What is Scratch?

[nccountrygirl]

My DH and I are talking about getting our girls some thing more than just laying pellets, like Black oil sunflower seeds. What is scatch made of and do you recommend it for your birds. Also what else is good for them? Thanks

 

[Poison Ivy]

I buy double rolled oat groats, bird seed & stratch and mix it with my layer pellets. They love the oats specially my roo. I don't give a lot of stratch grains because it has alot of corn in it. Its a hot food and I'm in florida so it would over heat them. I give it more in the winter time. You can ask the counter person at the feed store what they carry and then decided what you want to mix with the layer feed.

 

[justusnak]

Scatch is like Chicken candy. There are a few different seeds mixed in, sorta like bird seed. It is not good to give them on hot days, as stated before...there is a lot of corn in it, and corn is a hot feed. Better to use in the fall, winter, and spring. For summer treats...try melons...tomato...cucumbers...squash..frozen peas, cooked carrots. I stop by our local vegetable stand, and the gal there saves me the tomatos,melons,and yes some corn( for evening treats) that have gone beyond consumer freshness. Just Tuesday, I got 2 BIG boxes of tomoato, and a cantelope...today, was corn, peppers, and cabbage. Oh, they dont like cabbage. LOL

 

[silkiechicken]

Scratch is regionally a bit different but the main ingeredent is cracked corn. No matter how you look at it too much scratch is not really good for them. I only give them scratch as a winter time treat to help keep warm. Scratch in summer can lead them to overheat in warm weather because it is a "hot" food.

 

[peepkeeper]

No need to mix it yourself, unless you're really dedicated and have time on your hands. Ask for "scratch" at your local feed store and they'll give you a bag. But a little does go a long way. Use it for the occasional treat, or if they're confined and need something to peck at.

 

[rufus]

I think scratch is sort of subject to local interpretation. Here in the Phoenix area it is mostly milo with a touch of corn and wheat. We used to use it year around with no problem. It was a supplement, not the main feed.

Rufus

 

[silkiechicken]

Haha. Yeah. I guess scratch really is a regional thing. Must be what ever is cheapest reginoally.

 

[hinkjc]

Black oil sunflower seeds are great summer treats. Also fruits & vegies like mentioned before. Ours love wild blueberries, strawberries, watermelon and an all time fall favorite is pumpkin (seeds and all). The pumpkin seeds I hear are great natural wormers, so hit the pumkin patch up at the end of harvest for cheap, overripened pumpkins and clean up for your chooks. We grow our own patch here annually and they feast every year.

Scratch and bread are probably two of the worst treats, but in moderation they enjoy it as well. It is better to feed treats later in the day, so that most of their daily nutrition is already consumed and they don't overeat on the treats.

Jody

 

[chickenwoods]

I love feeding my birds scratch in the early spring when it is still cold at night,and also all the rain and heat that late spring brings GERMINATES the seeds they dont eat!!!not the corn though(its already cracked) So Now i have a back yard full of good milo,wheat,and other stuff lol,,,Theyve been putting off BIG grain heads now,and the chickens fly 2 feet up to them to grab the grain!!If the grain is matured i'll bend it over for them to get it,THEY EAT IT UP!! and it even taste good to humans,,the sorghum especially,dont know if its safe to eat raw but it sure taste good to mee!!!

 

[moonlitfarms]

What about sweetcorn in the summer months? Is that still considered a "hot" food or it that ok. I have thrown leftover cobbs out and they just love them.

And where do you get the black oiled sunflower seeds?