A brooder is a box or pen that is used to house the baby chicks until the coop is (a) built or (b) the chicks are old enough and the weather is good enough to put them out. Scratch is a dirt/limestone mixture that is given to the chickens to scratch around in and eat. It stays in the gizzard to help grind up the food that they eat, like bugs and grasses.
A Brooder is what you house your baby chicks in until they are old enough to survive on their own in your regular coop for them outside while they are gaining their true feathers and using a heat lamp to keep them warm. Scratch is a type of feed usually given along with laying pellets or laying crumbles to older pullets of cockurals that contain alot of corn and other whole or crushed seeds. I'm new at this but that is what I have learned on here and by reading books on the care of chickens. You might want to go to the chickens 101 forum on here to read up and learn about it. I did and loved all the information. There is a listing on the home page. Good luck! Sorry about the Scratch information, I thought you were refuring to "Scratch Feed". See I'm still learning all the meaning to the "chicken languge " too. LOL
You would benefit greatly by acquiring a reference book on raising chickens, either buying one or borrowing from your local library. A really good one is Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens.
Quote:A brooder is any box/pen/enclosure that is used to provide shelter, heat, food and water for new chicks. It is used until they can regulate their own body temps and no longer need intense hands on care. From the new hatchlings to the 6 week olds brooders are a must have. Chicks get chilled very easily - even in hot weather -and can die from exposure. Quote:Cracked corn or corn with mixed seed grains is scratch. It is a term used when old farmers would go out and spread grains on the ground at feeding time. It gave the chickens something to do. The spend much of the day 'scratching' around on the ground loking for little morsels to eat. Pookie, the limestone/sand is not scratch. That is a form of grit. Grit also comes as crushed granite. I prefer the crushed granite.