Just feeding chickens scratch feed & cracked corn.

[bledsoe95]

Scratch feed & cracked corn is all i feed my chickens will this be ok?

 

[UrbanGrower]

It's not likely going to be enough, but that all depends on what's in the scratch. Is there a reason you haven't given them a complete feed?

 

[ranchhand]

How old are your chickens? Do they free range?

For what you are spending on scratch and cracked corn you could get a balanced, appropriate feed for their age. Corn is a snack, not a nutritious feed. Generally corn and other treats shouldn't be more than 10% of their diet.

I buy feed and only give corn or scratch every week or so. Usually when I want to round them up early!

 

[mississippifarmboy]

I know alot of old timers in our area who never feed their chickens anything except scratch and corn, so they will live on it. However, they will not thrive, grow correctly or lay the amount of eggs that they will on regular chicken feed. As someone else posted... it's not any more expensive to give them laying pellets (Or starter / grower if chicks).
You can do a search on BYC and find lots of threads about mixing your own feeds, but for my money, I'll just stick to bag feed.
We do give our chickens a handful of scratch every morning and evening as a treat. More in the winter, less in the summer.

 

[Fred's Hens]

They will live. Barely. But just won't thrive, as others have said. If you have layers and want eggs, you'll have to do better. A nice layer feed.

It's not unlike feeding kids only food from McDonalds. They'll live, sort of, but it isn't healthy.

 

[mississippifarmboy]

Fred's Hens :

They will live. Barely. But just won't thrive, as others have said. If you have layers and want eggs, you'll have to do better. A nice layer feed.

It's not unlike feeding kids only food from McDonalds. They'll live, sort of, but it isn't healthy.

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Quote:
What's ironic is my grandmother is the same. During the last visit at her house, me and her talked about my chickens since she used to keep a lot back in the day for eggs and meat. She asked me what I fed them, I replied chicken layer, which costs 16$ for a 25 lb bag in the suburbs here. She was astounded since she grew her own corn and dried it for almost free. Apparently, she fed hers a "great" diet of dried corn and as a rare treat gave them leftover chicken carcasses. When I mentioned it was an unhealthy diet, she stated that her layers lived to "An amazing 2 1/2 years" until they died of "old age". She didn't believe that a chicken could live past 5 years. I'll get back to her when mine are 3 years old, and she needs to touch the computer for once, lol.

 

[AKsmama]

And here is your answer to your egg-eating thread. Your chickens need a better diet, therefore they are eating their own eggs.

 

[ranchhand]

Quote:
I looked at and replied also in the egg eating thread. Your chickens are in serious need of protein.

 

[Ema]

to be hones this type of diet will lead to deficiencies and more issues. scratch is supposed to be a treat, consider it like junk food for children. And too much corn will just add fat to them which will cause them to become lazy, which again leads to more issues.

a bag of scratch here is 18 dollars for 50lbs and a bag of layer is 15 dollars for 50lbs. I buy scratch but they are limited to how much they get scratch, I also feed them BOSS for added protein.

today like I do once a week I cooked up 3 dozen eggs and added 2 cups of alfalfa pellets (turned to mush by adding hot water) and 2 TBSP of cayenne pepper to the whole thing, served it on a big platter, I then stuck the shells in the oven for a few minutes to quickly dry them up and crushed them up real well for extra calcium.

A good egg comes form a good balanced diet, but that is my opinion.