My vet's simple question made me rethink my whole feed routine

Took my hen in for a crop issue and the vet asked why I was giving scratch grains daily, said it's basically candy for them. She broke down the protein numbers from my layer pellets versus the scratch mix, and honestly that 10 minute chat changed how I portion everything out. Has anyone else had a pro call out a habit you thought was totally normal?

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james_ramirez4d ago

Pfft, I gotta push back on this one. My birds have been getting a scoop of scratch every evening for years and they're fat, happy, and laying fine. That vet is talking like the pellets are some health food and the scratch is junk, but my flock literally picks through the pellets first and saves the scratch for last, they know what they're doing better than some chart. These birds aren't running marathons, they're backyard pets, a little treat at the end of the day keeps them tame and makes them come running when I call. Plus that protein number game is overblown, my older hens actually need less protein anyway or they get kidney issues, so a little carb load balances them out. I'm not saying go crazy and feed them nothing but corn, but acting like a daily handful is the end of the world is the kind of overthinking that makes new owners paranoid.