Stopped giving scratch

[1goose2ducks]

I used to mix half and half scratch with flock raiser for my chickens ducks and geese but recently I have limited their scratch consumption to a handful with the flock raiser. My ducks used to be a little fat and spoiled now I notice they are loosing a little weight. Is it because of the diet change or the cold or what?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Probably a bit of both. I feed my birds a bit more corn in winter. My muscovy and chickens love whole corn. You may have to tweak your amounts until you find what works best for your birds.

 

[1goose2ducks]

Ok thank you so much a have been doing the opposite. I give them less corn when it’s cold

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Ok thank you so much a have been doing the opposite. I give them less corn when it’s cold

You will definitely get different opinions on what is best as far as feeding. I'm in a colder climate and I find my birds do better with a bit more corn in cold months.

Corn isn't always a bad thing, it makes up a big part of any ration. I like whole because they can get the benefit of the whole kernel, but I also feed some cracked too. I throw mine out so birds have to forage for their goodies, which gets them moving.

A good balanced ration should always be available, and with feeding a lower protein corn make sure to feed a higher protein ration to offset that corn so they don't end up deficit.

The usual rule is 10% of the diet for extras, but I exceed that number probably. My usage goes up and down based on what I'm seeing with my birds.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Barley and wheat are other good high energy options in addition to corn in extreme cold.

For a bit of scratch in summer I switch to oats.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I feed Scratch Grains with some Cardinal mix, 7# to 25# of Scratch, as a treat once a day year round, scattered over bedding. . GC