Fall is in the air and the colors of the season are so inviting! If you would like to give your flock a colorful, cinnamon-scented treat, or create a lovely gift for a chicken keeper, this blend is sure to please! Here’s our easy autumn harvest mix chicken scratch recipe:
Autumn Harvest Chicken Scratch
Our whole grain and seed mix is bursting with nutrition and real food goodness that helps nourish your hens as they enter the molting season. The autumn hued tidbits will be relished by your hens, who also benefit from the delicious cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices included. (These are optional but they make the blend smell delicious and the hens benefit from the immune-supporting phytonutrients found in these plant-based spices.)
Sourcing Ingredients
While the majority of the whole grains used come from the feed store, my red lentils and pearled barley came from a local grocery store. Both are sold nation-wide in 1 pound (2 cup) packages, which is perfect for making a large batch! Corn is the only GMO ingredient. By opting for non-GMO corn, the entire scratch blend becomes a non-GMO treat since the other grains and legumes have never been genetically modified. (Wheat is hybridized, not genetically modified.)
Autumn Harvest Chicken Scratch Recipe:
This recipe is given in parts so you can make as little or as much as you need. Simply use the same measuring scoop for each “part”.
1 part whole wheat berries
1 part whole oats
1/2 part whole or cracked corn (non-GMO cracked corn is an option!)
1/2 part red lentils
1/4 part pearled barley (optional ingredient)
1/8 part golden raisins (optional)
Optional Spices:
dash of ground cinnamon (use 1/2 tsp per 1 quart/4 cups scratch blend)
dash of pumpkin pie spice mix (use 1/2 tsp per 1 quart/4 cups scratch blend)
Directions: Combine all of the ingredients in a quart jar or feed bucket and mix well. Store in an airtight, rodent-proof container. Dried fruit (raisins) in this mix means that it is best used up within 4 weeks.
Longer-Lasting Blend Directions:
If you’d like a scratch mix that keeps for up to 4 months, skip the golden raisins. The dried whole grains can be stored for longer than moist fruit. The longer-term blend is perfect if you want to market this festive mix!
Fun for Visitors!
Visiting family, friends, and children will love feeding this colorful mix of whole grains to your flock! Vibrant, falling leaf-like shades makes this autumn harvest scratch easy to see when scattered on the ground. Instead of chasing your hens, children will be delighted at how the girls flock to them when they have delicious treats to offer!
Perfect for Selling
Homemade chicken scratch is a lovely, low-priced add-on item that can be offered at farmer’s markets, poultry shows, or petting zoos as a clever up-sell. (We suggest NOT adding any spices if young children who may rub their eyes will be handling the feed.) Stand-up kraft pouches are a fast, easy way to package your scratch for sale at events. Hand crafted nest box herbs pair well with colorful scratch.
Chicken Keeper Gift Idea:
Vibrant fall hues make this a visually appealing feed that is beautiful enough for gifting! Fill a clear cellophane bag, tie with twine or raffia ribbon, and surprise your favorite chicken lover with something neat.
What if Hens Won’t Eat One Ingredient?
All of the foods in this blend are natural whole grains, seeds, and legumes. Any spilled, fallen, or missed bits will naturally sprout when exposed to outdoor moisture or rain. If a hen turns her beak up at a certain dry ingredient, she won’t once the seed bursts into a sweet, tender green! You’ll find your hens constantly hunting for these teensy, nutrition-packed sprouts. Even the red lentils will sprout! Anything missed will not remain uneaten for long.
A Note About Feeding hens Barley:
Barley can make chicken droppings slightly sticky. A little bit in a scratch blend as a treat will not cause any issues. But if you add barley to a hen’s daily feed for longer than a week, you may notice smudged eggs in the nest box. This feed is just as beautiful without pearled barley so feel free to skip it or use old fashioned rolled oats in its place if you’d like to feed this scratch long term!
Autumn Harvest Scratch + Pelleted Feed
If you’d like to create an absolutely gorgeous feed mix, this scratch blend can be paired with chicken feed pellets or crumbles. If you mix 1 cup of the autumn harvest chicken scratch to 9 cups of pellets/crumbles, you’ll craft a feed that is naturally balanced with the scratch treats only making up 10% of the blend. You can find more info in our article on mixing balanced feed + scratch recipes. This is a great way to start learning how to mix your own homemade chicken feed.
Make Fall Molting More Fun!
Our autumn harvest chicken scratch is a perfect molting season boost that is visually festive and sure to catch your chicken’s interest. Keeping hens well fed though their molt is a good way to ensure she resumes laying on time. Since holiday baking is soon going to require a lot of eggs, this recipe is a fun way to begin celebrating the fall season!
You Might Also Enjoy Reading:
Non-GMO Chicken Scratch “Trail Mix” Recipe
What to Feed Hens to Get More Eggs
Make Your Own Chicken Nest Box Herbs
Candy Corn Chicken Scratch Recipe
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