Making Homemade Scratch?

[cococrisp]

Hi
I feed my chickens the regular commercial feed but I heard it was good to throw some scratch around to keep them busy. I also want to let them know that I'm not mean and want to make a treat for them. Does anyone know a recipe I could use to make a homemade scratch with grains and seeds etc?

Thanks

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

"Scratch" is just assorted grains so any mix is "right"

 

[Sam The Yam]

I came up with one tonight that they should enjoy. I have wheat that I have been giving them straight, however, I bought a 10 lb ground corn/corn husk bag from the feed store, I dumped it in the 5 gallon bucket with the wheat, then I thought about rabbit pellets since they have alfalfa, and dumped in a portion and mixed it up. They should go crazy in the morning! I also plan to grow sunflowers and then mix the seeds with it.

 

[Harrietsmum]

I buy big bags of parrot or wild bird seed, (seeds, grass seeds, sunflower, peanuts etc) add some wheat and cracked corn. I throw a small cupful into their run each morning before i go to work. The girls spend the day digging and scratching.

 

[Jen71]

Quote:
That's an excellent idea. Thanks!

 

[Promiselandfarm]

We grow the giant sunflowers and let them pick them off the flowers when rip they love them that way. Almost like a chew toy for a dog. Several people around here give their chickens cotton seed milled hulls to scratch around with

 

[cococrisp]

Ok, so it would be OK if I just went to the bulk food section of the grocery store and picked out some dried corn and raisins and wheat and stuff like that? Is there anything in particular they should not have or anything that has really been a favorite?
Thanks

 

[BarredBuff]

This really just a mix I have made before its not really a recipe but here you go

2 Cups of Black Oil Sunflower Seeds
3 Cups of Scratch Grains
1 Cob of Feed Corn
3 Cobs of Dried Sweet Corn(From last years garden)
I added some grit

 

[cococrisp]

Ok, I know we have sunflower seeds and grit and I'll buy some corn. I think they have some dried ears at Lowes to feed to the squirrels. I'll get some of those. Do I strip off the kernals or just give them the whole cob?
Thanks

 

[BarredBuff]

I strip off the kernels and mix all of this together and feed it to them, they like different things to peck at even though its the same thing.