Homemade cold weather scratch to save money!

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Hello, quick question: I am looking for a high quality scratch for the winter season. I go to the website Scratch and Peck. find their winter fodder bundle. $90 something So i check the ingredients. I can harvest and dehydrate a bunch of these herbs. It has calundula and marigold. i grow calundula and marigold. so I’ll dry it out and add to homemade winter scratch. Anyone else do this or have tips? I can purchase Barley and Peas and harvest and dry the rest of those herbs/ingredients. Am i winning or missing something? $90 for a bunch of dried herbs and barley and peas? nah, I’ll fix my own!

 

[Perris]

I am looking for a high quality scratch for the winter season

Whole wheat grains would be ideal, and could form up to 80% of their diet.

I can purchase Barley and Peas and harvest and dry the rest of those herbs/ingredients. Am i winning or missing something?

FYI, it may be different for your flock, but mine are not enthusiasts for either barley or peas. They eat both now, but it took quite a long time for them to develop the taste for them, especially peas, which are very variable (lots of varieties exist; mine still do not like maple peas much though they do like white, yellow, blue and green), and mine only had to face these ingredients as minority components of a wheat-based mix. However much you spend, and whether you buy feed off the shelf or put it together yourself, if they won't eat it, it'll be a waste of your dollars.

i check the ingredients. I can harvest and dehydrate a bunch of these herbs. It has calundula and marigold. i grow calundula and marigold

Absolutely. But those two flower petals have hardly any nutritional value - they're there to colour the egg yolks, and if your birds aren't laying in winter, that's redundant. Much better to let them forage on whatever fresh green grass, herbs and weeds you have available through the winter.

Are there any mills local to you? I would ask what whole grains you can source there, in quantities you can manage, and build from that, rather than copying what you can find in an expensive bag of scratch.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

Whole wheat grains would be ideal, and could form up to 80% of their diet.

FYI, it may be different for your flock, but mine are not enthusiasts for either barley or peas. They eat both now, but it took quite a long time for them to develop the taste for them, especially peas, which are very variable (lots of varieties exist; mine still do not like maple peas much though they do like white, yellow, blue and green), and mine only had to face these ingredients as minority components of a wheat-based mix. However much you spend, and whether you buy feed off the shelf or put it together yourself, if they won't eat it, it'll be a waste of your dollars.

Absolutely. But those two flower petals have hardly any nutritional value - they're there to colour the egg yolks, and if your birds aren't laying in winter, that's redundant. Much better to let them forage on whatever fresh green grass, herbs and weeds you have available through the winter.

Are there any mills local to you? I would ask what whole grains you can source there, in quantities you can manage, and build from that, rather than copying what you can find in an expensive bag of scratch.

Thanks for your time Perris. I appreciate your shared knowledge. I’m located in CT with 7 hens. the winter months leave us with no opportunities for fresh grass so we go through a bunch more scratch. The scratch and peck brand has a 3 grain scratch that is cheaper and my usual go to. I looked at what they call the winter fodder bundled and had to view the ingredients b/c of the price! A bunch of dried herbs that I already grow anywY. And, your right about the peas. i have access to those in bulk as well as Barley. I was just curious of peoples opinions/knowledge about the dried flowers. Thanks for the marigold fact, didnt know. See, I can make my own. to heck with that huge pricetag! The hens probably will waste it all but the barley anyway, lol. I use my dehydrator weekly for our mushrooms, so I’m gonna go for it this time seeing its harvest season and getting to freeze at night.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I’m glad you did not fall into that $90 trap. Many people associate bright orange egg yolks with healthier eggs. This means that people will be more likely to spend more on the “winter” scratch thinking that their chickens must be getting better nutrition becayse they see those nice orange yolks. The problem is @Perris is 100% correct that those herbs and flowers are simply dying the yolk. It is purely a marketing gimmick. I would recommend following @Perris ’s advice on the subject if you want to go the scratch route. I would also recommend not feeding corn based scratch. Corn is used in the meat industry to add marbling which is great if you want tasty meat, but not so great if you want your chickens to live long. I personally avoid extra fats and carbs instead upping my chickens protein intake in the winter.

 

[TooCheep]

You might want to consider fodder rather than scratch. Fodder is basically sprouted grains and gives them some fresh food during the winter months. There are many combinations of seed that you can sprout. I use 50% wheat & 50% barley. You can buy the grains in bulk and sprout them over time. The girls love it.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

Agreeing with @Perris here, the 10# of dried herbs - 1/3 of the package weight - is primarily food coloring for the yolks. Its intended to give the appearance of superior nuitrition to those who don't know better (the vast majority, sadly). Its nutritional impact is VERY minor.

If you are sourcing your own peas, you want to avoid tannins to the extent possible. Tannins both "taste bad" (making it more likely thy wont eat it at all) and bind to proteins, making it less bioavailable. If possible, you want wrinkled peas from white flowered varieites, or better still, the European "protein pea" which has been bred for both high protein and very low tannin levels. If you don't have that much choice, go for the lightest colored peas you can find.

I'm not a huge fan of oats, but they can (and have) been used successfully at very high inclusion rates (with the addition of enzymes), in spite of their cautions. Without enzymes, less so, but still adequate.

and if you are doing, this, see if you can't source some good wheat at similar price to your oats, replace some of them in your recipe. A little less energy (typically), a little better protein. Less fiber.

You might also consider adding a good millet (again) if you can get a good price.

Still Scratch, but better Scratch than most.

 

[My Very First 6 Chickens]

You might want to consider fodder rather than scratch. Fodder is basically sprouted grains and gives them some fresh food during the winter months. There are many combinations of seed that you can sprout. I use 50% wheat & 50% barley. You can buy the grains in bulk and sprout them over time. The girls love it.


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i do this as well. i grow wheatgrass on and off throughout the winter. its a nice treat. i need something to throw on the ground for stimulation scratching and some basic nutrition. Daily. Winters are long and cold here in CT. I suppose the question may be ‘What scratch do you use through the long, cold winter with no greens or bugs to forage. i give scratch grains and meal worms. That keeps em busy. I’m being super picky with my scratch selection this year. I’ll stick with the 3 grain scratch and supplement protein with fish/chicken/scrambled eggs and an occassional tray of sprouts. Good luck, its gettin’ chillier! Next year i will dehydrate more kale and broccoli to last longer through the cold season. Thanks everyone, ya’ll are wonderful.

 

[Perris]

you can get rid of a lot of the tannins in peas by soaking or fermenting for a day, and then rinsing before serving.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

you can get rid of a lot of the tannins in peas by soaking or fermenting for a day, and then rinsing before serving.

very true.

Sprouting oats will also help provide needed enzymes to make the oat's nutrition more bioavailable.

 

[InMyFarmStage]

New to this! Where would I buy the wheat and barley to sprout?