Chicken scratch vs. chicken feed

[madditremaine]

Could I feed my chickens a mixture of 50% scratch and 50% feed mixture year round, or should I choose a scratch without corn for their summer feed? I'm wanting to feed more grains. Thanks!

 

[madditremaine]

Chicken scratch is a treat with lots (mostly) grains. Also, on the question of layer feeds, I give my girls allflock feed and crushed eggshells, for more calcium. I have Roos, but they don't eat the eggshells. Only the hens that need it eat them, and only when they need it. I am daily surprised at the genius of chickens! Don't worry about the Roo's eating the eggshells. They will if they need the calcium, but only then. I put the crushed eggshells in a feeder, or you could make a DIY out of a coffee can and just put then into it. Crushed oyster shells also work, but because I eat lots of eggs, (and my big family does as well) we just give them eggshells. Have fun.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Turkey finisher is a good "all flock" feed. When my girls start laying I toss a handful of oyster shell in the run once a week.

It's funny how misinformation gets spread around. Corn does not cause heat. I use sunflower seed for winter treat. High fat content makes for readily availble energy for chickens to use to keep warm.

 

[flurry37 2001]

hi all, i think people over think feed ok we are talking about fowl right they can eat almost anything i do not feed straight pellets or mash , that`s why chickens were born with a built in grinder take care of the whole grain feed . i think i have made this same reply on 4 threads already ( gamefowl ) feed has it all to maintain a healty flock from small to large , thur the molt thur the winter and summer . thank`s mike

 

[madditremaine]

Its actually better to feed BOSS instead of corn for heat. Thank you, as well. I've been wanting to feed grains without mixing them myself and I've finally seen that thats what scratch is. Awesome!

 

[madditremaine]

If you don't feed grit (very small gravel or course dirt) and feed more than commercial feeds, ex. Corn oats wheat etc. your burds could get sourcrop, which is a problem in their crop that is VERY difficult to fix. Look it up for more info. You DO need to give grit. Chickens DO NOT HAVE TEETH. Their digestive systems need grit to break down the foods they eat.

 

[erica79]

I have 3 turkey hens 1 tom 5 chicken hens all laying it's cold now and want to know as they are free range locked up in coop with heat lamps what's the best feed for then this time of year I still do layers but feel they need more then that and scratch.

 

[Beyond Yonder]

I looked in my tractor supply and did not see Game Feed.

 

[GreenEagleFarms]

I am a firm believer that a good variety is always better. For winter, I am currently mixing 10% cracked corn, 20% winter wheat (red wheat), by weight with game bird grower from MFA. I hope to be able to mix in other grains next year as soon as I can get more storage. I will be moving to layer here in March and with spring about to start growing, they should be able to find plenty of good additives for themselves on there own.

 

[DarleneE]

When speaking of corn, are you just talking about the hard, dried corn in scratch specifically or does regular corn also count, such as, fresh, frozen or canned?? I mean in reference to "making them hot", which from what I've read above doesn't make them hot at all in fact anyways?? I give my hen, a BR, a piece of frozen corn on the cob which I sit in water a couple minutes to soften it some so she can peck it and it is still nice and cold for her and she tears it up. She not only loves it, but I use it also as a means to help keep her cool here in Florida heat!! Is there anything wrong with doing this?? She has one every morning and at the moment, I'm using it more also just to get something with some form of nutrition in her as she is barely eating any of the Layena layer feed I feed her lately?? I honestly think it's cause of the terrible heat here in summer as I remember last year about this time the same thing happened?? I'm mainly just keeping her going with vitamins, poly vi sol without iron baby vitamins, and Nutri Drench about once a week and I feed her various lettuce greens which she loves, with usually canned or frozen veggies and fresh fruits, and I'll add a little cooked rice, potatoes or pasta as well as a little ground beef and or shrimp alot of days also. I've been boiling the shrimp so as to get a little broth out of it and then have been trying to make her a wet mash with that broth and her regular feed and then chop the shrimp up very finely and add it to the wet mash in an effort to get her to eat more of her feed. She usually manages however to pick out all the pieces of shrimp though no matter how fine I chop it!! She LOVES shrimp AND gr meat as well actually and lettuce is her next favorite thing!!

So she's really only eating a whole lot.. to where her crop is distended way out.. when I give her that big bowl with all the things I mentioned in it, in the early evening just before she goes up to roost??!! The rest of the day, except for the corn on the cob she picks apart and eats along with some dried mealworms I'll toss down for her, I don't see her eat anything else?? I mean she'll peck a few times every now and then in her feed bowl.. but she's not really eating cause it's not going down barely?? She also has oyster shell always available to her and I HAVE seen her eating LOTS of that lately though?? That's really odd too cause she has never been much of an oyster shell eater and she's already 2 1/2!!!!

Can any of you nutritionists in here tell me if I can keep her going like this until she starts eating her feed normally again?? Or any other advice or ideas please?? This was how she made it thru last summer but I still worry that she's not eating her feed much.
Thank you!!