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[forgive7]

I know this has been brought up before, but i missed it. ?, which is better to feed as far as waste & conversion to egg, Mash or pellets? Any thoughts?

 

[sourland]

A lot depends on your feeder type - I think moreso than feed choice.

 

[forgive7]

I feed mash in waiter tubs, to catch what scratch might be wasted flyng out. But with them soiling it they seem to turn their nose at it; then i have to sift it, and still there is feed all over the floor.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Conversion to egg would be the same. From my experience there is far less waste feeding mash because it is not as easily spooned onto the ground, and what little is occasionally spooned is larger chunks that others quickly eat.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Don't know about conversion to eggs, but I've gotten my feed waste as minimized as I can. I'd estimate around 1% feed waste compared to 5-10% before.

I feed whole grain fermented mash in the morning - fermenting it (or even wetting it to a lesser degree) forces the birds to eat everything from favorite grains to all the protein and vitamin powder in the mix.

I provide dry pellets during the day, inside the coop. No special feeder, just one of those plastic cylinder gravity feeders that are common at feed stores. Since they're pellets the birds don't have a reason to dig around for favorite pieces, and since they're larger pieces (compared to crumble) there's just less waste from them pecking around. Any pellets that fall out onto the floor, the birds will clean up by the next morning. Leftover pellet "dust" and broken pieces at the bottom of the feeder get served wet just as I would the fermented feed, so not even the dust goes to waste.

 

[forgive7]

Don't know about conversion to eggs, but I've gotten my feed waste as minimized as I can. I'd estimate around 1% feed waste compared to 5-10% before.

I feed whole grain fermented mash in the morning - fermenting it (or even wetting it to a lesser degree) forces the birds to eat everything from favorite grains to all the protein and vitamin powder in the mix.

I provide dry pellets during the day, inside the coop. No special feeder, just one of those plastic cylinder gravity feeders that are common at feed stores. Since they're pellets the birds don't have a reason to dig around for favorite pieces, and since they're larger pieces (compared to crumble) there's just less waste from them pecking around. Any pellets that fall out onto the floor, the birds will clean up by the next morning. Leftover pellet "dust" and broken pieces at the bottom of the feeder get served wet just as I would the fermented feed, so not even the dust goes to waste.

Thank you, i used to soak chops for my pigs, but, i never thought about soaking the crumbles/mash; that would cut down on scratch out. I had was wonder about pellets; if they did get scratch out, it's large enough to be picked up latter. Thanks Spicy for the ideas!

 

[forgive7]

Thank you, i used to soak chops for my pigs, but, i never thought about soaking the crumbles/mash; that would cut down on scratch out. I had was wonder about pellets; if they did get scratch out, it's large enough to be picked up latter. Thanks Spicy for the ideas!

It works great! But feed it in small bowls so they don't scratch out. At least i know they are getting their nutrition now. I will use dog bowls in the future so they won't tip over.
Thanks for your advise.

 

[aart]

Mash or pellets? Any thoughts?

The shape of the feed, and the feeders used, can make a difference in feed waste.
The nutritional content of the mash/pellets/crumble, needs to be taken into account also.