Healthy "scratch"?

[Andora]

I know the consensus on here is that scratch is chicken candy, mainly because it contains so much corn which can make them get hot and overweight, but scratch is such a general term. My local feedstore told me that most people just feed their fowl scratch. Their scratch is made of locally grown grains--it has wheat, barley, oats, and a small amount of cracked corn. (The other grains are whole.) Does that sound like a healthy feed to you? It seems like it would be better to feed fresh whole grains rather than shipped, processed crumbles.

They also sell "egg mash" which is freshly ground whole grains with extra calcium for layers. I was thinking of getting that and mixing it with their "scratch" once my younger chicks get bigger.

Right now I am feeding pellets to the older birds and chick mash (from their fresh grains) to the chicks, but the big chickens don't want their pellets now that they have tasted the mash. The ducks don't either. They all flock to the mash and fight over it and gobble it down, then they will eat the pellets as a last resort...

The feed store is very reputable, so if they recommend their scratch as food for the whole diet I'm inclined to trust them. (But not before a little research!) They sell their feed mixes to most of the major horse farms in our area--big multimillion dollar farms with very expensive racing horses, so they have to know their stuff!

 

[cgmccary]

I feed my birds once a day as a treat, something marketed as "Fightin Scratch" produced by a local mill. It contains cracked corn, popcorn, black oil sunflower seed, milo, & wheat. While I still consider this their daily candy, I like to think it is better than just the cracked corn alone. They eat every bit of it each day. I scatter it all over the ground and they finish it all in about 10-15 minutes. They would eat only this if I let them, however, I do not consider this to be an adequate diet and especially if I am raising birds to breed or to get the best out of my breed.

I would never trust feed-store personnel on their recommendations on anything as I know that I know more than they do (they ask me stuff). I have read too many horror story feed-store recommendations to be so trusting. And chickens aren't horses.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

what percentage of protein do they say it is?
also as a added note
companies sell the chicken people the cracked corn of which it has NO heart in it
they sell the heart which is the best part of a kernel of corn to some other companies
thus you are buying the drags of the corn industry

it would be if the protein is guaranteed high enough to feed the birds sufficiently would be the qualifying factor
and horses do take a different feed than chickens

your probably getting what horse's don;t eat.

also do you feed grit with this grain mixture
you said that the other grains are whole and only "cracked Corn"
that in its self surely only gives you 9% protein from the left over cracked corn

so it would be the protein count that would interest me

also the commercial crumbles is really made according to correct protein levels for chickens
they get all the benefit from it
do study the protein level that your birds are getting

if I was feeding whole grains I preferred the whole horse oats and feed granite grit
this gives the chickens the best whole grains and they lay very good on the oats and the commercial crumbles feed at same time

basically you enjoy watching the chickens pick up the grains as much as they love eating it
any questions email me

 

[speckledhen]

The scratch I use has 11 grains. It's called Knockout and is made by Faithway Feeds. Has very little corn in it. Basically, it is a feed for roosters, with 13% protein. I consider it a healthy scratch. Here is some of it in a bowl. There is no list on the tag of what grains are in it, though I see the whole corn and popcorn and sunflower seeds. What grains do you see in here?

 

[cgmccary]

Hey Cynthia,

I've used that "Knock-out" scratch before & I think the "Fightin Scratch" I use is made by the same company-- they're in Guntersville, AL, aren't they? My birds won't eat the pellets in the "Knock-out" so I get the scratch the level below it. I think the Knock-out scratch is the Fightin with the pellets added-- the pellets probably contain the protein.

Chris

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

it has whole corn which is good, wheat, oats, barley, black sun flower seeds,pellets, and milo
the milo needs to be the least amt added
as milo depletes the chicken of Vit A and they will have problrmd
13% means there isn't the main amt of corn that usually is in the scratch
so you did good on this feed

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks, Glenda, glad you think so. Chris, yes, that is the same company. My county co-op told us that the 5 grain has alot of cobb in it, that the 11 grain was much better quality. It's only about $1.50/50# more than the lesser one. Then, he said that he liked the 3 grain better than the 5 grain. From the looks of the 5 and the 11 grains, I do prefer the 11 grain. I have one crippled rooster who lives alone and I like him to have this as his main feed.

 

[chickenlittle32]

SpeckledHen, how often do you give this to your chickens daily? Just curious is all...

 

[speckledhen]

When they run out in the morning, we throw a few handfuls. When they come in from freeranging, we throw them some, mainly to call them home (shake the can and they come running). I do not put it in their feeder at all. My handicapped rooster eats it almost exclusively.

 

[hungryhensfarm]

Pullets and laying hens need about 20% protein or higher I think. 13% would be too little. I have offered scratch as a treat year round but during cold winter months I give them more to help keep them warm.