What do you feed your chickens? ....

[Tammy]

I have been feeding my chickens scratch....and Layena (for laying)....but when I went to the feed store yesterday...I noticed on the bag of Layena....it recommends only the Layena. Now....one of my chickens never eats the Layena....but prefers the scratch.

So....what should I do....? Would my chickens get enough to eat from my yard? Do I really NEED to get the scratch?

Tammy

[BethInNH]

We give our chickens their regular feed (sometimes Layena, sometimes another brand), and it was my understanding that scratch was "chicken candy" to be given as a treat.
We also give them cracked corn (not too much- it makes them a little hyper!), vegetable scraps, leftover pasta, or anything else I find in the fridge that needs to go (I wouldn't give them onions, broccoli, garlic, or anything else that could make the eggs taste funny though.)

Then again, our chickens are spoiled brats who tend to come to the back door and look in on us pitiously til someone comes out with treats.

They will definitely prefer to eat scratch (or anything else) rather than regular feed. My daughter just informed me (she's the chicken expert in the family), that chickens have more taste recepters than humans, so naturally they would rather eat tasty stuff.

[amy g.]

I think of scratch like candy. It is good to tame them, and give them a treat, but not a complete diet.

My chickens get Layena, and a BUNCH of kitchen scraps. We also section off a portion of their yard to grow a garden for them. I plant wild bird seed and black oil sunflower seeds.

Chicks get medicated chick starter, and scrambled eggs, but no scratch.

[MJN]

to live off the land, eating bugs, grass, etc. She doesn't feed them any thing special and the eggs I buy are wonderful!

HTH!

[Adrianne]

nature's food (grass, bugs et cetera). Scratch is mainly starches and is good for putting fat on your chickens in the winter but can make them too heavy causing health problems. (imagine all you ate was bread and corn nothing else).

If your chickens get the Layena and are given access to nature's food then the scratch is probably an extra treat and I would not go overboard. If they start having weight issues, or health problems then lay off the scratch altogether.

We start giving ours scratch regularly (weekly) as a supplement in September until about March. We spread a small bucketful around an oak tree in the field. This is to help them keep weight on during the winter and give them something to do. (esp when there is no grass and bugs).

Usually from March until about August they only get scratch when we need them to do something (like a bribe). They do not need these extra calories in the summer.

Good luck!

[Adrianne]

We also section off a portion of their yard to grow a garden for them. I plant wild bird seed and black oil sunflower seeds.

Exactly how do you keep them from eating the plants as they sprout? I have tried doing something like this in past and they break through any cage I might come up with and eat everything to the ground before it has a chance.
I would really like to hear your plan!

[Doran]

...to live off the land, eating bugs, grass, etc. She doesn't feed them any thing special and the eggs I buy are wonderful!

HTH!

That may be true of the Original Chicken, or maybe some of the breeds in Asian countries which are less domesticated. But unless you have a fair amount of land from which those chickens are asked to live, this formula could make for some short-lived chickens, imo. Imagine if you live in a place that is covered in snow for 4-6 months of the year, for example. I'm glad it works for your contact, but I disagree that chickens nowadays are "meant" to live this way. I feel that we humans influence their ability to live out their chickenness in too many ways for this to be true anymore. :D

That said, and to the OP, the others are right. Scratch is a calorie rich treat and, it is my understanding that it is a close cousin to cracked corn. Layena, or other layer feed, otoh, would offer a broader range of nutrients -- a combination of grains and minerals -- which would better provide for the needs of the chicken. We used an locally made organic grain-based feed for our chickens, supplemented with oyster shell and, occasionally, dried kelp (in winter). Also granite grit because we lived in a place with virtually no rocks in the soil. In winter, we offered WHOLE corn only on the coldest days/nights (obviously this was a practice that took place in fall/winter/early spring) and generally right before dark. The chicken's body receives more calories from this carbohydrate-rich grain, and as such, it helps create body heat in the bird when the temperatures plummet.

HTH,
Doran

[Renee in FL]

I don't feed mine anymore, but we have 10+ acres for them to roam.

[astrid]

We give our chickens their regular feed (sometimes Layena, sometimes another brand), and it was my understanding that scratch was "chicken candy" to be given as a treat.
We also give them cracked corn (not too much- it makes them a little hyper!), vegetable scraps, leftover pasta, or anything else I find in the fridge that needs to go (I wouldn't give them onions, broccoli, garlic, or anything else that could make the eggs taste funny though.)

Then again, our chickens are spoiled brats who tend to come to the back door and look in on us pitiously til someone comes out with treats.

They will definitely prefer to eat scratch (or anything else) rather than regular feed. My daughter just informed me (she's the chicken expert in the family), that chickens have more taste recepters than humans, so naturally they would rather eat tasty stuff.


This is our life! OUr hens are so spoiled it's pathetic! And I cater to them! I buy them leafy greens (this week it was turnip greens) and acquiesce when they beg. I'm such a pushover! (but I love them dearly!) :)

[Margaret in CO]

If you want a fun treat for your chickens, sprout some wheat for them! They love it, it has lots of vitamins and the green is good for them. And wheat is cheap! I try to keep some sprouting all the time, but haven't done well this winter.

btw, we feed our chickiens garlic and onions--doesn't make the eggs taste funny at all. Just make sure the MILK cow doesn't get it!

[amy g.]

I'll try to take pictures tomorrow of our chicken garden.

I just use welded wire to section off a corner of their pen.

I want to learn how to sprout wheat for a treat.

[Kris]

What do you feed your chickens? ....

Bugs. They always did just fine on bugs. But then, we have a lot of bugs. :-)