally, or you can purchase them from stores. Additionally, you can plant soil-building plants and herbs (such as stinging nettle or comfrey) to keep your chickens well-fed and entertained.3. Cover crops and sprouted grains
In addition to improving your soil, growing cover crops can provide your chickens with foraging grounds. It is also possible to grow forage and grain crops, such as buckwheat, clover, dandelion, lentils, peas, alfalfa, nuts, fruit trees, or millet. If you want your chickens to get fresh sprouts, you can also sprout grains.In addition to providing your chickens with a place to scratch and dig for food, these options remove the expense of chicken scratch. There is very little work involved with these since they won't be processed and you won't have to harvest them yourself (the chickens will harvest them for you).
4. Freshly caught bugs
Engaging your children in capturing garden pests for you is a great way to keep them (and the chickens!) entertained. Early in the morning, send the kids out to shake the bugs into a bucket underneath plants. You can also use the kids to debug your garden for bonus points!5. Compost
Your chickens will also enjoy picking through your compost for free treats. By doing so, they will aerate your compost and accelerate its breakdown.Is Scratch the Key to a Healthy Flock?
You shouldn't rely solely (or primarily) on chicken scratch to keep your flock healthy. It is important that your chickens eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that contains adequate proteins, calcium, fat, and fiber.The scratch you feed your chickens can contribute to their health and happiness, and it can also make your life easier when it comes to training and managing your flock. You can successfully include chicken scratch as a part of your flock's feeding regimen once you have a basic understanding of how it can (and should) be used.
It is important to remember that everything in moderation is healthy when raising chickens.
