Scratch isn't a Staple?

[speckledhen]

My grandfather was born in the late 1800's and died at the age of 100 about 20 years ago. He was a farmer all his life. I asked my dad recently what granddaddy fed his chickens, thinking he'd say he just threw out corn or scratch, but was surprised when he told me that granddaddy fed the hens a laying mash. So, not all old farmers just feed corn.

I think the time in a chicken's life when proper nutrition is most important is when it's growing like crazy as a chick. I've seen stunted chicks who were fed only scratch as babies. I've seen them stunted after someone bought them from me, after they'd been on proper high protein starter feed here, then for the next couple months of scratch alone. The difference in the one I kept vs the ones who left here at six weeks old was convincing enough for me. Hens need calcium so you need to supplement that, especially if they aren't being fed layer feed. Chickens can survive on very different diets, especially if they free range and find food on their own, but some don't really thrive unless fed age/function appropriate feeds.

 

[RL]

I have 33 birds at the moment, 31 Hens and 2 Roos. I have a 2 gal feeder in the coop that is always full of Big V 20% egg pelet formula along with a feeder full of crushed oyster shell - when I have chicks I use the 20% kernals for the hen and the chicks.

The chickens free range all day every day. In the mornings before I leave for work I spreed out Rolled Oats mixed with scrach grains, about a cup per bird. I try to not feed too much corn because the feed has enough in it already. The rest of the day they eat what they find, go in and out of the coop eatting the feed when they want to. 100lbs of feed will last me 1 month in the winter time a bit longer in the summer. If I get home in time I may give them a little more Rolled oats before they go into roost.

I have been getting 23 to 29 eggs a day even during our week of temps being 20 and below all day. My birds are big, healthy and happy. I don't know if I am raising these birds correctly or not, but in 3 years I have not lost one bird to sickness so it is working for me and the birds.

Feed your birds a good diet give them clean water and they will reward you with a lot of good eggs. Good luck with your flock.

 

[wsdareme]

My favorite use for scratch is to spread a few handfuls in the pine shavings in the coop every few days. The chickens get a treat, and I get my coop litter stirred up real well! Gotta love the deep litter method!

 

[95yj]

too much scratch (in this case refering to a mostly cracked corn mixture) can also force a molt, but i believe you have to feed almost 100% for a while. I like cracked corn, its great in the winter as a high energy supplement befor they roost at night, or as others said to stir up the shavings, or to just get them moving.

 

[GarlicEater]

The (we think they're) Golden Comets didn't have any eggs in the nest boxes today, my mixed bantys (including Beavis & Butt-Head) gave me 5 eggs today which is the most I've seen in a day so far.

We've got cold, blustery, yukky weather so I've not worked on their new coop today, tomorrow's supposed to be miserable too but I'm going to get at least something done. Sunday's earmarked to do some feed buying and price shopping.

The greenhouse got beat up a bit by the wind, a huge pocket of water then filled up in it on top(!) and I had to do some repairs. The land owner's design involves buried pipes with a pump to pump them out, a fan to draw up the warm air yadda yadda well, even when it's not actively raining if it's just wet the water seeps in down there, and now the pump's apparently quit. Meanwhile since he used staples to fasten down the plastic, the wind had a great time ripping the ends loose. So, I took roofing nails and little squares of old inner tube I cut up, to "cushion" the nails, and the big heads on roofing nails help, and nailed things back down. I just knew those staples weren't gonna hold. So that was my fixit today.

Tomorrow a box big enough to sleep in arrives, and I have to try to be up front to meet it, and hopefully get the truck driver to help me manhandle it onto a "pad" above the mud I've set up for it.

Always stuff to do here.