HEN FOOD! please?

[alex]

Whats the full diet for a hen?
Thanks!
-alex

 

[alex]

Anyone?

 

[silkiechicken]

Layer pellets from the feed store. Usually 16% protein.

 

[Mareloo]

Quote:
Is that all? Standard diet? (Not talking treats) I mix my layer pallets half half with a mix I bought from the store. It consist of cracked corn, sunflower seeds and another 2 types of seeds I don't know the English name for. Is it wrong? What about the rooster in the same coop? How can he live just on layer pellets?

What exactly is scratch?

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Scratch is a cracked corn mixture. It's considered a treat only, not a complete food. It raises the bird's body temperature, so therefore should not be fed in summer (which you are lucky enough to be experiencing right now!).

Layer Feed is just fine for roosters.

 

[silkiechicken]

I think the food you have where you are is a lot different than what we have up here. Scratch up here is kind of regional, but has high portions of cracked corn and wheat or barley in it. It's just basically grains that are unprocessed.

The layer pellets are formulated for production birds mainly so some treats are good as long as they eat enough pellets to get the calcium and nutrition they need. Roosters can live on it but it is kind of high in calcium. Thus some who are worried about their roosters feed a game feed or a flock raiser which does not have added calcium and give even more oyster shell free choice for the girls to eat.

I just give layer pellets to everyone and they free range.

 

[Mareloo]

Quote:
Oh..... No..... If my cracked corn mix is scratch... It means I am feeding nearly all my chickens a treat to up there temperature, in sweltering hot conditions... (I of cause, is completely puzzled when they drop dead..) Thinking.. I am feeding my chickens the best on offer..

Will it be to much to ask you to post a picture of your scratch... Just to confirm (for me) it is the same thing?

 

[Mareloo]

silkiechicken... I am going outside now and take a pic of my "basic" food because it sound just like you describe your scratch.. I will upload it and post the pic.. Please tell me if it is the same..

 

[Buff Hooligans]

The only scratch I've seen is cracked corn. But I am new to chicken-raising.

But according to something I just read, scratch can contain barley, oats or wheat. If yours contains other seeds and also sunflower seeds, it sounds like a nice treat. But maybe not for hot weather.

Regular chicken feed is supposed to be "complete", in other words, that's all a chicken needs to live well. Maybe we give our chickens treats to make them happier and us feel good about treating them nicely...

How many chickens do you have, and what kind are they?

 

[LoneCowboy]

Here, I have some pictures for you.

this is scratch

This is layer pellets. Our complete food. has a few crumbles mixed in there though.

It can also come as crumbles shown here.