From what I have read you can start feeding scratch around 8 weeks. Is this correct?Also if you are feeding your chickens organic food is there organic scratch available also?P.S. Thanks to everyone for all of the great answers to my many beginner questions. :)
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What Jane said is exactly what I would say. I'm glad to hear that organic scratch is making it's way into the market. Hopefully Stock Shop will carry it soon. :) Jane, Do you order all of your organic grains from Azure or does Stock Shop get them for you?
I haven't asked the Stock Shop about ordering organic grains, I should do that. They already carry non-organic cracked corn and crimped oats, which I could use for my seed mixture instead of the substitutes I'm using. Next time I go, if I don't space out, I'll surely ask them. But yes, other than that, I get my stuff from Azure.
There is such a thing as organic scratch. I had to look around and keep talking to people until I found someone that had some. One feed store here in Tucson told me there wasn't such a thing, but I found it at another store.
We're all beginners in some way - without this site, I don't know what I'd do!
Scratch is like candy to chickens. It's great as a treat, but should never be used as a staple diet. Also, it's better to use scratch during colder times, because it helps the chickens generate warmth - it's the corn in it, I believe. During the long, long warm period of our year, I tend to feed my girls organic sunflower seeds, or an organic mix I make for them.
Not that I'd never give them scratch at all if I had it right now, but I just stop buying it until the weather finally turns cooler again.
I'm afraid I do not know a local source of organic chicken scratch, hopefully someone else does. I do get organic feed from The Stock Shop, and others get it from Western Ranchman and Pratt's. Perhaps one or more of those has organic scratch (I haven't seen it at The Stock Shop yet). An online source is www.groworganic.com.
I will defer to Rachel, Myron, or someone else on the question of when one can feed scratch. Best of luck to you - chickens are so much fun, and do such great compost/egg work for us!
Thank you for the info. I called the Scottsdale Livestock Supply where I get my organic feed and she said that in fact she was trying to find some so I gave her your website. Maybe she will carry it by the time it gets cold and you want some.
Sunflower seeds are a good idea what else do you put in your mix? I mainly wanted something to throw down when we wanted them to "work" in a certain area.
That's great news from your supplier, I need to follow your good example and talk to The Stock Shop. :) Other snacks I give the chickens are oat groats, free choice oyster shells, and bokashi (please see discussion of bokashi at PPG's Casey Christian on Bokashi). The seed mix I make contains 30% Sorghum, 50% Millet, 11% Oat groats,5% Aragonite, 3% Poultry Nutri-Balancer, and 1% Kelp. Here's a little history of how I derived the recipe:
I also custom-mix an organic grain mix (I buy the grains through Azure) I give them as a treat. I add organic supplements to it, such as kelp, Aragonite (a calcium source), and Fertrell Poultry Nutri-Balancer, a mineral supplement. You can check out the company that makes it, and the product, at www.fertrell.com. I roughly follow a recipe devised for layers by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, www.polyfacefarms.com.
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Scratch is like candy to chickens. It's great as a treat, but should never be used as a staple diet. Also, it's better to use scratch during colder times, because it helps the chickens generate warmth - it's the corn in it, I believe. During the long, long warm period of our year, I tend to feed my girls organic sunflower seeds, or an organic mix I make for them.
Not that I'd never give them scratch at all if I had it right now, but I just stop buying it until the weather finally turns cooler again.
I'm afraid I do not know a local source of organic chicken scratch, hopefully someone else does. I do get organic feed from The Stock Shop, and others get it from Western Ranchman and Pratt's. Perhaps one or more of those has organic scratch (I haven't seen it at The Stock Shop yet). An online source is www.groworganic.com.
I will defer to Rachel, Myron, or someone else on the question of when one can feed scratch. Best of luck to you - chickens are so much fun, and do such great compost/egg work for us!
Sunflower seeds are a good idea what else do you put in your mix? I mainly wanted something to throw down when we wanted them to "work" in a certain area.
I also custom-mix an organic grain mix (I buy the grains through Azure) I give them as a treat. I add organic supplements to it, such as kelp, Aragonite (a calcium source), and Fertrell Poultry Nutri-Balancer, a mineral supplement. You can check out the company that makes it, and the product, at www.fertrell.com. I roughly follow a recipe devised for layers by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms, www.polyfacefarms.com.
The "Azure" referred to above is www.azurestandard.com.
Hope all this helps :o).