When I first got hens, I didn’t understand how critical they would become to the entire system of my productive home. I just had that fresh-egg fantasy. You know the one: pastel-hued eggs in a Pinterest-worthy little wire basket. They would be laid by happy, fluffy hens and I would have omelets that were as ethical as they were delicious.
I’ve learned it’s more than just eggs. Way more. The chickens have become indispensable to my productive home and garden. They eat bugs and weeds and till soil. They generate the primary source of fertility for my vegetable garden. Their poop, composted with bedding and garden and kitchen scraps, saves me a ton of money on compost and fertilizer.
But three years ago, I was just thinking about enjoying the best, most ethical eggs possible. I started buying my chicken feed from a small, local, organic producer called Scratch and Peck Feeds and have been a very happy customer ever since.
As I’ve grown to observe the full role of the chickens in my garden, I think going with Scratch and Peck was one of the best decisions I could have made. My hens eat a diet free from GMOs or chemical herbicides or pesticides. The eggs we eat and the manure we compost for our vegetable garden reflects that. The input of high quality feed helps the whole cycle become healthier and stronger.
Meet Scratch and Peck
I reached out to the folks at Scratch and Peck Feeds and asked if they might want to come on board as a direct sponsor of NW Edible. I am beyond thrilled that they said yes, and I can share why I have been a customer of theirs for so long.
Scratch and Peck is a small family business, and shares the values that I and many of you do – organic production, support for local farmers and the importance of less processed foods (even for chickens!).
Here’s what you should know about Scratch and Peck Feed when you’re thinking about what to feed your flock:
- Every bag of feed is certified organic and independently verified as GMO-free by the Non GMO Project. Scratch and Peck was the first feed company in the United States to achieve GMO-free verification.
- All of Scratch and Peck’s feeds are soy and canola free. Some blends are also corn free.
- The grains and mashes used in the feed are not cooked, pelletized or reformed. Scratch and Peck’s feed is made with raw whole and cracked grains and peas. It looks like something you’d find in the bulk grain section of the health food store. Pelletized chicken feed, on the other hand, is a processed product where the grains and other feed ingredients are steamed, pulverized and run through an extrusion die. This is akin to how something like Corn Flakes are made.
- The bags used to package the feed are heavy paper and fully compostable, instead of the polypropylene used by most large feed companies. Let’s face it, unless you are opening an Etsy shop, no one really needs that many repurposed feed sack totes. I often use mine under bark as a natural weed block, or to cover up fallow beds in fall, like this (photo taken last November, long before Scratch and Peck became a sponsor):
- The grain used in Scratch and Peck’s feeds is grown locally by small farmers in the Pacific Northwest and milled in Bellingham, WA. I love that I support farmers in my backyard, not anonymous growers of giant soy and corn fields somewhere, when I purchase Scratch and Peck.
- Scratch and Peck’s chick starter is unmedicated. Scratch and Peck makes their feed for folks like me – involved small flock owners who are providing a healthy, clean, non-industrial environment for their chickens. They believe (and I agree) that in these conditions it is not necessary to preventatively feed animals anti-microbials.
- Scratch and Peck also makes feeds for turkeys, pigs and goats.
The Giveaway!
Time to make a tough decision.
Scratch and Peck is generously offering one lucky NW Edible reader their choice of either a Chick Starter Kit – which includes Chick Feed, Chick Grit and Diatomaceous Earth – or a 25-pound bag of Naturally Free Chicken Layer Feed.
To enter to win, leave a comment on this post telling me which prize you’ll pick if you win, and something you love about chickens that isn’t eggs. That’s it, one comment and you are entered to win.
Then, please check out the brand new redesign of the Scratch and Peck Website and make sure to like Scratch and Peck on Facebook or Twitter. (Say hi and tell ’em I sent you – they are very nice!).
Just in case you don’t win, between now and February 24th, Scratch and Peck is offering 10% off all products purchased on their website with the coupon code nogmos! (with the exclamation point).
Also, look, I’m gonna be frank about this: paying for shipping on something heavy like chicken feed can be prohibitively expensive. I get it. I strongly encourage folks to see if their local feed store is carrying Scratch and Peck. If they are, support your local feed store and buy there! If they aren’t, let them know you’d like to see the Scratch and Peck organic and GMO-free option available locally.
One entry per person. Contest open to addresses in the U.S. only. International readers, sorry but you are not eligible to win because of shipping costs. Contest open until Tuesday, February 11, 2014 at 8 PM. One winner will chosen at random. Winner will be emailed and have 24 hours to respond to claim their prize.
Good luck, and a huge thank you to Scratch and Peck for helping to keep the lights on around here at NW Edible!
