Chickens Won't Eat Corn or Milo

[NatJ]

My chickens won't eat corn or milo. Promise!!! What can I offer for scratch??

It depends on why you want to give them scratch.

If you want something that chickens like to eat, that will make them run to you when you come in sight, you can put some normal chicken feed (crumbles or pellets) in a dish and add water. Chickens seem to love it, and get really excited when they see it coming. This can also be handy if you have let them out of the pen for some free ranging, and you want to lure them back in.

If you want something to encourage chickens to scratch around and get exercise, adding some fresh bedding can encourage them to scratch around. Or take a tool (maybe a shovel) and turn over some of the bedding or dirt they already have, so they can get to things underneath. Or you can give them various amounts of table scraps or vegetable and fruit scraps (peels, seeds, cores, and so forth: most of them are safe to offer chickens, and then the chickens can spend time eating the ones they want and scratching at the rest.)

A clump of sod or some material from a compost pile can also be fun for chickens to scratch in. Or a bay of hay or straw for them to pull apart.

If you specifically want a thing that is in dry little pieces and can be sprinkled on the ground, you could try other grains, or sunflower seeds, or dried mealworms, or cat food, or even pelleted chicken feed. I don't know what will appeal to your particular chickens, but you can probably find something if you experiment a little bit. (Note, many of those things are high in calories, especially fat, so large amounts can be bad for the health of the chickens. Small amounts are typically not an issue.)

 

[Echelontheory101]

They must be southin' gals

Apparently unfortunately for them they live in the frozen north haha

 

[Ridiculous]

It depends on why you want to give them scratch.

If you want something that chickens like to eat, that will make them run to you when you come in sight, you can put some normal chicken feed (crumbles or pellets) in a dish and add water. Chickens seem to love it, and get really excited when they see it coming. This can also be handy if you have let them out of the pen for some free ranging, and you want to lure them back in.

If you want something to encourage chickens to scratch around and get exercise, adding some fresh bedding can encourage them to scratch around. Or take a tool (maybe a shovel) and turn over some of the bedding or dirt they already have, so they can get to things underneath. Or you can give them various amounts of table scraps or vegetable and fruit scraps (peels, seeds, cores, and so forth: most of them are safe to offer chickens, and then the chickens can spend time eating the ones they want and scratching at the rest.)

A clump of sod or some material from a compost pile can also be fun for chickens to scratch in. Or a bay of hay or straw for them to pull apart.

If you specifically want a thing that is in dry little pieces and can be sprinkled on the ground, you could try other grains, or sunflower seeds, or dried mealworms, or cat food, or even pelleted chicken feed. I don't know what will appeal to your particular chickens, but you can probably find something if you experiment a little bit. (Note, many of those things are high in calories, especially fat, so large amounts can be bad for the health of the chickens. Small amounts are typically not an issue.)

Ty!

 

[Ridiculous]

They don't technically need scratch, it's basically candy for them.

I do give scratch on occasion, only as a treat about once a week. But I mostly just use it for as a finisher for birds I plan on butchering. Puts a good amount of fat on them.

Mine are pet layers. Just trying to give them something to find in their scratching around. Not too many bugs in winter

 

[Ridiculous]

Mine dont like cracked corn either i believe you! Haha. Some just have preferences. On very cold nights where I want to give them a fat and protien boost I give them black soldier fly larvae, black oil sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds mixed together. But just a handful or 2, you dont want treats to be more than 10% of their food.

Ty!! -for taking me seriously! Lol

 

[Ridiculous]

We buy Kalmbach's Henhouse Reserve for scratch. It's actually a layer feed but they waste too much when I fed to them as feed. We have them on Kalmbach's Flock Maker, an all-flock that they don't waste so much, but sure love this for scratch!

The only place I can get Kalmbach's has a mold problem in warehouse. Ty, tho!!!

 

[Ridiculous]

I don’t usually feed scratch. When the weather is bad or they have to stay in the coop and big run for a few days they get one flock block, takes them a while to go through that. I also hang a head of cabbage in the run for those days.They get all flock feed, free range for part of the day and they get some fruit and veggie scraps. In the winter I give them some mealworms, occasionally they get black oil sunflower seeds. They love BOSS but I don’t give too much - I always keep some in a bigger mason jar and shake it, they will follow me in the coop or run. It’s my low stress (for me) way to round them up if I need them confined

Ty!!

 

[Ridiculous]

Welcome to BYC! If you want to treat them try something more nutritious. Mine love it when I give them a little chopped spinach and pumpkin seeds.

Nice! Ty!

 

[Ridiculous]

I haven’t fed scratch in years. It isn’t necessary. It can be a good training tool or a lure to get them into a run or something but so can black soldier fly larvae, black oil sunflower seeds, a clump of clover, an apple core…on and on. So, in short, I wouldn’t worry about it and would save my money. Chickens are expensive enough without the feed store scamming us into buying old corn lol

Ty!

 

[Ridiculous]

They must be southin' gals

Good grief! I don't like collard greens, but could get some for the girls. Ty