Scratch or pellets?

[Bananafish79]

What should be my scratch to pellet food ratio? Can I mix them both in the feeder or should I keep them seperate? Is scratch considered food or treat?

 

[reluctant farmer]

What should be my scratch to pellet food ratio? Can I mix them both in the feeder or should I keep them seperate? Is scratch considered food or treat?

Scratch is a treat.

 

[SueT]

What should be my scratch to pellet food ratio? Can I mix them both in the feeder or should I keep them seperate? Is scratch considered food or treat?

Scratch is a treat, not nutritionally balanced. I don't give them any scratch until they have eaten a bunch of their actual feed. Their feed should make up the bulk of their diet. For proper growth and egg production, they say limit treats to 10% of their diet.

 

[Bananafish79]

Scratch is a treat, not nutritionally balanced. I don't give them any scratch until they have eaten a bunch of their actual feed. Their feed should make up the bulk of their diet. For proper growth and egg production, they say limit treats to 10% of their diet.

Thank you!

 

[Bananafish79]

Scratch is a treat.

Thank you!

 

[GC-Raptor]

Yeah, Scratch Grains are a treat. If you mix with feed/pellets, they will soon learn to bill and scratch the pellets onto the floor and eat only the treats.
I give my LF laying hens 2 Tablespoons each of Scratch daily scattered in their pen.
I give my non-laying pullets after 10 weeks old 1 Tablespoon daily.
In the heat of summer I cut that in half and give them wet mash made from feed and cold water early afternoon.

GC

 

[SueT]

An advantage of scratch feed as a treat, if tossed out in the run, is the foraging behavior it encourages.