Scratch feed: Is it just a waste of $$?

[cajunlizz]

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FREE ?


what I will be giving as treats in the winter is warm cooked rice , oatmeal and grits . they will LOVE IT

 

[EngieKisses]

How can you resist those little eyes when they want some scratch so badly.

 

[Ugly Cowboy]

I feed 'em a handful of scratch every mornin, just cuz I can. They seem to like it a lot.

 

[Aisle12Farms]

I feed my chickens scratch in the late afternoon. Not only do they love it, but it gives me an opportunity to get a good close look at them on a daily basis. I have spotted many an issue early on by doing this. The chickens can be quite entertaining too!

 

[The Chicken Lady]

I used to give my chickens a bowl of scratch and a bowl of laying mash every day, or I'd mix a few handfuls of scratch and the laying mash together with some warm water for a warm dinner in the winter... I didn't know that much about chicken nutrition back then, but I never had any nutrition-related problems with my chickens, as far as I could tell.

I'm more informed now, though, and will likely change the way I feed and medicate my birds when I get my next flock of chickens (living in the city sucks... grrr...

).

I think scratch is fine to give them, especially if they are pets and you're not worried about costs, efficiency, etc. If you give your dogs and cats a treat, you might as well give your chickens some scratch now and then. It's fun to watch them scratch at it, cluck excitedly and "peck around."

 

[EggHunter_66]

I get my pellets from a local feed & grain store, I am new to all of this so I look to them (the people who run the store) for advice even what to fed. Guess what they told me to feed...Yup you got it, Chicken scratch! So for the pasy year and half my husband & I have been "scraching" our heads to why they dont eat it!!! Well, I buy the bag that has the mixture of stuff in it like the sunflower seeds so of coarse they pick out what they like and leave mostly the corn behind and we felt this is a waste because a lot would be left behind, even the ducks would just eat certain things so at dinner time we have been giving them our left over food like rice, veggies, saving eggs shells, etc...mixed in with it and they like that much better. I just have to say that I am so glad I came across this forum because I have learned so much from reading the posts including this topic which I am happy someone posted about it! THANK YOU

 

[cajunlizz]

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well , when I 1st. had my chickens ( 2 weeks old ) I gave grower pellets and mixture of scratch . Until they were like 16 - 18 weeks old and they actually were eating as much laying pellets as my hens . SO , I switched to straight laying pellets . and I give several different treats ... Like right now , I have a big bowl of left over Mac & cheese . I am also boiling noodles for them . Have left over fried okra and fried green tomatoes .... BET I AM gonna have some might happy girls ...

I give their treats around 4:00 - 5:00 PM and at this time I also replenish the laying pellets and WATER . they eat and drink all they want . I repeat this next afternoon same time . In the mornings , they still have laying pellets JUST refill waters . REPLENISH LATER IN AFTERNOON .

I DO NOT put food in the chicken coop , ONLY water . they have access to COOP and run 24/7 .
they just enter the coop during the day to LAY and then OUT they come again . they trained themselves .

 

[EggHunter_66]

HHuumm, should you not put food in the coop or does that not matter? You see their coop is really a big dog pen w/a tarp over it and in it I have 3 dog house and 3 bamboo perches. We let the birds out around 7am and they spend all day walking around and then they get rounded up around 7:30pm to go back in the pen which we have to keep closed because the birds share the back yard with a pig who would love to go rooting around in the pen but we dont allow that. If we put their dinner outside of the pen then the pig will get to it.
The feed store people NEVER told me there were different stages of feed? I feel real stupid now PLUS very lucky that my birds arent sick! I have always done my homework before I brought any pets home but you know something, this time I DIDNT so shame on me!
Thank you again for the info

 

[cajunlizz]

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Once they are in the chicken coop , all they want to do is lay , roost and sleep ... I had food in coop before and it was not eaten . Besides , food means flies and odor .
I may have to do differently is we would happen to have a COLD WINTER . Can't not remember the last time I used that term LOL

 

[ChickenToes]

A lot of people keep the feeders and waterers in the coop. There's really no reason not to. If I kept mine outside, I would never be able to keep the chipmunks out of it.

I've been reading over the posts on here and was surprised that people said their chickens get bored once their run is down to bare dirt - my run has been bare dirt for months and they still love scratching at it and digging up bugs.

But now I'm thinking I'll put leaves down in the fall, it never ocurred to me that by spring it would make lovely compost.