What should I try to avoid?

[sarastamand]

What are some of the things that I should try to avoid when purchasing chicken feed or scratch?
What name will antibiotics be under?
Anything else?

Make sure to read the back of the bag! Although it may say "chick starter" that doesn't necessarily mean for baby chickens. It could be for turkeys, ducks, etc.

 

[alex5chickens]

If you have a rooster then an all flock or flock raiser with oyster shell on the side is best in my opinion. The rooster doesn't need the calcium, it's not good for chicks and the hens will have the oyster shell as needed.

Lots of greens, they like fruits and vegetables too. Bugs of various sorts. Mealworms, black soldier flies and crickets are popular here. The local lizard population starts a frenzy.

I don't see any reason not to give scratch. It doesn't have to be corn or soy based and chickens enjoy foraging and pecking at the ground when they eat. They like seeds as all birds do. I give my flock Bar Ale 6 way scratch and pick up pigeon feed without corn in it from a local feed store.

When your chickens molt they'll do well with added protein which they need to regrow feathers. My flock likes fresh or canned salmon, cooked hamburger and poached poultry.

I also don't see any reason not to give chickens scratch, I think it helps my hens in the colder weather. Otherwise, they lose a lot of weight when it gets in the negative temperatures.

 

[AussieJen]

I've been giving a tiny amount of scratch daily (around 2 tablespoons for 8 pullets) to try and encourage them to turn over their deep litter. I was surprised when I experimented yesterday and threw them the same amount of their always-available pellets they went just as crazy for it and scratched around for what they'd missed for quite a while after. Bird brains! I'm going to ease back on the amount of seed I give them and once I've run out will simply throw down pellets.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've been giving a tiny amount of scratch daily (around 2 tablespoons for 8 pullets) to try and encourage them to turn over their deep litter. I was surprised when I experimented yesterday and threw them the same amount of their always-available pellets they went just as crazy for it and scratched around for what they'd missed for quite a while after. Bird brains! I'm going to ease back on the amount of seed I give them and once I've run out will simply throw down pellets.

The only reason I don't toss pellets instead of something like scratch or dried grubs is simply the mess - some pellets disintegrate quickly if they get wet, and pellets also tend to attract more rodents in my area than something like BOSS or scratch.

But yes if your chickens are used to a routine where you making a tossing motion = food, they'll go eat it up regardless if you're tossing scratch or their usual feed.