Scratch as feed?!

[ChickBond 007]

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Sounds like my mom: "It's okay to talk the the nice man, honey, but don't listen to him, and if you shake his hands then quickly wash, wash, wash."

 

[outbackbill]

OK, Horsefeathers, then why did my family raise chickens for YEARS all the time feeding them Scratch feed and table scraps. Scratch feed has cracked corn, wheat and barley and if you add some oats then they have plenty of nutrition. We never lacked for eggs and the chickens did NOT free range, they were cooped. Processed chicken feed it the same ingredients ground up and OTHER stuff added. Read the labels some time. Set some chickens loose in a field of what is in Scratch feed and they will eat and eat and eat and lay eggs. There is NOTHING wrong with feeding a quart or two of scratch once or twice a day. My chickens are given scratch feed and they lay an average of an egg a day and are as healthy as any. People tend to put to much 'thought' and 'money' in to raising chickens. They are scavengers and will eat a huge variety of stuff and lay eggs. I have found that if there is something that might be bad for them they drop it and if they don't like it they drop it and don't eat it again. A good rooster will show the hens what is good and they will eat anything he points out to them.
I'll keep on giving Scratch feed and i will continue to get lots and lots of eggs and some nice fat hens. Always have.

 

[Scoop]

I too, feed mostly scratch. I mix in the pellets here and there. But then, when you look at it and read the labels, it really is just scratch and whatever other junk they want to add. We truly don't know what is in there. But scratch you can see the corn and the different grains. I also add in oats and grass. They eat bugs and worms...whatever. I don't want to be dependent on pellets that I don't even know what all is in there. I have happy hens, laying eggs on a regular basis. In fact, they are getting bigger lately. I always wonder what people will do when the economy totally collapses and feed is too expensive or there are shortages. I mean, I'm confident mine would survive without store bought pellets. And they will live without pine shavings, too.

 

[grandmaof5]

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I am far from an expert, but most of this makes sense to me. Another decision to make before my girls arrive next spring...

 

[trilyn]

Hmmm, this too makes me ponder. I wonder if I could use scratch and then for some extra nutrition/vitamins/minerals use the Fertrell's (I forget what the heck it's called)? I'm gonna have to do some more research!!!

 

[toredano]

Mine freerange.. get scratch and grower crumbles.Plus watermelon etc..
I put out a scoop of scratch mixed with grower crumble and no problems.

People tend to read into things way to much with the feed hype. Scratch has been fed for ages.

Now since mine freerange I am sure they dont need all the etxra stuff but the it seems they like ot have their evening snack when they come back into the coop.
Plus my turkey hen roams with my guineas and chickens so she needs her grower crumple anyway.She isnt too keen on the scratch tho.. A kernel here or there but its not her favortite I think.
You guys feed whatever you like and what works for you.

 

[elmo]

In the old days, chickens free ranged and were able to get the protein they need from bugs, lizards, etc., anything they could catch. Scratch doesn't have enough protein for growth, molting or egg production.

 

[elmo]

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Fertrell's does sell protein supplements:

http://www.fertrell.com/poultry.html

As I understand it, that's what is primarily lacking in a scratch diet (protein). I have a friend who feeds his flock scratch supplemented with cat food for protein.

 

[Jennings Gamefowl]

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I will back you up on this 100%... my grandma alway said that sometimes her chickens she kept, only got scrach and were lucky to just get that ...they didnt have special feed or anything they fed them WHAT they could, and got eggs every day...

 

[the4heathernsmom]

I always remember the old saying "what you put into your farm animals is what you get out" so here we use the crumbles but they get equal scratch mixed with it when the deer corn bag gets opened they get extra corn....when supper isn't finished they get fresh scraps. Then on good days with no hawks flying they get to range and eat green stuff everywhere and bugs and frogs and whatever else they catch. We have found the more greens you give to them cooped or free ranging the less feed they consume so around here and on a tight budget they eat what they find and get feed to supplement that and it works. Other than a few setbacks here and there mostly with new birds we have done great with this plan. Chickens love it and my pocketbook likes it too!!!