Scratch Grains vs Layer Feed
Scratch is a treat and layer feed is the diet. What happens when the ratio slips, and how much scratch is actually safe.
The short version
Layer feed is the diet. Scratch grains are a treat, roughly the poultry equivalent of a bowl of breakfast cereal: cheap, enthusiastically received, and low in protein and calcium relative to what a laying hen needs. Fed generously it dilutes the balanced feed and shows up as thinner shells, reduced laying and overweight birds. The usual guidance is to keep scratch and all other treats to around ten per cent of daily intake, which for a standard hen is a small handful across the whole flock rather than each. Feed it late in the day, after the birds have eaten properly.
At a glance
| Manna Pro Seven Grain Chicken Scratch | Nutrena Country Feeds 16 Percent Layer Pellets | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | Low, typically single digits to low teens | Around 16 percent |
| Calcium for shells | Very low | Formulated for layers |
| Complete nutrition | No | Yes |
| Share of daily intake | Up to about 10 percent | The remainder |
| Needs grit alongside | Yes | Not if fed alone |
| Use in cold weather | A small evening handful | All day |
Choose the Manna Pro Seven Grain Chicken Scratch if…
Use scratch as a training tool and an occupation, not as feed. Throwing a handful into deep litter gives the flock something to do, which reduces feather picking and boredom, and it turns the bedding over for you. Keep the total of scratch plus all other treats to around a tenth of what the birds eat. Provide insoluble grit whenever you feed whole grains, because the gizzard needs it to grind them.
Check Manna Pro Seven Grain Chicken Scratch on Amazon
Choose the Nutrena Country Feeds 16 Percent Layer Pellets if…
Complete layer feed should be available all day and should be the great majority of what the flock eats. It is formulated so that a hen eating a normal amount gets the protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals she needs to lay without depleting herself. If your birds are ignoring their feed, the usual cause is that they are filling up on treats, scraps or scratch, and the fix is to cut those back rather than to change feed brand.
Check Nutrena Country Feeds 16 Percent Layer Pellets on Amazon
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do chickens need scratch in winter to keep warm?
The idea is that digesting grain overnight generates heat, and there is something to it, but the effect is modest and a hen kept dry and out of the wind with plenty of complete feed is already fine. A small handful thrown out in the late afternoon is harmless and gives the birds something to do on a short day. It is not a substitute for adequate feed, dry bedding and ventilation.
What kitchen scraps are safe for chickens?
Most vegetable and grain scraps in moderation, counted within the same ten per cent allowance as treats. Avoid anything mouldy, avocado, raw or dried beans, and heavily salted, sugary or greasy food. Rules on feeding kitchen waste to poultry vary by country and some prohibit anything that has been through a kitchen, so check your local regulations, which exist to control disease rather than to be awkward.
My hens have stopped laying and they look fine. What should I check?
Day length, age, moult and diet, in that order. Laying falls off as daylight shortens and stops during the annual moult, and hens lay progressively less each year. After that, look at how much treat food they are getting, whether feed is running out during the day, whether water is available, and whether something is frightening them at night. If birds also look unwell, are losing weight, or have pale combs, that is a veterinary question.
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