Mash

[bovrilheid]

Hi Everyone,

Still new to keeping chickens and just got ours on Easter Sunday, and got our first eggs yesterday (never has an egg tasted so good)

Anyway, I am wondering what people do with their Mash. I am currently offering it in a feeder, mixed with a small amount of mixed grains and some oyster shell grit and this is for bantams. What are your views on this.

Do others mix other things in? I have read about making it a wet Mash mix and I'm not sure what this might contain. A friend of mine suggested mixing milk into it, but I wasn't sure about that, as I wasn't sure about milk going off etc.

I would appreciate your thoughts.

 

[Orpingtonlover]

Hi there im not sure about the wet mash but try mixing some cracked corn with it what this will do is Harden the shells of there eggs there are certain times of year that there shells will get very thin and almost always break the cracked corn can help with this good luck.

 

[keljonma]

Cracked corn should be fed as a treat...it can cause your girls to become fat and cause problems, including too fat to lay eggs. Also, if you mix the scratch in with the feed, you may find that they dig out the scratch and bill out (waste) the feed onto the ground.

Grit and oyster shell shouldn't be mixed with their feed. It should be provided in a separate container. They will only eat what they need. Oyster shell provides calcium. Grit is needed to grind anything they eat that isn't commercial feed (pasture, bugs, veggies, fruits).

Are you feeding layer mash or crumbles or pellets? Mash is the most powdery and can be combined with buttermilk, yogurt or milk. When feeding mash, we only mix enough for the day. You don't want to make it too wet, just damp enough to form crumbles. If feeding crumbles or pellets, you don't have to mix anything with the feed. Make sure you wash your pans daily so unhealthy bacteria doesn't contaminate the next day's feed.

Make sure they always have access to clean fresh water.

Aren't those fresh eggs great?!

 

[bovrilheid]

Thanks both for your replies I appreciate your advice.

We feed mash and mix in a few scraps in it, I added milk this morning as per your suggestion keljonma and it seemed to go down well.

We do feed mixed grains as well but only a very small amount at a time.

I will take your advice about the oystershell and grit being fed seperately though.

one other thing....why oh why didn't anybody warn me that when I got a few chickens I would want more!!!!!!

 

[SkeeredChicken]

Quote:
It's not that I want more, per se. I just want to see if a Silver Duckwing Bantam would breed with Buff Orpintons out of curiousity as to what the possible offspring might look like. Only problem is that I need to find the Bantam

Besides, who doesn't love baby chics, anyway?!?!

 

[keljonma]

Quote:
Addictive, aren't they?! It's like that line in the movie IN & OUT. Debbie Reynolds plays Kevin Kline's mom. They're talking about his wedding. She says to him... "It's like heroin. I need...." Well, for me it's... I need chicks!

keljonma