Alternative to Scratch feed???

[chicklover3990]

LaPetiteFarmer what do u mean by milo BOSSand etc. i would like to try ur idea because last year it took my chickens days to eat their corn

 

[Reurra]

BOSS can be fed in the shell right? They sell it ehre in bulk, but I havent seen anything without the shell. I want to get some, but I dont know if my birds even know how to eat them!

 

[Spikes Chooks]

BOSS can be fed in the shell right? They sell it ehre in bulk, but I havent seen anything without the shell. I want to get some, but I dont know if my birds even know how to eat them!

Oh, they'll know all right! They will eat them, husk and all. It's the single thing my 4 girls like the most. But I have been told not to give them too many as they are high in oil/fat content. I give a little each day, maybe 1 teaspoon each in a mixed wild bird seed. Not more than 6 sunflower seeds each.The scratch I give them at bedtime is cracked corn and wheat, still only about 1 tablepsoon each. During the hot summer I replace half of this with sultanas or raisins as I want to keep their body fat low in the hottest time. Sultanas are second only to sunflower seeds at "grab time".

I think the most important thing is that the bulk of their diet is layer mash or pellets, whatever you use which is properly balanced. Maybe 75-80% this each day. Then whatever veg scraps are going. If they free-range, they'll be supplementing that themselves with bugs and greens. Then scratch just as a really small amount of their daily intake. You don't NEED to give them treats - I just enjoy it, and I can see they do. Just keep it to a little bit, like you would giving a small child chocolate.

 

[MemesChicks]

I use my girls' layer feed for their primary scratch. Like many of you, I add a little sunflower seeds or a few raisins to give them something different, but the scratch is layer feed. My girls get free range time when I'm outside, so the get good excercise that way. I just like to keep them from getting bored when scratching in the run.

I get good mental excercise trying to come up with ways to incorporate the feed into treat time while making it fun for them. I also limit treat days to mainly on the weekend. They actually look forward to those days.

 

[kjgoodman]

I mainly throw "scratch" down for fun for them not because I think they need it. well they probably need it in the winter, but not now. IF I would throw their layer mash.crumble down, I am sure they would eat it, but I would be afraid of the waste. anyone have experience with just throwing down some of their layer crumble?

 

[OldGuy43]

I mainly throw "scratch" down for fun for them not because I think they need it. well they probably need it in the winter, but not now. IF I would throw their layer mash.crumble down, I am sure they would eat it, but I would be afraid of the waste. anyone have experience with just throwing down some of their layer crumble?

Aside from weeds I don't "throw down" any of their feed. I just read somewhere that If you fill the feeder troughs they'll waste something like 90% of it, 2/3 full and they waste about 40% of their feed and 1/3 full only 10%.

We give them a mixture of scratch and layer crumbles daily in a ratio of approximately 1 to 3.

 

[Mister B]

What do you mean by waste?

 

[OldGuy43]

What do you mean by waste?

They scatter it on the ground and than ignore it.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I am a mean chicken mother -- If mine spill I make them eat it. I just remove the feeder for the morning and leave them with just the spillage. They clean it right up.

 

[Alden Chickens]

There is no waste here- If it spills on the floor they will clean it up. Half the fun is kicking the straw bedding around looking for something one of the others spilled. I know it is an older comment about giving horse feed but I'll reply just the same. My girls won't touch sweet feed but love oats. Since we grow our own sunflowers, wheat and oats I mix that together for a scratch treat. They will eat corn as long as it is ground but won't bother with whole kernels.