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I would pick the chick starter because it is time for me to add some new girls to my small flock. The eggs are wonderful of course but I think there is so much more to having chickens. Living in an urban area, my grandchildren are actually able to experience a small part of what farm life is like. And of course chickens are so entertaining. I could sit and watch their antics for hours.
I love the pure cluckiness of chickens — you know, the low happy sound they make when you bring them scraps. It’s a very contented sound 🙂 I’d pick the chick starter since I’m adding to my flock this year
I would pick the 25 lb of Naturally Free Chicken Layer Feed. Our young baby chicks from last year are just now starting to lay.
I would choose the chick starter kit since I recently moved to a farm and plan on getting my first batch of baby chicks this spring. I love all the beautiful patterns of colors in their feathers.
I would choose the chick starter kit because I will be a proud chicken owner this spring. A life-long dream is coming true! I love that chickens all have their own personality and the special bonds that some of them make with their people.
I cannot tell you about chickens – yet – I have ducks. But I have a whole selection of chickens on my “want” list. I love their funny antics, and colored eggs. My husband insists colored eggs don’t taste different, so we don’t need blue, green, brown eggs. But I love pretty eggs :). I would love the layer feed to feed my girls while I am selecting the mothers of my soon to be pretty eggs.
I would pick the chick starter kit because I’m new to chickens. I will pick up my hens in June and I’ve never owned them before, but I already love the hours of entertainment I’m getting from researching and reading about other people’s chickens! Like you, I decided to get chickens because of the fresh and humane eggs but I very quickly found out the value of chickens in so many different areas. I can’t wait to get my new friends!
A bag of layer for me please. I love the way my hens chase one another around the yard when one unearths a prize worm.
I would love the chicken starter kit. I’m doing it this year!
25lb bag of chicken feed… Just one thing huh… I can’t- I have too many! I love yelling ‘rogue chicken’ and hearing my children return with an ‘I’m on it Mama!’ And then see them chasing the chickens happily round and round the coop until it is caught. What a victory! I love carrying around Mrs. Frizzle, our white silkie. She’s my buddy by day. I love how excited everyone is each and every time they retrieve a new egg- even though it happens every day. It’s the little things… The memories we are creating-
Chick starter, please. I like how impressed little kids are, when they get to pet the chickens.
Thanks for writing this post. I hadn’t really thought about the process of pelleting feed except when I had several bags from the big guys who slipped in the QA department and mixed beet pulp pellets in the chicken feed. Scratch & Peck reflect my values and I’d love to win the layer feed. My favorite non-egg thing about chickens is their maternal instinct. Now and then a hen will make her nest and hatch a brood without me knowing she’s done it and that hen will always be so proud in showing off the chicks and fierce in protecting them. Those hens are keepers for more than just eggs!
Chicken Starter Kit!! My coop is on order and will be delivered in April!!!!! I’m excited…and scared! lol
We are adding a new breed to our flock and I am sure they would like to have chick starter, please! When friends stop by to visit, they always want to see our chickens, and why not, because they are so cool to watch. Raising multi-purpose chickens, they eat our scraps, they give us eggs and so much more. Love our chickens!
Thanks for the second paragraph in this post (the importance of chickens in the productivity of your home)–as I read it I felt as if they were my own words! I recently applied for backyard chickens for my suburban homestead and was met with opposition from my neighbors (smell, noise, will lower property values, etc.). I have scheduled a meeting with neighbors to explain why they have no need to worry and further, why chickens would be a great fit in our neighborhood. I would love to be able to quote you in my presentation.
Nothing beats the sound of happy chickens chirping away as you approach them. You get to know their emotional state and they share their happiness of life with you – it’s GREAT!
btw: starting a new brood soon so the chick supply kit would help us enormously – thank you.
The layer feed looks fantastic – I haven’t been able to find anything locally that isn’t crumbles or pellets. My ladies are great at eating small rodents and snakes. It is strangely amusing to watch them run around the yard with their prey, then swallow it whole.
I would choose the 25lb bag of Layer Feed.
What I love about chickens is the way their saddle-bag thighs jiggle from side to side when they run! HA! Cracks me up every time!
I would pick the chick starter.
I love that chickens take care of the bugs in the yard so you don’t have to!
The chick starter kit would be awesome! That would surely be the kick I need to get out and build a little coop.
Our life with chickens started 2 years ago when my kids got 2 chicks as a birthday present.
We had never been around many animals before, except a fish and a bird.
Now we have 6 chickens and 3 ducks and a big garden which is in fact our whole lot 0.07 acre.
So what I like mostly about chickens is that they are a door to so many other opportunities and they introduced us to homesteading.
If we are the lucky one to get chosen we would prefer the 25 lb of Naturally Chicken Layer Feed please.
Congratulations to you for a great blog and for having great people as sponsor on board.
All the best
Eljona
I am starting a brood soon so the starter kit would be great!
