How much scratch is too much??

[jwsmith1959]

I'm pretty sure I am fine with what I am doing, but thought I would throw this out to y'all experts and long time raisers.

I have one production red that has been with me awhile (~44 weeks old) and three RIR pullets that are between 18-22 weeks. In the morning when I let them out I scatter 2-3 ounces of scratch outside the front of the coop area. I keep a hanging feeder with Layena and a small fence feeder with some oyster shell and grit. I will scatter oyster shell out front every few weeks too. I will scatter about 2 ounces of scratch inside the coop when the girls come in for the night. The hanging feeder with the Layena is available all the time and it has been suggested by a friend that I pull that feeder out of their reach during the day to encourage foraging. My newer girls (had them about 3 weeks) are really home bodies and keep very close to the coop while my older girl does her thing free ranging. She has her areas that she likes to forage and will usually show up when I am mowing as I chase up a lot of grasshoppers and other bugs.

Thoughts?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Scratch should be no more than 10% of what they eat. Oystershwll should be constantly avaliable so that they can eat whatever amount they need

 

[jwsmith1959]

Scratch should be no more than 10% of what they eat. Oystershwll should be constantly avaliable so that they can eat whatever amount they need

Okay...I'm keeping within that. Should I bring the hanging feeder up during the day to encourage my girls to free range more?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I wouldn't. The feed is the most nutritionally sound part of their diet. Free ranging won't give them everything they need

 

[GC-Raptor]

How much scratch is too much??​

Here is how I do Scratch Grains.
Hatch to 10 weeks old. No Scratch, nothing but medicated Start & Grow feed 18%.

10 weeks till first eggs, 1 Tbsp each chicken daily, then 2 Tbsps each daily.

I split the daily Scratch allotment over two feedings.

First treat is 9 am, second is 1 pm.

Layer feed is available 24/7, inside coops, (I never limit feed).

I open coops and turn on lights at 5 am daily year round.
It very important they fill up on feed first thing in the morning if you want maximum egg production.
So my chickens don't get treats till 4 hours after wake-up.

Scratch Grains are the only treats I give.
I only Free Range an hour before sunset daily after they start laying.
My hens and pullets are in separate coops and pens.

My 3 hens "17 months old ISA Browns" were giving me 20 eggs weekly till this week, only got 17 this week.
They are in a soft molt.

My 8 pullets "21 weeks old Barred Rocks and Rhode Island Reds", one just started to lay Wednesday. GC

ETA; my Pullets "21 weeks old" were put on a layer feed this week after first egg.

 

[WIchickMama]

I do about 1 tbsp scratch grain in the morning, about 2 hrs after wake up

Then I do a mash of warm water and flock raiser crumbles in the afternoon (they think it is a treat, lol)

Layena pellets available all day long, along with oysters shell flakes and grit.

My girls do not free range.

 

[Folly's place]

Are they all actively laying eggs? If not, layer feed is wrong for them.
The 16% protein layer feed is meant for small breed laying hens who are eating nothing else, so the scratch treats do lower their protein and balanced diet requirements below that minimum required nutrients in the layer feed.
They do need good food available during all daylight hours, and also the oyster shell in a separate feeder that's available all the time.
These are high egg producing breed types (hatchery RIRs or show type?) and need excellent nutrition to meet their high metabolic work load.
Mary

 

[Rangergord]

I feed scratch when my hens have access to insects in the soil. Without a source of protein that is richer than the average lay ration scratch will dilute the overall intake of protein. Just entering winter where I am. All bugs are going into hiding. Looking for a high protein ration, that contains a bit of animal protein in the 20 +% range so I can feed a bit more scratch in the winter. There are a few options out there if I can find it in stock.

 

[Folly's place]

The all vegetarian feeds are supplemented with the amino acids that chickens require, because using actual meat is more expensive. I feed an all flock diet with 20% protein all year, with oyster shell in a separate container for the actively laying hens. Then, some extra goodies fit in just fine.
Here i buy Purina's Flock Raiser, which is fresh by mill date at the local feed stores. There are other good choices, so look at labels and mill dates where you shop.
Mary

 

[jwsmith1959]

Thank y'all for your informative replies. I will switch out some food starting tomorrow. I started with six girls early last April and lost one to a predator after a few weeks. It reached into the coop and strangled it. I fixed that issue and the girls all started laying at around the same time six weeks later. I had been getting 150 eggs per month with the occasional loss to a Western Rat Snake, but very few as I was on top of collecting them soon after laying.

I lost 4 Production Reds in a couple of hours a little over a month in a "Stone Cold Whodunnit". I'm pretty sure a Bobcat got one, but the other three are still a mystery. I picked up the new RIR (16-20 weeks) about three weeks ago.

I don't know how to keep growing crumbles available for some and Layena for my one laying hen while I wait for the teenagers to start laying themselves? I'm guessing the crumbles won't hurt my laying hen.

Thanks again y'all.