Chicken weeding: My free range chickens love scratch grain,

[hedgehog]

so when I'm cleaning the garden beds or prepping new ones, I toss scratch grain in the area. They do a great job of scratching out the weeds and working in a little organic fertilizer.

[HealUS]

1. Dumb Question

Hey there, Hedgehog!

I'm at the research stage in my dream to have chickens and ran across your post.
This sounds like a GREAT idea!! The only thing - I don't know what "scratch grain" is.

Is it just regular grain set aside for chickens?
I've also heard that Duckweed is a healthy, "cheep" source of chicken feed.
Have you tried it?

Thanks in advance for any coaching!

[hedgehog]

2. If you go to your local farm store, you will find 50# bags of chicken feed.

Some varieties are balanced with all the vitamins, minerals and proteins your chickens will need. These are divided into types for chicks (which may or may not also have medications added!), fast growing broilers (they need special feed to support that fast growth) and laying hens.

These varieties come in the form of extruded pellets, extruded crumbles or mash; a simple mix of ground grain with the vitamins and minerals added. I would recommend using a product like this as the basis of your flock's diet to ensure proper nutrition. I find my birds prefer the mash, but some say the use of pellets or crumbles means less waste.

Scratch grains are mixtures of un-ground field corn, oats and wheat kernels. No vitamins or minerals are added. My birds are pastured in the summer, eating grass, weeds and bugs mostly. I scatter some grain on the ground and they enjoy "scratching" to eat it. In the winter, I make sure the bulk of their diet is layer mash to ensure they are getting all they need. I supplement with food scraps and a bit of scratch grain to give them some entertainment. This may or may not be why I've never had any problem with hens picking on each other.

Now - I have NO training in poultry care. Take this with a grain of salt and check with your local Extension or a good guide book for advice. What I do works for me. I would consider the scratch grain to be a treat rather than the basis of a good diet for chickens.

Have fun!

[HealUS]

3. Thanks some more!

Just when you thought it was safe to sit down . . . it's me again! )
Sounds to me like you're "plenty trained" - perhaps it's self, but this info
is also great to have. Thanks for taking the time to explain to a newbie!

[mopinko]

4. this is the whole point of my chickens.

they will be pastured on fallow areas, and run lose during some parts of the year. they will rotate in and out of free range in the back yard.
gotta have good fence for that in the city, tho.

[Kaleva]

5. When I and my ex had chickens...

I let them free range from spring till fall. We lived out in the boonies with no close neighbors so the chickens didn't bother anyone else as they searched for food in the big lower yard and wooded gully near the home. At dusk, I made sure all were back in the hen house and locked the door till I let them out again the following morning.

I always made sure they had food and water available in the hen house but they preferred what they found while roaming around. This really cut down on feed costs. I did have to pay attention to the chickens when they were out and about as a few of the hens preferred to lay eggs someplace other then in the hen house.