How much scratch is too much??

[jwsmith1959]

Flock Raiser is available here. Thanks

 

[Folly's place]

Feed an all flock or grower to everyone, with that separate dish of oyster shells. Your laying hen will do fine.
Mary

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I have great respect for @GC-Raptor 's experience, but will differ on this issue. You will find me in the camp of @JacinLarkwell and @Folly's place on this subject. Particularly as you are choosing a low protein layer feed as their complete feed.

Some "thumb rules" and quick approximations since I don't know what scratch brand you are using. Together with some broad averages, for purpose of illustration.

An average hen, under average conditions, is estimated to eat an average of 1/4# of feed daily. You have four birds, so that's 1#, or 16 oz total, each day. The "thumb rule" for treats is not to exceed 10% of diet, by weight, daily. It exists not because its correct for every circumstance, but because its conservative enough to prevent the majority of harms, in the majority of circumstances - that is, its "good enough".

Layena Crumbles (Pellets are substantially identical) have a nutrition profile of 16% Protein, 6.5% Fiber, 2.5% fat, 4% +/- Calcium, .7% Lysine, .3% Methionine.

For reference, UGA suggests target figures of 16-18%, 3-4%, 4%, .8%, .4%. You can find similar figures from NRCS/USDA and others. Layena begins as a borderline feed (that's *normal* for layer rations, cost is a big component of layer feed design).

Purina's "Scratch Mix" offers a nutrition guarantee of 8% protein, 4.5% fiber, 1.5% fat, .1% calcium and says nothing about amino acids (nor could they, as the ingredients vary - "Freshly-ground North American grains")

You are offering 4-5 oz of scratch daily, plus some negligible and nutritionally uncertain (and seasonal) free range time. That's a great unknowable I'll disregard.

If the chickens substitute scratch for complete feed (sticking with the 1/4# total per day), 25% of their daily ration is Scratch! ENd result? 14% Protein (too low), 4.5% fiber (tolerable), 2.25% fat (too low). Calcium is tolerable. We can guess at the aminos if we have to, based on the likely grains included (cracked corn, milo, red millet, sunflower seeds) in the scratch - could be worse, not exceptional. If chickens, in accordance with pecking order, only pick favorites out of the scratch, the likelihood of nutritional problems grows accordingly.

If the birds add the scratch to a normal ration, their caloric intake goes up (and your total feed costs with it), but no benefit (beyond their entertainment, and your ability to encourage them to dig different areas of the yard) comes of it. The scratch isn't improving anything - and (fingers crossed) their brief free range time is compensating.

I prefer a little more certainty, and I say that as one who free ranges my entire flock daily, dusk to dawn.

 

[jwsmith1959]

The responses I get always amaze me. Thank you all so much for sharing your knowledge. I plan on working back up to 6 layers, but living where I do, it is not always easy to get teenage pullets. I am not planning on brooding any young chicks, so have to rely on local feed stores and growers to provide me with suitable age hens.

My original 6 were all the same age and as I noted I lost one early on. The other 5 were great. Not pettiness or fighting. They mainly stuck together during the day unless one got off of her laying cycle. My remaining PR girl has struggled of late producing on a 24 hour cycle. It is possible that I might have lost an egg or two from her due to snakes in the last month, but I try and keep an eye out during the day. She has gone from early morning to midday, to even night time egg laying at times. Also her eggs go from her normal brown to a bit more ashy at times. I worried that she was scratching too much oyster shell, so quit scattering it out front and only provide it in the coop. I will probably keep just these 4 girls through the winter unless one of the local feed stores bring in some 17-18 week girls again.

I have a large coop that is well ventilated and plenty of places to roost and hide.

I know that my allowing them to free range during the day puts them at risk, but I think they keep my grasshopper population down... <...joke

Thanks again for all the useful advise.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

I don't know, but have repeatedly been told (and repeated) that hens lay on an approximately 25 hour cycle. and while my flock is too large, and my management too casual, to tell when any one of my birds is laying, I can say that I collect multiple times daily, and there seems to be some drift in when I get the largest number of eggs. Sometimes early AM, sometimes midmorning, afternoon, early evening, late evening - and the drift is too rapid to relate to season or weather pattern.

Integrating one bird is hard. MUCH easier to integrate a small group. I think you have a good plan, waiting. "See and be seen" is the way.

and we all have our own risk tolerance. I free range constantly. and the grasshoppers know it.