Mash, Pellets or Crumbles? Poll!

[PheasantsFirst]

What do you prefer pellets, mash or crumbles? I haven't seen a thread like this yet so this should be interesting.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Teachick, the standard way the big commercial companies make chickenfeed is to mix all the different ingredients they want in it and grind that up to a powder. That’s called mash.

If they want pellets, the wet it to make a paste and extrude it through dyes, flash dry it, and break it off into short pieces. That’s pellets.

If they want crumbles, they crush the pellets some, but not enough to take it back to mash.

Why do they do this? Glad you asked. Different styles of automatic feeders work better with different types of feed.

There is another issue or two. If that powdery mash stays dry, it can sort itself into the different ingredients based on specific density so the chickens might not get a balance diet. The pellets and crumbles keep it mixed up.

Also, if you cut the top beak off a chicken kept in crowded conditions so it can’t eat other chickens (called debeaking), they can’t handle pellets or crumbles really well. But they can handle damp mash really well.

 

[Mr MKK FARMS]

My chicken don't like pallets unless I starve them first. So I switched them to organic feed which I don't think is crumbles but just a bunch of grains mixed together. My problem is that they leave the small particles/powdery stuff behind so I am worried about them not getting a balanced diet.

Yeah, pallets don't taste very good.

 

[PheasantsFirst]

I have really just started the Chicken thing. I bought some crumbles and they lasted a while. I bought some pellets and they went through them very fast. I have tries scratch grains and they eat it all but the corn. The corn lays around for ages. I would have to say at this time I like the crumbles best.
Now a question? What is the best brand or type of crumble to get for chickens that are for laying?
Thanks!!!

I've also noticed that the chickens go through pellets faster, It may have to do with them being denser.(the volume of 50lbs of crumbles is more than 50lbs of pellets) For brands of food, generally they are fairly similar, but I think a local brand is usually fresher.

I'm being a little dumb here. I know mash that is what I have feeding them, T hey waste a lot of feed. I keep trying different buckets to cut down on the waste. So what is the difference between the pellets and crumbles.

hopefully this picture will explain, the crumbles are kinda like broken up pellets.

 

[Triple Willow]

Is there a thread that talks about the fermenting process? Or can you explain a little about what you do to ferment it?  I have seen a little bit in passing about it and would really like to know more about it  I  have used crumbles for my little ones and pellets for older ones...still learning all about them. What is mash? 

Here is a great thread about fermented feed. It is long and full of information (over 10,000 posts) and there are always experienced people there to answer questions.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644300/fermenting-feed-for-meat-birds

Fermenting is so easy and the benefits are wonderful. ALL you need is a NON-METAL CONTAINER, the FEED and WATER... and WAIT for it to ferment. I have used a glass jar for chicks but now I use a 5 gallon plastic bucket for feeding adult birds. You just put your feed in the container, add water (cool or luke warm-NOT hot), stir it up really good to be sure all of the feed gets wet then just wait and it will ferment. The time it will take to ferment varies quite a bit with different locations. You don't have to but I use buttermilk (1-2 cups in a 5 gallon bucket) to give mine a quick start. There is also some debate over whether to leave water standing over the feed. I don't make it that wet. Mine turns out like a thick oatmeal. When I first mix it I leave a little water on top but it is quickly absorbed by the feed. When about 1/4 of it is still left in the container you just add more feed and water and stir really well and within 8-12 hours you will have more fermented feed. You also have to learn how much feed/water your container will hold because it will overflow when it soaks up the water. If you can leave it completely uncovered that is good but never seal the container or it can explode. A lot of people cover it with a towel or a loose fitting lid. Give it a try, you (and your chickens) will be glad you did.

Here is a pic of mine. In this pic I made too much and it overflowed - but you can see fairly well what it looks like.

 

[nsp135282]

I think the majority of comments I have read on right on target. Pellets are to be preferred for adult standard breeds. I have found that there is 40% less waste when using pellets. Chicks of course need mash and small birds need crumbles. If you want to feed one feed for a variety of birds then go with whichever best fits your need but realize that you are increasing waste for larger birds when using small food sizes. I'd rather use the best food for each requirement and keep a variety of foods.

 

[BantamLover21]

I'm not completely sure what I prefer. The pellets are nice because they are less dusty and the chickens spill fewer of them. But the crumbles are easier for younger birds and my bantams to eat. Plus, for some reason my chickens seem to love crumbles more--when given some, they act as though they've been starved, when in reality, they shouldn't be because they have pellets in front of them all the time.

 

[sahd]

pellets/ Throwing crumble around is almost like a game to my Silkies.

 

[LBejaran]

I use a mix of crumbles, pellets and whole grains for a little diversity. I use standard layer crumbles, rabbit pellets (my pet rabbit died and we had a huge bag left) and whole oats. Mixed all together, we feed a big bowl daily to the entire flock. The small bantams grab up all the crumbles they can, the larger hens eat larger crumbles and grains and pellets, and the roosters get whatever pieces they can snatch up as well. While the bantams enjoy the crumbles, I've found that the larger birds will take the extra time scratching up the ground in search for every last morsel. We feed them on the ground rather than in a feeder, so they all are very experienced foragers. It certainly keeps the mess to a minimum.

 

[Cknldy]

Crumbles, wet. Chicks get dry crumbles until 3 or 4 weeks, then transitioned to wet crumbles. Not much gets wasted if any at all and I'm guessing due to the moisture absorption their poo is 'healthy poo' if ya know what I mean;-) Juveniles and adults all enjoy wet crumbles. I feed once a day, what they'll eat in a day so nothing major is left for pests at night. More dry feed had to be put out than wet feed so win, win.