I love how they follow you around the yard like happy little clucking puppies. The bug control is great too! 😉
I’m not yet a chicken owner (and haven’t managed to convince my husband of the many benefits thereof) so I can’t enter the contest — but your latest post might well help in that convincing process!
Just one question – how do you deal with chickens that no longer lay? I know the obvious answer (and I don’t like it).
Our “girls” are great for eggs and fertilizer, keeping our yard completely weed free, and using up appropriate kitchen scraps, but to be totally honest, what I love most about o our chickens is their ability to cheer up anyone who needs cheering up. Shallow sounding perhaps, but I have never seen a person NOT cheered by a chicken.
I would take the 25 lb bag of feed. One of the joys I receive from chickens is that I clip one of their wings to prevent them from flying out of their fenced in areas, but one of the most beautiful bantams, golden color with black wing tips, gets to be bypassed when it comes time to cut a few inches of their feathers. When I open the back door to go feed, he will fly from the pens, 150 feet, and land on my shoulder, walk down my arm and eat out of my hand. Oh the joy.
We;re a decade into our chickens and find that, along with all the other benefits, our grandchildren love them. I also like that they come to keep me company any time I’m working around the perimeter of the garden. I won’t choose a prize because you’d never get it across the border and besides, we’re also, in our retirement, trying to live by the principle that we have enough and any bonus should go to someone who needs a boost. Lovely post, as usual. Oh, and I’m about ready to decant and begin using our jar of citrus/vinegar cleaner. Thank you for that as well.
So I really would want to pick to the starter kit because a) I really, really want my own chicks! And b) I have been wanting to try DE. However, my neighborhood will not allow me to have my own birds so I would opt for the 25lbs of feed to pass along to my ‘egg supplier.’ I wonder how many the eggs to equate to? 🙂
I was thrilled to see this giveaway!!! Looked at Scratch and Peck this fall when we were switching from chick feed to layer feed. Only one place to get in Spokane…and it is downtown. I rarely go down that far. But I really want to switch…all 11 girlies are the best! Who knew chickens could be so fun! I would choose the 25 lb bag…and am super curious about the diam. earth….which I haven’t used yet b/c makes me nervous…but I know I will need to this spring when the down & dirty cleaning of the coop all the way to floor boards begins…Love your site!!!
I would like the chick starter and diatomaceous earth, and grit.
What’s not to love about a chicken–especially if you raise them from a hatchling! You get to watch them grow and develop a personality (much like your children), and they are so entertaining! I would say free, but lets admit, they eat as well as we do and that’s not cheap. Love the feathered, fluffy butts.
I like the nitrogen cycle they close the loop on. Besides their feed, they get the chard and kale extras, grubs from the compost (after a rinse in a bucket), leftovers from the day’s meals, day-old bread from the stores, let them work over the compost pile after using a garden fork to turn it and then to know the eggs will be the best in nutrients, and that the litter goes into a tumbling composter for instant garden nutrients. My request would be for Chicken Layer Feed.
I would love to try the layer feed for my girls. My favorite part of having chickens is the give and take between our lives. They provide a great source of education and entertainment for my toddler and I love being able to repurpose our food scraps into something useful for them and ultimately for my garden.
I have ducks rather than chickens since I am right on the water on the Oregon coast…..great weather for ducks, for chickens…not so much! I am very interested in the layer feeds and the corn products for winter. I am also delighted to see that there will be a dealer opening within 10 miles of my place in April of this year! I will be buying this product to supplement what I already grow for my duckies!
We’ve had our original flock of twelve birds for almost three years now and although have lost a couple to predators, we have added several more by letting a couple of broodies hatch out more. They have been on Scratch and Peck from day one – even if I have to drive to another county when my feed store runs out!
They say chickens are the gateway drug to farming, and in our case it is true. We bought property and are building a farm from scratch (pardon the pun). I can’t wait to get our flock out the new place, but in the meantime I haul 55 lb bags of their manure and bedding out to the farm every week so they are building fertility for our future market garden long distance.
They are hard workers and the frosting on the cake (that they helped bake by providing the eggs ; D) is that they always brighten my day with their funny little selves.
If I were to win the contest, the bag of feed would be great!
We’d love the 25 lb bag of feed. We were just given a flock and coop by friends who are preparing to put their house on the market. We’re so lucky, getting them just as they’re starting to lay again after the winter.
MY sons LOVE it. I love the responsibility they’re taking on, at 3 and at 7. The first thing they do in the morning is run to look in the back window, to check on their girls.
