do you throw scratch in your shavings? If so, when is a good time?

[gale65]

Ours has been in the coop for about 3 weeks. It looks slightly darker, I think, and of course there's poop in it. They spend most of their time outside. So anyway I've read that people throw scratch in the coop to get the chickens to stir up the shavings. When do you do that? Before adding a new layer of shavings? Every so many days?

When do you add more shavings? Do you use a set schedule or just wait until it's a certain color, depth, etc?

 

[gale65]

edited the title-hopefully someone can answer this.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

No I don't
They willl scratch around enough anyway most of the time

 

[JPinVT]

I throw scratch inside their coop on rainy days when they don't want to go outside. I don't know if it stirs the shavings much for me, but it does give them something to do in there.

 

[gale65]

They do scratch some around the feeder but the corners are neglected.

 

[scooter147]

I only throw scratch around inside the coop in the morning in the winter when they can't or I know they won't go outside. I do it mainly so they don't get bored and develop bad habits such as feather pecking, egg eating or extra bullying.
I throw it from one end to the other and from one corner to the next. I can tell mine scratch in ever inch of the coop by the way the shavings are distributed by the end of the day.

 

[Beekissed]

I don't use scratch but I do use BOSS and I do this in the mornings and especially on rainy or snowy days. Scratch is hard to find in tan colored shavings, but BOSS is easy to find and they really work those shavings from one end to another.....because they get fed once a day and then it's forage outside if you wanna eat. Foraging inside is a treat to the flock and they work diligently at the BOSS until it's all gone. Birds that are given treats all the time may not work as hard to get the occasional handful of BOSS, so treats aren't given often here.

 

[SteveBaz]

I throw it down in a dirt area I reserve for just scratch. I only throw down enough so they finish it in about 5 minutes or its to much!