can wild birds eat chicken scratch?

[iPeanut1990]

My wild bird feed bill is higher than my chicken feed bill. We love watching them on the feeders from our window but they go through their feed much faster than our chickens. I have a 50lb bag of Purina Scratch grains that I'm not going through very quickly for my 3 chickens. Is it ok to fill the bird feeders with chicken scratch? It's basically the same thing, isn't it?

 

[chicmom]

I bet it would work just fine.

 

[BantamLover21]

Yes, I think scratch grains are perfectly fine for wild birds.

Just don't do the opposite thing: feed wild bird feed to chickens.

 

[iPeanut1990]

Yes, I think scratch grains are perfectly fine for wild birds.

Just don't do the opposite thing: feed wild bird feed to chickens.

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The only downside of feeding scratch grains to wild birds is that corn usually attracts birds like starlings and crows.
Wild bird seed isn't a problem for chickens. It's usually millet, sunflower, safflower, milo and things like that. All of that is fine for chickens to eat, in moderation just like scratch grains that are usually corn, wheat, oats, barley.

 

[Blooie]

The only downside of feeding scratch grains to wild birds is that corn usually attracts birds like starlings and crows.
Wild bird seed isn't a problem for chickens. It's usually millet, sunflower, safflower, milo and things like that. All of that is fine for chickens to eat, in moderation just like scratch grains that are usually corn, wheat, oats, barley.

I have yet to find anything that doesn't attract sparrows, starlings and grackles along with the other wild birds I'm trying to attract. <sigh> Mixed seed, straight Niger, BOSS, hulled safflower, suet - they come in for it. Two years ago I almost gave up totally on feeding birds because the annoying visitors were cleaning me out, but then an adorable little Common Redpoll appeared at the kitchen window and I was hooked again!

I bought one of those pine thingies a few Christmases ago that's supposed to look like a small Christmas tree that can be hung on a wall. I ran an apple tree branch between brackets on either side of the kitchen window and attached that pine thingy to it, then suspended the feeders above it. Little birds LOVE it. They hop around in the "pine branches" and snuggle down right into it when the snow is flying. Added bonus - the fake pine seems to catch a lot of the seeds that fall through the sock feeders and the little Pine Siskins, House and Cassin Finches and the Goldfinches scour through it. No more 15 second glimpse at the feeder.....they are about 4 inches from the glass and take their time sitting there preening, eating, squabbling, and even dozing off. They sure keep me company while I'm doing dishes - they don't even fly away!

 

[gggeek]

I'd suspect it works. Just in my four days of having chickens and using a little bit of scratch to work on hand feeding and dropping it in the yard I have seen squirrels and birds getting the left overs. Also scratch grains seem to be generally broken up enough where you wouldn't overly worry about a bunch of weeds sprouting.

 

[Den in Penn]

The whole grains in scratch will with proper storage will last a least two years. If you go by the no more ten 10 percent rule of feeding treats, it will last your three for around a year and a half. If the corn is cracked, then you will have to worry about it losing its nutrients. Another reason I don't buy cracked corn.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

You may want to keep feeding suet with raisins etc. added for the meat eating birds, and thistle seeds for the little Goldfinches. Not all wild birds thrive on scratch feed but most do.

 

[appps]

They eat it all day long here, cannot keep the darn things out of the run. They love the scratch.