Scratch in summer?

[Iheartmyhens]

Is that a bad idea?

 

[KellyHM]

No, mine get scratch as a treat year round.

 

[gritsar]

Depends on who you ask. I don't feed my chickens straight scratch (called chops around here, it's simply cracked corn) in the summer, but I do treat them with some scratch grains (corn mixed with other grains and seeds) either in the early morning or later on in the evening.

 

[Iheartmyhens]

Thanks! The scratch we can get here is mixed grains-I've only had them a couple of months but my pullets have just about cleared out their large sideyard of most greenstuff. I feel that I should supplement their food but was concerned about their overheating on hot days. Just to be careful, I will be sure to give them their scratch during the cooler parts of the day!

 

[digitS']

You are in danger of getting a lot of "spontaneous combusting chicken" jokes thrown your way, Iheartmyhens.

Leaving that aside, what primarily motivates a hen to eat is calories. Once those calorie needs have been met, eating tapers off.

Warm weather in a down coat, food thrown at your feet, no more squabbling amongst the flock than at any other time of the year . . . how many calories does it take to make a hen happy, there in her dustbath hole? Probably not many -- a sprinkle of seeds, and she's good to go . . . to sleep

.

Expecting eggs? Well, there's a chance you won't be getting many if the hens are loading up on easy calories and little protein.

A leghorn-type laying hen needs 17 grams of well-balanced protein each day. Poultry Scientists at Auburn University

Scratch could not be more variable, brand to brand, and is the protein balanced, sorry, no. Let's just say that it IS balanced, for argument's sake. So, 100% of say, an 8% protein scratch is going straight into body maintenance and egg production. And, your laying hen is going to eat 113 grams of scratch each day. That's a mere smidgen -- a quarter pound, probably not one-half cup of scratch. And, she's not going to want any more, laying around in her dustbath every day.

Every bit of that protein is balanced stuff (we are saying, for argument's sake). 113 grams x .8 = 9 grams. Well, Wait a Minute! A laying hen needs 17 grams each day! IN FACT, she needs 13.5 grams of well-balanced protein just to make 1 EGG!. Poultry Scientists at Auburn University She isn't going to get half of it from scratch.

Well, maybe your chickens are free-ranging! They've got all those bugs to eat -- there must be a killion grams of protein on 6 legs, strolling around the backyard.

Well, sort of . . . A cricket is your fairly typical bug. 100 grams of crickets contains 12.9 grams of protein (well-balanced, too!). Iowa State University Entomology Department So, if she eats 113 grams of them she'll end up with about 14 grams. Of course, she already got her calories from scratch so . . .

Steve

 

[teach1rusl]

The key with scratch seems to be "as a treat." I've read that some people mix it in with their birds' feed, and I don't understand that. For me, that would be like burying a bunch of Snickers minis into my carrots. I'm pretty sure I would dig for the Snickers minis, and then may or may not eat the cooked carrots after I gorged on the chocolate and peanuts...lol. I do give mine scratch year round; I toss out a fistful on occasion to get them out and moving in the mornings. And I sprinkle a bit if I need to lure them back in the run during the day. But most of the day they are eating their feed, bugs, grass, etc.
I am a little more generous with it in winter months.

 

[digitS']

Me too, Teach'.

In fact, I'm fairly generous with it during the winter.

But, I'm still expecting them to eat about one-quarter pound of 20% protein feed, winter or summer.

Steve

 

[starforever61]

I mix 1 part scratch and 4 parts feed because it slows them down because they eat so much yummy feed. lol

but I feed it the normal way in the winter and fall.

 

[Iheartmyhens]

Thanks for all the feedback! They are free ranging in a large sideyard, but they have cleared it out quite well in just a couple of months. I have been going kinda heavy on the scratch, but we have been getting some rain and I have been using it to help tame them -they were running away in terror from me at first and today three will eat out of my hand.

Any suggestions for a particular brand of protien feed or a minimum percentage I should look for on the label? In a few months I will have 9 grown hens-how much protien feed a day for the ladies would you suggest to suppliment their free ranging??

Thanks so much to everyone! I love learning about how to take care of my hens...

 

[gritsar]

The layer feed I am currently feeding has 17% protein (4% calcium) and that's pretty common, anywhere from 16 to 18% protein in layer feed. I offer oyster shell seperately because I don't consider 4% calcium to be enough.
Higher protein than that and I think (but I'm not sure) you'd have to look at the gamebird feeds. If you are going to feed gamebird, be sure and offer oyster shell.