Chicken scratch... is it necessary?

[IceStorm]

We have a friend who scratches his chickens in addition to the regular feed. They of course love it, but he's now "trained" them to expect it every single day. I've heard not everyone does this? To me, scratch seems more like an "in addition to" the original diet (kinda like treats), is that correct?

 

[FernwoodHollow]

We have a friend who scratches his chickens in addition to the regular feed. They of course love it, but he's now "trained" them to expect it every single day. I've heard not everyone does this? To me, scratch seems more like an "in addition to" the original diet (kinda like treats), is that correct?

Correct! Some may disagree but I think scratch and treats are interchangeable words haha. If theyre being fed a complete feed then that covers all their nutritional needs. Scratch doesn't hurt by any means as long as it stay around or under 10% of their daily intake and I throw a handful or 2 of treat mix that my 11 all peck around for when I need to lure them somewhere or bribe them in some way

I also give mine collard greens or some kitchen scraps 2 or 3 times a week as I prefer that over treats and definitely more cost effective too.

 

[IceStorm]

Correct! Some may disagree but I think scratch and treats are interchangeable words haha. If theyre being fed a complete feed then that covers all their nutritional needs. Scratch doesn't hurt by any means as long as it stay around or under 10% of their daily intake and I throw a handful or 2 of treat mix that my 11 all peck around for when I need to lure them somewhere or bribe them in some way

I also give mine collard greens or some kitchen scraps 2 or 3 times a week as I prefer that over treats and definitely more cost effective too.

Thanks for the insight! Yeah I'm not anti-treats either, was just curious! (I want my chickens to like me and for me to have a way to bribe them if needed).

 

[FernwoodHollow]

Thanks for the insight! Yeah I'm not anti-treats either, was just curious! (I want my chickens to like me and for me to have a way to bribe them if needed).

Exactly I am not beneath bribery in the slightest mine are picky little spoiled brats too on the kind of treats they like haha

 

[IceStorm]

Exactly I am not beneath bribery in the slightest mine are picky little spoiled brats too on the kind of treats they like haha

So for a moment I thought I totally ruined my chicks. I have been giving them the occasional meal worms to help build trust (yes they have chick grit) and I let them try some peas yesterday. Well... they wanted NOTHING to do with them and I was like "oh no they'll never want greens they're gonna be fat grub loving monsters!" ... They just didn't want to eat them in front of me. Went back in an hour later, all the peas were gone

 

[FernwoodHollow]

So for a moment I thought I totally ruined my chicks. I have been giving them the occasional meal worms to help build trust (yes they have chick grit) and I let them try some peas yesterday. Well... they wanted NOTHING to do with them and I was like "oh no they'll never want greens they're gonna be fat grub loving monsters!" ... They just didn't want to eat them in front of me. Went back in an hour later, all the peas were gone

Yeah the first couple times I introduced kitchen scraps they more or less left them alone until they were closer to 2+ months old and one finally decided to give it a try realized they were tasty and then that was the end of that they all followed suit and love greens! collard greens specifically are mines favorite but I also keep a bag of frozen peas or fruit or anything like that I'll throw into a container for them sometimes too.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll repeat a story I often tell on here. I think it is funny and informative.

One year I had a group of about a dozen 10-week-old chicks roaming in their area. I was canning corn from my garden and filled a small yogurt cup with corn ear worms. I dumped those worms in a clear spot near the chicks then watched them as I was de-silking the corn.

The chicks saw those worms and were interested. Step by step, inch by inch, they crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! But they did not run far. Step by step, inch by inch, they crept closer and closer. A worm wiggled! Run away! Run away! This repeated four or five times before a brave cockerel got close enough and grabbed a worm. That's all it took, within a few seconds every worm had been eaten.

I offer my chickens many different things from the garden. Some things they devour immediately. Some things they eventually get around to eating. Some things they ignore. But what they ignore one time may be immediately devoured another. Many people seem to think that chickens are programmed to all do exactly the same thing. That is not close to correct. I find it fascinating how different they can be.