If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to commercial chicken feed, scratch grain may be what you need. It’s easy to find and is a nice treat, but it’s no substitute for a balanced diet. Read on to find out why scratch grain is a good choice for your flock. Listed below are a few benefits of scratch grain and how to feed it properly. And don’t forget to watch the amount of scratch you feed.
Contents
It’s a treat
For years, farmers have tossed their livestock grains to the flock of chickens, thinking it would save money. But, chickens need more than just scratch to survive, so they should be given supplemental calcium as well. But, scratch grain is not nutritionally complete, so it’s best to give it to your flock only in the late afternoon, after they’ve consumed their normal chicken feed. It’s best to limit the amount of scratch you give your chickens, as overindulgence could lead to obesity.
You’ll need to offer scratch as a treat to your chickens. The grains they scratch contain healthy fats that chickens enjoy. They’ll be happy to find these foods and scramble for them. However, if you offer too much corn to your flock, you’ll see them overheat and suffer a number of health problems. So, give them scratch only sparingly. If you’re worried about the fat content of scratch, try freezing the scratch mixture with corn and feed it to your chickens in ice cube trays.
It’s not a substitute for feed
Backyard chicken food is an excellent alternative to commercially prepared poultry feed. You can provide chickens with green plants, sunflower seeds, and grains, as well as bugs and grubs from your garden. These natural, inexpensive, and healthy foods are also high in protein. In addition to these food sources, you can use leftovers from your own cooking or your kids’ leftovers. If your chickens don’t like the taste of the food in your backyard, you can try growing their favorite foods yourself.
While scratch feed is not a substitute for chicken feed, it may encourage your birds to exercise more. However, it can be fattening if fed in excess. Mealworms are another great source of protein and can help your chickens grow feathers faster during the molting season. However, mealworms are not a suitable substitute for chicken feed. You should not switch your chicken’s feed too frequently, as this can cause stomach upsets.
It’s easy to find
You can make your own scratch grain, but it’s not necessary to make a large batch. Commercial scratch grains usually contain 50% wheat and 50% cracked corn. Depending on the number of chickens, you can also mix different kinds of grains. You can also buy commercial scratch grain for chickens that contains no wheat or gluten. Commercial scratch is great for small flocks and can be expensive. It’s best to make your own scratch grain for chickens, but that’s not the best option if you have a large flock of chickens.
When choosing scratch grain, you’ll want to choose a mix that contains as many natural ingredients as possible. Milo, millet, barley, rolled corn, oats, wheat, sunflower seeds, and other ingredients are commonly found in scratch grain. These grains are usually sold pre-mixed in feed bags. You can feed scratch to your chickens once a day or more, depending on the size of your flock.
It’s not as healthy
In the early days of farming, farmers used to toss scraps of livestock grains into the coops of their poultry flock. This was to cut down on chicken feed costs. Small flocks were often kept on large farms where chickens were expected to forage for food. These chickens would be fed with spilled grain from the cows and other foods found in the surrounding environment. Because they weren’t fortified with essential nutrients, the grains were not balanced and they did not have a nutrient-rich source of protein.
Although scratch grain can be beneficial for keeping chickens warm on cold winter nights, you should only feed your flock with a small amount each day. A cup of scratch grain per chicken per day is an appropriate serving size. You can also add a small amount of minced garlic to the mix for additional nutrients and protection from parasites. When mixing scratch grain with your chicken feed, make sure to follow the directions on the label.
It’s not as balanced
If you’re considering a no-grain diet, scratch is a great choice. While it’s more expensive than regular layer feed, it’s not a necessary ingredient. If space is limited, scratch can be a hindrance. Moreover, scratch is only about half as balanced as regular layer feed, so it may cause your chickens to become deficient in protein. However, you should still include scratch as part of your diet if you aren’t looking to eliminate grain.
Scratch is also called scratch grain chicken feed. Although this type of chicken feed isn’t balanced, it’s a great option for keeping your birds warm on chilly nights. However, scratch shouldn’t be lumped in with crumble, mash, or pellet feed. Chicken scratch should be balanced to encourage good egg and meat production. Without enough nutrients, your hens may stop laying eggs or lose their feathers.
It’s not as easy to make
Homemade scratch chicken feed isn’t always as simple as making it with commercial products, but you can still give your flock the best nutrition and a warm winter night. While scratch chicken feed is a good idea for keeping your flock warm on cold winter nights, you must remember that it shouldn’t be confused with pellets, mash, or crumbles. Your chickens need a balance of different nutrients to grow healthy and produce good eggs and meat. Without the right balance of nutrients, your hens will not lay enough eggs and will even begin dropping their feathers.
Creating scratch chicken feed for your flock can help you train them to forage for food, which is an important part of a chicken’s life. In addition to helping them develop a trusting relationship with you and your flock, scratch grain feed can teach them new tricks, and you can introduce it gradually as part of their diet. Although homemade scratch grain chicken feed has low nutritional value, you can still give them a small amount of it when they are young.
