Difference between Scratch and Cracked Corn?

[Willow's Meadow]

What is the difference? When do you feed scratch and when do you feed cracked corn? I thought I heard cracked corn was for the winter? Can/should I give them scratch in the summer?

 

[MarJen]

I feed scratch in the summer, but mine also free range so they wil eat bugs and what ever they can find. Scratch has corn in it along with grain and oats and some time other grains in it. Cracked corn is just what it says.

 

[A.T. Hagan]

"Scratch feed" is nothing more than whole or coarsely cracked grains that one throws down for the birds to scratch for, typically in the grass or dirt. It usually consists of whatever can be bought cheaply. In my area it's usually a varying mixture of cracked corn, wheat, and milo (sorghum).

BUT it can be pretty much anything from just plain old cracked or whole corn to as fancy a mix as you care to pay for. I don't use the common "three grain scratch" any more because my birds wasted too much of the cracked corn. I now feed whole corn and whole wheat.

Whatever your birds will eat and whatever you can find at a reasonable price are the things to use. Just so long as you don't try to make them survive on nothing but scratch.

 

[gritsar]

Our farmer's co-op (where we usually buy feed) has three types of "scratch" available.

Scratch grains - cracked corn mixed with other grains and seeds. I usually feed this in the spring, summer and fall, in small amounts.

Scratch - finely ground corn, looks like cornmeal. I will occasionally buy this in the wintertime and mix it with warm water to make a mash. Makes a nice evening treat for the chooks.

Chops - cracked corn, with nothing else added. If I don't want to mess with fixing up a batch of scratch I'll feed this in the wintertime.

 

[Willow's Meadow]

OOOpppssss I put this in the wrong section! sorry! mods go ahead and move it if you want!

 

[Laurie's Silkies]

I buy a 50 pound bag of scratch grains and add things to it like, wild bird seed, cracked corn,oats and black oil sunflower seeds. They don't seem interested in the sunflower seeds though.