Scratch for main source of Feed?

[pips&peeps]

 

[halo]

C'mon Jean, I know you secretly go outside and snack on bugs....fess up.

 

[pips&peeps]

I personally don't like bugs of any kind!!!!

I don't feed my chickens scratch except as a treat. We don't have the good scratch here, just the stuff that is mostly corn.

I do supplement my geese and ducks with rolled oats and red wheat; and scratch in the winter. My geese have withdrawals from scratch every spring. I stop feeding it to them once I notice them getting "frisky" and boy they let me know that are not happy the feed bowls aren't a nice yellow color on top.....

 

[BarredBuff]

I think you could feed them just scratch if they free range most of the day. But if they are penned up NO, because they will not get as much nutrients as they need from it.

 

[Judy]

Quote:
Mine do free range, several acres, various habitats, woods, grasses, open areas, my bushed -- they still eat a fair amount of feed. People around here kept chickens free range for many years, feeding table scraps and scratch, which around here is purely corn. They survived, but I suspect they were not as large or healthy as those offered feed. I do use leftovers for treats whenever I have something we don't want. They love to pick a bone with a few scraps left on it.

 

[elmo]

Quote:
That's certainly true, but how many insects does your chicken need to catch in order to eat a a whole gram? A lot...bugs don't weigh very much.

 

[darkmatter]

I look for the Scratch grains that have a mixture in it. My birds have a large area for grass/bugs/etc. My technique is to have a "chicken bucket" in the kitchen that has a scoop of scratch in it and during the day all the kitchen trimmings food discards go into the bucket. The bucket gets tossed every morning when I let the chickens out and a fresh scoop of scratch is started. Often the potato peelings and other discards exceed the quantity of scratch in the bucket. Also the cooking water etc. added will soak into the scratch and enhance the nutrition. During the winter when bugs are absent in the chicken diet, I add a handful of cheap dry catfood to the scratch to supplement the missing protein from no-bugs. (I have been doing this for over 15 years)

 

[cubalaya]

after reading this whole topic there are a few comments i would like to make. there is another topic going on about heritage chickens and how good certain breeds were years ago and how a few people are breeding similar looking birds today. my dad was saying that in the 1930's they had 2 breeds of chicken on the farm: barred rocks and games. they ate the eggs from the rocks and ate the game chickens for meat. the games were not even fed and the barred rocks never saw a laying mash pellet. the games would rustle for their own food and roost in the trees at night. i am sure they would get any spilled grain or dropped feed. the barred rocks would freerange and get all the garden leftovers and scraps. dad said they would give them some scratch in the winter to keep them warm. they would also mix the extra milk from the cow with ground corn and the dogs would be fed that too. i wonder if my chickens would survive like that today. another family member told me that in the 1950's they only had rhode island reds on the farm. they would buy 100 chicks in the fall. they would start laying in the spring, all summer, and be processed for meat in the fall. all the cockerels would be butchered first and they would have a few random deaths in the winter. they would let a few of the 'better' hens live through the winter to give them eggs. they were fed grain and freerange. as far as the dog food comments and the de comments, if it works for you and your animals, use it.

 

[halo]

Quote:
That's certainly true, but how many insects does your chicken need to catch in order to eat a a whole gram? A lot...bugs don't weigh very much.

2 oz. of ground beef has 14 grams of protein. So 2 oz. of bugs would have approx the same. According to an article from a University, layers need approx. 15 grams of protein a day, so 2 oz. of bugs would fill their need. That is easily fulfilled if they are free ranging.

 

[speckledhen]

The issue isn't really scratch or no scratch (mixtures vary in protein content), but keeping their protein levels where they should be for optimal health. However you do that is up to you.

Free ranged chickens are generally leaner, overall, and some folks think their birds are too skinny after seeing fat, penned birds. Their protein levels may be fine, though.