Using chicken scratch feed for your poultry can be beneficial in several ways. Not only can you provide your poultry with a healthy source of food, but you can also train them to eat from your hand. This way you can help them stay warm during winter and encourage them to forage naturally.
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Make your own
Providing your chickens with scratch feed is one of the most effective ways to keep them healthy. Unlike commercially made scratch, homemade chicken scratch is cheaper, healthier and doesn’t contain any chemicals.
Chickens love to eat scratch. It’s a natural food that they can easily digest. The best time to provide them with scratch is during the winter when their foraging opportunities are limited.
Although the ingredients of chicken scratch can vary, most of it is composed of wheat, oats, and other grains. The scratch is also fortified with calcium carbonate for egg shell formation.
Using scratch feed helps your hens gain weight quickly. It can also keep them warm during cold nights. It can even help you train your hens to trust you.
It’s important to know how much to feed your chickens. If you don’t give them enough nutrition, they will become shabby and stop laying eggs. They may also start plucking their feathers.
Keep them warm in winters
During the colder months of the year, keeping chickens warm is a concern for owners. Some may choose to keep their flock inside the coop. But there are many ways to make winter a more cozy time for your birds.
Using a thermal bowl or heated water dish is another way to keep chickens warm in winter. You can find these at most pet stores. If you want to give your birds a little extra calorie boost, add a handful of scratch grain at night.
Another fun idea is to hang a few heads of cabbage or lettuce around the coop to serve as a hang-able treat. You can also use thick branches as outdoor perches.
A covered walkway is also a nice idea for your chickens. You can make a walkway out of wood chips, sawdust or logs. This will protect your birds from the elements and provide an easy walk in the winter.
Train them to eat from your hands
Whether you’re training your chickens to eat from your hands or you’re using chicken scratch as a reward for good behavior, this food is a great tool. It helps to build a bond with your hens, as well as making gathering eggs more convenient in the future.
However, you don’t want to feed your chickens scratch every day. This could result in overfeeding, which can hurt your chickens’ health. You can mix the scratch with their regular feed to make sure they are getting the nutrition they need.
Using chicken scratch as a training reward is a great way to train your chickens to eat from your hand, but you should never use it as their only source of nutrition. Your chickens need a healthy diet filled with protein and fat. If your chickens don’t have enough protein, they will start to pluck their feathers, nip and cannibalize themselves. They may also have dull eyes, a depressed demeanor, and may produce poor quality eggs.
Encourage natural foraging
Providing chicken scratch feed is a common practice for poultry farmers. However, this type of feed is not formulated to provide the nutrients chickens need.
Chickens require protein, calcium, and fiber. These nutrients are vital for good health and the production of high quality eggs. If your chickens do not get enough of these essential ingredients, they will start to develop problematic behaviors. These behaviors include feather plucking, cannibalism, and egg eating. A poor diet can also cause a depressed mood, dull eyes, and mini molts.
Chicken scratch is typically a mixture of cracked corn, wheat, and oats. It contains no artificial colors or preservatives. It is best fed in moderation and should not make up more than 10% of a chicken’s daily feed intake.
To encourage natural foraging with chicken scratch, you should set up a walk-through pathway for your flock. This way, they will have the option to get out of the coop and walk around your yard.
