old enough for scratch?

[Cocotte]

Can my 6 week olds eat scratch yet, or are they too young? The pieces look awfully big compared to their food..

 

[teach1rusl]

Have they had regular access to grit? If so, then you could try a little bit. They won't eat it if they can't, but they can eat much bigger chunks of things than you'd think they can. Go ahead and start training them to come to you at the shake of a scratch jar/can/cannister. Since they love scratch so much, it's an easy training "tool."

 

[pips&peeps]

I wouldn't give it to them yet, let them get a little bigger and get accustomed to eating grit or small rocks outside.

 

[oreochip]

I think it is a little too soon. Our feed store recommends 6 months. I think we threw some scratch in the coop at 4 months. Once we started, there was no going back to the nourishing starter feed. They wanted nothing but scratch or corn. IMO, I would wait a few months.

 

[Cocotte]

Quote:
That's good to know!

 

[Cocotte]

pips&peeps :

I wouldn't give it to them yet, let them get a little bigger and get accustomed to eating grit or small rocks outside.

I thought they looked pretty small to eat it. Thanks! I'm looking for treat ideas to help teach them to go up and down the ramps to their coop..​

 

[Cocotte]

Quote:
I'll definitely wait a bit and find some other treat for them. Thanks!

 

[Cindy in PA]

I started mine on a small amount of small seeds, millet, shelled sunflower etc. at three weeks. After 8 weeks I will give them a bit more as my grower is 20% & they recommend diluting it some to keep them from coming into production too soon. I plan to feed them all whole grains once they are old enough.

 

[underground chickenman]

Why? Scratch is a low-nutrition mostly corn treat. It's like candy for chickens. I know everybody is in a hurry for their chicks to grow up and be chickens, but they will get there soon enough. If they fill up on scratch at this age, they won't get all the nourishment their little bodies need. You can give them treats, but make it spinach leaves, small pieces of fruit or some shelled sunflower or flax seeds, but don't go overboard on that either.

UGCM

 

[underground chickenman]

Why? Scratch is a low-nutrition mostly corn treat. It's like candy for chickens. I know everybody is in a hurry for their chicks to grow up and be chickens, but they will get there soon enough. If they fill up on scratch at this age, they won't get all the nourishment their little bodies need. You can give them treats, but make it spinach leaves, small pieces of fruit or some shelled sunflower or flax seeds, but don't go overboard on that either. They definitely need appropriate size grit if you give them anything other than commercial feed.

UGCM