Scratch??

[Vicky2479]

I was just wondering what you guys are referring too when you say "scratch"

 

[TerrorBird]

Scratch is a mix of cracked corn and grains (like wheat).

 

[Den in Penn]

Scratch is a grain mixture. In the times before commercial feeds farmers would mix it from the grains they had at hand. The corn doesn't have to be cracked. And scratch may have no corn in it, most do.
Don't believe it when others say it has no nutritional value. The without thinking reaction is to say it's like feeding them candy. It is more like feeding them what whole grain bread is to us. You can live on just whole grain bread, but after a while its deficiencies begin to show up. In fact if you find the list of ingredients in feed, most of it is the grains that make up scratch.

 

[Vicky2479]

Ok cool, thanks for that. I was just wondering as I haven't heard the term here in aus.

 

[Den in Penn]

Now I have a question for you. What do they call a grain mix fed to chickens there?

 

[Vicky2479]

I use a grain mix, it has no pellets in it and they call it free range layer mix. I did notice the same company had a bag called scratch and it seems to be for free ranging hens. The brand is called Red Hen, I don't know how to post the link to their site but you could have a look if you are interested.