Is chicken scratch good for chickens? and How should I use it?

[Annalyse]

Scratch is okay in little amounts. I personally prefer to give my chickens a wide variety of snacks every day like watermelon during summer and kale during winter, I also on rare occasions give them corn or grapes. I don’t give my chickens scratch anymore but they enjoyed it for a little while. To encourage them to dig you can hide meal worms around you’re yard or in you’re coop.

Oh, mine LOVE mealworms but I only give it to them maybe once or twice a month sometimes they go longer without them. They've listened more and one some tricks with the mealworms. But they go CRAZY for them so it's more of a push and run to get the treats and peck anybody that gets in the way.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I give corn in their feeders in the winter months to put alittle more fat on them. I add 1-2 cups to their feeders occasionally. Not a unhealthy amount of corn, but just enough to help keep them warmer. I've noticed I have less of a problem with frostbitten combs after feeding corn.

A good fact, is chickens require glucose/sugar for proper heart function. Corn is fat/carbs. Carbs are also a type of sugar. Barely, oats, & wheat are also in the mix of cracked corn I have. Other then the grains, I also feed Manna Pro, Naturewise All Flock pellets, & Purina Layena layer pellets as the main feed source.


Corn is good for them, & can be given as a treat, or winter supplement, but just don't over do it .

 

[aart]

You need to balance out their whole diet, including treats.
I keep it simple...20% Flock Raiser free fed and some daily scratch grains(8%) to get to about 18% protein.
I spread the scratch out in the run in the morning to get them out of the coop so I can do chores.

Corn does not warm them more than digesting their regular feed,
which is probably mostly corn anyway.

 

[Aapomp831]

I only give my chickens scratch in the winter time, and only in the evening hours so they eat their regular vitamin and mineral fortified food throughout the day. I only give it to them in the winter bc the digestion of the extra carbs helps generate heat within their bodies. In the warm months I switch to mealworms.

 

[blacklab]

Cracked corn is not the same as whole corn, correct? Is whole corn better for them and not like junk food?

 

[aart]

Cracked corn is not the same as whole corn, correct? Is whole corn better for them and not like junk food?

Corn is corn is corn.

 

[Pghelp]

Cracked corn is not the same as whole corn, correct? Is whole corn better for them and not like junk food?

Cracked corn is just smaller bite-size pieces. Aart is right -- corn is corn.

 

[Mossy Dell]

You need to balance out their whole diet, including treats.
I keep it simple...20% Flock Raiser free fed and some daily scratch grains(8%) to get to about 18% protein.
I spread the scratch out in the run in the morning to get them out of the coop so I can do chores.

Corn does not warm them more than digesting their regular feed,
which is probably mostly corn anyway.

A sensible approach. So you'd be feeding 8.5 parts 20% pellet and 1.5 parts scratch to get an 18% protein average. A part is whatever you decide, a cup, a scoop, a bucket.

At least that's how I'd blend a mixed ration. Feeding them separately, I'd look at how much feed, especially scratch, is offered to each bird in terms of ounces. I figure a standard sized bird needs about 4 ounces a day. Obviously most of that should come from pellet for a hen that's laying—the ratio above: about 1.5 ounces of grain and 2.5 ounces of 20% pellet.

In theory, per studies, hens will balance their own diets if offered free choice pellets and grains. That doesn't seem to be the experience, or at least the perception, on BYC.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

I personally just use scratch to get them to come back to the run after free ranging, all while yelling "cHiCky ChIcKy cHickys!"

 

[Mossy Dell]

Why feed grain? Birds do love it. I hate calling it a "treat" though. I accept, however, that "supplement" is a lot more unwieldy to write than "treat."

But to the question: I feed grain partly because it develops the gizzard, which makes a stronger bird. Feeding chickens only mash or pellets is akin to humans consuming only a liquid diet. May not matter to most, but I raise game chickens, which are and should be more like wild birds.

I feed grain because I love blending the different types. For me, a pellet is used mostly as a handy protein boost and ensures covering amino acids like lysine and methionine.

I dislike cracked corn. Whole corn is a viable seed. It has life in it. Once cracked, that life dies, and the particles steadily oxidize and lose feed value. Some experts agree with this widespread, commonsense lay opinion among old-time chicken folk, but there's no reward for research into it. Industrial farms don't feed scratch.

Having said all that, I have been feeding some cracked corn because it's in a quality grain and pellet blend I use: Bluebonnet Conditioner. I like the whole popcorn in it best, but I have never seen cracked corn like this. It is small chips that are bright orange. It is like bits of the shell only. The typical raggedy cracked corn pieces and white dust aren't there. The feed is very clean, so maybe the large bits and dust are winnowed out and used for pellets.

I wish I could find a source of the smaller kernel Nutra Dense corn that doesn't involve exorbitant shipping. It's much higher nutrition, including more protein, lysine, and oils. Heirloom and many open-pollinated varieties of corn have higher feed value too. Enhanced nutrition is in great tension with yield, so most corn we can readily buy is a high-yielding carb source somewhat lacking in nutrition compared to corn bred for a broader range of nutrients.

Here's a company that sells good whole grains, including Nutra corn:

https://dmfnaturecenter.com/product-category/seeds-grain/grains/

Amazon offers some small bags from them of mostly Nutra corn. I think it is ostensibly a pigeon mix.