How do YOU use scratch??????

[CupOJoe42]

Questions regarding BOSS:

How old can they be to eat BOSS?
Do they eat the shells and the seed inside?
Do they need grit with it?
How much do you give?
Can you plant BOSS from the bagged seeds?

 

[southerndesert]

We use it as a treat like most and it is mixed with rolled oats, BOSS, and a few other odds and ends.... We throw very limited amounts into the pen and the kids use it to hand feed their favorite girls sometimes. Too many treats or too much seems to effect our egg production negatively...

 

[Nicole01]

I make my own by using oats, sunflower seeds, cracked corn and peanuts. I throw a handful everyday in the morning. I usually give them a fruit treat late afternoon. Watermelon and applesauce are big hits.

 

[dsqard]

I mix BOSS with cracke or whole corn and chopped apples for my flock every day. When it is time for them to go into their pen I bring out the bucket and it is like a feeding frenzy. It is PURE ENTERTAINMENT for me and the chickens and turkeys love their treats. Seeing a herd of birds running at me like puppies cracks me up every time.

I never have a problem with getting them into the pen in the evening. During the day, all they have is their regular food.

 

[Jloeffler]

Quote:
YEP!

x3 We call it chickencrack. You can give more during the winter to help them build up body fat but otherwise treat only. Good way to get them to come when you call. Use a specific call when you feed them the scratch and they will come EVERY time you call scratch or no once they get used to it.

 

[jomoncon]

I use scratch to get the girls back into the coop when they've been free-ranging & it's not night yet. I put a handful of scratch in a plastic cup & shake it. They know that sound means they're going to get a treat. I throw it on the ground in the run & the stanpede starts. All I have to do is move aside so I don't get run over.

 

[Tracydr]

I don't really understand why scratch is considered so bad, if part of a wholesome, balanced diet. It's cracked corn, barley, Milo and wheat. Have you looked at a bag of chicken feed? It's grain by-products, wheat byproducts, corn, soy, lots of vitamins and such. I agree that they need the added soy and probably some extra vitamins but if they are on fresh pasture, greens and bugs, they are getting a pretty good mix of b-vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin C and probably a decent amount of protein from fresh young grades, grass seeds and bugs. Those bugs are surprisingly nutritious.
I've learned, from seeing my dogs and horses health improve after taking them off their " complete and balanced rations" and replacing it with more species specific diets not made by big companies like Purina that we can actually feed our animals real foods and do a pretty decent job of balancing rations. It's when they eat the same thing from the same over processed bag day in and day out for years that dietary deficiencies become obvious.
Of course, if your birds are in an enclosed coop and you don't have access to fresh fruits, veggies, grasses and bugs, things become more complicated. Winter in most parts of the country are also more complicated. But, don't be so trusting of big feed companies telling you that they are giving you magic formulas in every bag. They aren't that magic.