laying mash vs laying pellets

[LoneOak]

Basically laying mash or crumbles and laying pellets are the same feed just processed into different forms. Mash or crumbles is designed to be dispensed in large operations with screw type conveyors where pellets are designed for the small operation that feed in hanging feeders and the like. The mill where my feed comes from has mixing machines that make all their feed into pellets but they crush them into crumbles for their large scale customers who use automated feeding systems. Very few mills actually make mash to be served wet like was mentioned earlier, the folks that like to feed wet feed generally ferment laying crumbles themselves into mash feed.

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe where you live...I can buy mash at just about any real feed store in this state. We have a lot of local co-ops and feed mills not owned by the larger companies that grind their own feeds fresh from locally grown grains. I wouldn't feed anything but the fresh ground mash to my birds as the steamed, more processed feeds always look a drab beige or grey and don't have a fresh feed smell. It has no appeal to them and I can see why...old, stale, overly processed. Ick.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Can stil buy fresh ground mash here as well. It smells like cereal or bread. Are pellets "easier" for most folks? I'm sure. But when I can buy fresh ground Hubbard mash, with local non-GMO corn, at 60 cents on the dollar over pellets? Oh yes.

 

[sandesnow]

Had been debating on switching our flock to pellets from laying mash, as the mess the girls make is tremendous at times. Others, not so bad. Today, after having chickens for a year now, we went ahead and switched them. The protein is a bit higher and the pellets seem like a nice alternative. Before I bought them I talked with the gent, it is a co-op type, but more family owned, he warned that my hens may balk at not wanting to eat them because they have been raised on mash. Well I hummed and hawed and though, yeah I will give it a go. Came home and had half a cup I thought I would just try out on them as if it was a 'treat'. The little piggies went after the little pellets like it was some kind of exciting worm!

At any rate, my comment is just to say, try it like that, offer a cup or so out of your hand like you are feeding it as a treat.. and switching seems to go over with out even a hic-cough! They are eating it like normal out of their hanging feeder as if it wasn't anything new at all. Easiest switch of food I have ever seen in an animal.

 

[LindaB220]

Had been debating on switching our flock to pellets from laying mash, as the mess the girls make is tremendous at times. Others, not so bad. Today, after having chickens for a year now, we went ahead and switched them. The protein is a bit higher and the pellets seem like a nice alternative. Before I bought them I talked with the gent, it is a co-op type, but more family owned, he warned that my hens may balk at not wanting to eat them because they have been raised on mash. Well I hummed and hawed and though, yeah I will give it a go. Came home and had half a cup I thought I would just try out on them as if it was a 'treat'. The little piggies went after the little pellets like it was some kind of exciting worm!

At any rate, my comment is just to say, try it like that, offer a cup or so out of your hand like you are feeding it as a treat.. and switching seems to go over with out even a hic-cough! They are eating it like normal out of their hanging feeder as if it wasn't anything new at all. Easiest switch of food I have ever seen in an animal.

Good job!!!!

 

[MeepBeep]

Because they can pick through the mash for individual grains and pick out what they like first and eat the left overs later...just like kids!

Yep, in most ground mashes you can see the individual and different colored grains/seeds and so can the chickens, they will toss all the 'regular and boring'' stuff they don't want to the side and seek out the grain/seeds they want aka the candy... Crumbles or pellets on the other hand are pretty uniform in color and appearance so they are less tempted to seek out the candy...

I made the mistake ONCE of mixing some scratch grains in with crumble, thought it would be a nice treat... Needless to say within about 30 minutes they had emptied 5 gallons of crumbles onto the floor and picked out every grain of the scratch seeds that I had mixed in...

 

[moman]

i work at a feed mill so what u want to no about whats in it and iam tryting to figure out if i should go to a ley pellete

 

[Jess89]

I’ve been told that mash is good for chickens in the winter. But I have no idea where I can find it or what it even looks like. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[Jess89]

I’ve been told that mash is good for chickens in the winter. But I have no idea where I can find it or what it even looks like. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

… We went to the Amish community and purchased laying mash to see if the chickens liked it and like you said, they have thrown it all over the chicken house and made a terrible mess! They never did that with the pellets and now I wonder what the mash has in it that makes them want to do that....

Chickens have a pecking response or instinct. They use their beaks or bills to explore their world. One part of that exploration is seeing what's hiding on the bottom of a feeder filled with mash. It's just chicken cussedness.