I would pick the Layer Feed. We have 6 layers that we absolutely love. One thing that I love about our chickens besides the amazing eggs is their personalities. They each have their own personality that makes us laugh daily. They were such a great addition to our family. Because of you we built the GardenCoop, so thank you!!! Totally going to look to see if they have Scratch and Peck in the Chicago area. Thanks for your great blog
I am moving to non-gmO feeds for my laying hens. I like the idea that after like ten days of not eating commercial feed, it’s constituents are non-detectible in the eggs. I read this in a study somewhere. Definitetely going to feed Scratch and Peck from now on.
I don’t have chickens myself (yet) but my friend who I co-garden with on her land does. She has 2 rhode island reds and 3 silkies. They are laying eggs so I would choose the Naturally Free Chicken Layer Feed for them.
I was excited to have a fresh egg supply, but what surprised me is how much I love watching and listening to the chickens. My favorite thing is the way they talk to me when I first arrive because they know I will bring them a big pile of their favorite weeds. I had no idea how talkative a chicken could be and how entertaining their chatter is. A close second is how the silkies look like they are wearing fancy pantaloons.
Oops, forgot to pick. I would like the layer feed. Misspelled definetly also.
I’d love to win the 25lbs bag, it looks like something I could feed my family. We enjoy chickens keeping us company in the yard when we garden, eating up all the bugs and turning the compost pile, not to mention eating up all the kitchen scraps. I’m from Bellingham but have never tried their product, look forward to seeing where is locally being sold.
I would love the layer feed. As far as what I like about chickens besides eggs? Where do I start. I had a few chickens as a girl so I am a big fan. I can’t imagine life without them. I love the fact that each one has a different personality, fluffy butts, a definite language, and colors. They all help when I am digging in the garden but there is always one that is right under foot and very “helpful”. (I have 28 and climbing) I love that my white Silkie will hatch any egg she can get her butt on and it is funny to watch her try to get her baby ducks to perch. She will become mama to a brood of Lavender Orpingtons this spring. I love that my black silkie will run to me and ask to be picked up when being chased by another bird. She thinks she is a princess. I have several different kinds of chickens. Originally started out with all Heritage breeds but fell in love with the Orpingtons. I am hoping to expand the flock into some different colors other than buff and Lavender. I could write a book and have written a blog that has quite a following but stopped last spring after 4 years. Not enough time. I could go on however I wont. Thanks for the opportunity to enter your contest.
We originally got hens for the eggs, but quickly learned about the many other benefits they provide! Our favorite is feeding them all of the tomato hornworms, cutworms, japanese beetles, and other pests we pull out of our garden. I would love the 25 lb bag of layer feed!
I love scratch and peck feed but have had problems with them wasting it. When feeding 25 chickens I cannot afford to waste feed. Then i heard about soaking and fermenting the feed which is better for the chickens and helps make less waste. If I win a bag I will be trying this out.
I’d definitely go for the layer feed. I agree, now that I’ve had chickens for a few years it is hard to imagine gardening without them for exactly the reasons you mention. Plus, at times they simply make me and my daughter smile. So they’re good therapy, and a good 4-H project for her.
A 25 pound bag of feed would be terrific. I love it when our white partridge silkie, Penny, clucks next to me in my vegetable garden. I love it when my daughter throws her bike and backpack down in the meadow, heads for the chicken run, and tells them how her day unfolded. I love the occasional discovery of a new nest — filled with brown and blue treasures.
I am always looking into how I can improve the quality of food for my hens. High quality feed is hard to find where I live, so I would definitely love to win a 25 lb bag! It’s not just eggs and compost that I get from my girls, it’s also a big of therapy. They are so entertaining to watch. Life just feels good and simple when I’m sitting in the back yard watching their fluffy behinds scratching under the grape vines!
I love the little cooing, trilling, pleasure sounds that they make when they are enjoying whatever I’ve tossed their way. And how inquisitive they are. How wonderfully silky and sleek their feathers are. And their little waddle-walk always makes me smile! They are such little characters! I would like to try the Scratch and Peck layer feed on my girls.
Awesome! I am in perfect agreement with your reasons why backyard chickens are awesome – especially the compost.
But in order to be a little different, my favorite thing about our 7 layers are when my two year old toddles out to the coop and opens the little door, or when I come home from work after visiting the coop and he just shouts over and over again….. Egg! Egg! Eeeeeegggggggg!!!!
Melts my heart.
I would love a bag of layer feed. I never thought when we decided to get chickens a couple of years ago, how absolutely entertained I would be by them. The first time one of our pullets was out in the yard, caught a worm, wasn’t sure what to do with it, and the other 4 started chasing her….hilarious!
Even though I don’t have any chickens right now, I did “like” Scratch and Peck on Facebook. I also did a search to see if there is a local retailer in the Vancouver area. There is just one. Which is nice. When I am in the position to have some chickens again, I will be buying Scratch and Peck products. Thanks.
I’d pick the layers feed. I love that my chickens compost for me.