Anyone make their own scratch?

[sally4500]

My feed store only puts corn and oats in their scratch. What are some other grains I could add to make my own?

 

[sparkles2307]

A little flax, not much, they like millet, quinoa, wheat, and sunflowers.

 

[kannna]

I go to the grocery and buy from the bulk bins. Whole flax seed, barley, oats, & pumpkin seeds and then add BOS.

 

[Lobzi]

I dont know if it is good for them or not but I use the wild bird seed that I get at pet food stores even OSH. They love it but tend to leave the corn pieces behind.

 

[sally4500]

Thanks so much. I am assuming sunflower SEEDS? But the seeds seem a little big for them. They are 10 weeks old.

 

[sparkles2307]

Well, I'm spoiled becaseu Dh works at a sunflower processing plant so we have free "chips" which is the meat taken from the shell and then broken into pieces... but I think at 10 weeks they can handle seeds out of the shell as long as they have grit.

 

[Chris09]

If you buy your feed from a Feed Mill and not a Feed Store they should carry a All Grain Pigeon Feed if so you can use that. I have been using it going on 8 years now and I believe it to be the mix of grain you can get for a "Scratch Grain".

Other examples I have seen are --

• Racing Pigeon - 21.5% Protein - NO CORN
Contains: Canada Peas, Maple Peas, Safflower, Austrian Peas, Whole Wheat, White Kafir, Red Milo, Vetch.
Crude Protein (min) 21.5% Crude Fat (min) 4.0% Crude Fiber (max) 8.0%

• Breeder/Conditioner - 16% Protein - NO CORN
Contains: Canada Peas, Red Milo, White Kafir, Maple Peas, Oat Groats, Austrian Peas, Whole Wheat, Safflower Seed, White Millet, Red Millet, Canary Seed, Vetch, Buckwheat, Rice.
Crude Protein (min) 16.0% Crude Fat (min) 3.5% Crude Fiber (max) 8.0%

Now I do add some "extras" to the Pigeon Mix that I get. Grains that can be found in the mix I use are --
The grains/ seeds that are in the mix that I get/mix are --
AUSTRIAN PEAS, CANADIAN PEAS, MAPLE PEAS, MUNG BEANS, VETCH PEAS, POP CORN, LINSEED (Flax), MILLET, GROATS, BROWN RICE, SAFFLOWER, BLACK OILED SUNFLOWER SEED, BUCKWHEAT, WHEAT, VETCH, MILO, BLACK RAPE SEED,
HEMP SEED (Whole), GROUND UNSALTED PEANUTS

Chris

 

[DelhiRose]

I mixed up a jar of oats and millet, with a bit of flax seed. They seem to like it a lot, and the little seeds keep them busy.

 

[sally4500]

Wow, thanks everyone! I am off to the store now!!

 

[Lobzi]

BTW, the sunflower seeds in the mix I get are called Black Oil Sunflower seeds and they are smaller than what we humans consume.