Purina Scratch

[they'reHISchickens]

We bought some Purina Scratch for the first time yesterday. Previous purchases had been scratch compiled from our local mills or our own combination of 1/3 oats/ 1/3 wheat and 1/3 corn with a very very generous addition of sunflower seeds.
We were shocked at the amount of corn in the Purina bag! No wonder it is considered a treat and minimal nutrition!
We won't be buying it again, but darn it's hard to get to the mill before it closes during the winter!

 

[math ace]

I need to find a feed mill - - -

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

yeah I have noticed a ton of corn in it! it is like 70% corn! with the rest millet and about 5% oats!

 

[speckledhen]

Purina scratch is dusty, crushed corn, way overpriced for what you get in there. It's substandard, IMO. For way less than they charge for that dust in a bag, I get 11-grain scratch (actually Knockout Game Bird Feed, no dust, nice grains, little corn, 12% protein). If you have a roosters-only pen, it's adequate nutrition in and of itself.

 

[Arthur]

I just learned something.. I guess I'm not doing my girls any favors giving them purina scratch. They do love it though. I also treat them with boss, so I guess its not totally bad. what percent protein should I look for in a good scratch?

 

[A.T. Hagan]

I haven't used it for some years now but I've never had a dusty bag of Purina scratch feed. Nutrena yes, and full of trash, but either way it was probably because it was the bottom of the bin that went into that bag just as with the Purina bag.

There is scratch feed and there is scratch feed and it's not all alike. In fact it can vary quite a lot from brand to brand. Purina has a page about it's scratch grains. They have regional mills so the exact composition may vary from area to area. Here in Florida it's cracked corn, milo, and wheat - mostly cracked corn - which is why I don't use it any more. I now mix my own from mostly whole corn, oats or wheat, and alfalfa pellets. The birds wasted too much of the cracked corn which I think they find to be unpalatable.

Any time you change brands of feed you need to find out what's in it. It's not all alike not even scratch feed.

 

[Miss Lydia]

I bought 1 bag of Purina scratch never again, I buy Homestead 7 way looks alot like speckled hens picture it comes out of Tenn.

 

[kla37]

Quote:
That looks great! I'm going to get some of that. My chickens love their flock block too.

 

[Hollywood Chickens]

Quote:
How much does it cost?

 

[DelcoChix]

I've had no issues with the Purina scratch I've bought over the last couple of years, but after reading alot here on BYC I kindof went a step further--I also buy a 50lb bag of B.O.S.S. and mix it 50/50 with the scratch. My girls all have full feeders with their main feed, I just mix this up in a big storage tub and take a scoop out 2-3 times a week and scatter it in their runs (three separate runs) so they have something to do. I also am on my second Flockblock, keep it in the main run on a tree stump...the girls love it, it lasts a couple of weeks at least, and again, gives them something to do when they can't get out and about with all the snow...have seen recipes for making your own block, just no time right now--will be a resolution for 2011.