Chicken Scratch

[Suess hens]

What is it good for? When would you feed this?

I have 5 chickens (which will be 4 when the rooster crows...he gets a new home). They free range most of the day (the get about 8 hours out in a fenced garden). Could I feed them scratch grains until the girls begin to lay?

 

[dacjohns]

The general consensus is that scratch is only for a treat.

When I give my birds scratch I just throw it out on the ground in the late afternoon and the chickens scratch.

My feeling is that it can be part of a balanced diet combined with ranging, table and other food scraps, and some sort of commercial or custom made feed .

Many in the "old days" fed their chickens scratch and scraps. If you do this your birds will survive but they will not thrive and will not be as healthy as they should be because they are not getting all the nutrients they need.

I would not recommend just ranging and scratch. I would recommend some sort of formulated feed for their age with other supplements such as scratch and scraps.

 

[Suess hens]

Thanks.
They do get scraps! And every other day they scrounge after I water and get some pretty good sized worms.
I will stick with the chicken feed for now then.

 

[DLS]

I mix- #50 cracked corn,#50 cleaned oats,#50 feed wheat all together & i put it in one of those game feeders that scatters the feed. I have the clock set to scatter at 08:00am & 4:00pm it is cheap & the girls love the treet at a regulsr time ,when that deer feeder goes off they come a running!!

 

[SterlingAcres]

Quote:
My grandfather did this for his free rangers. Great idea

 

[Daycare Mom]

It is a great treat to get them to come in the run/coop at the end of the day when the free range. Just don't give them to much when it is hot out, it raises their body temp too much.

 

[dacjohns]

Quote:
That is a hotly debated subject with some other threads on the forum pertaining to it.

 

[willheveland]

I was told by an ol'timer that you get a better quality egg(richer yolks-golden not yellow) by feeding wheat.
I do know that most here do not agree on feeding much scratch.
Will

 

[cmom]

Mine have access 24/7 to their food and water. I give them treats of scratch, (oats, sunflower seeds, once in awhile bird seed, cracked corn etc.), in small quanities as these are treats. I also give them vegies, fruits, most everything that I can grow. I do grow a lot of corn and watermelon especially, also tomatoes, squash, root crops, the list can go on. I feed them everything except potatoes. I figure they will eat what they want. I do free range them. I make sure they have plenty of grit and oyster shells.

 

[simba49450]

i feed scratch as a treat in a very small metal pail and they get all eager, mine dont free range and i get them grass and sasafrass leaves etc and they love it, i give them a 1/2 cup of scratch a day for a treat and they love it. (yes i know my girls are spoiled but they are pets)