Mash, Crumbles, or Pellets

[Chris09]

Quote:
I use mash and cant say that I have all that much wast if any at all.
I tried the pelleted feed and used crumble but I always go back to mash, to me the mash type feed way better priced, and the bird do a lot better on it.
One of the biggest perks with using mash is that I can adjust the feed to my birds needs and the bird don't bill out or pick out certain ingredients. It is all ground and looks the same.

Now as for wetting mash, all you have to do is wet the mash just till it is moist. A little more or less is no big deal.


Chris

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A feeder that prevents billing out helps a lot but so does a catch container below the feeder.
They sweep the feed to the ground looking for a choice morsel.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
The key factor that most people disregard is the type of feeder you use. If the birds are fed in a feeder that allows them to throw & swing their heads they will waste feed of any kind. They do this and it's a natural foraging mechinism to them, use feeders that limit this and you will see little if any waste. And again folks will make a statement that their birds don't like such and such feed, feed them what you want and they either eat it or starve, they always pick eat LOL, so the ( "they don't like it" ) phrase has no credibility.

 

[navychick]

Quote:
That's what I thought but they just wont eat them. When I mix things in they eat around the pellets.

 

[al6517]

Quote:
That's what I thought but they just wont eat them. When I mix things in they eat around the pellets.

Somehow I think your probably watching and then after only hours or a day going back to their old feed. What I mean is put the feed in there walk away and leave it there forever LOL if nessesary, believe me they will eat it. if not your not giving them the chance to get hungry and don't mix anything in there except that feed.

 

[raisingirl78]

Thanks for advice on mixing mash with water - I can try that.

I hope no body gets too upset here, but I can't say I feed them daily. I go out and fill their feeding container (it's like a big white bucket with a red catch at the bottom - I got it from the lady I got the chickens from) and then I leave it till empty or till they spread it all around, maybe 2-4 days depending on whatever else they forage, or whatever I throw out there from the house (they seem to enjoy old bananas, apples, lettuce, other veggies, grapes, etc). Only thing I do not feed them is meat. Since it's so cold right now their eggs are fine out there for 2-3 days so that's about as often as I visit the coop to feed and water them. They seem to be doing fine on this schedule. Maybe it is my feeder though - should I hang it versus leaving it sit on the ground? Or will they still make a mess when they peck through it? Well, I will try 1 bag of pellets and see what they think of them and if they spread it around just as much or if they don't want to eat them after 3 days, I will go back to crumbles or mash depending on what is most cost effective.

Thank you all so much!

 

[ginger girl]

I accidentally bought pellets, I have been using crumbles, and found it was a waste. Went back to crumbles, hardly any waste.

 

[ChickcrazyCharlie]

Quote:
X2

 

[ChickcrazyCharlie]

Quote:
How can they waste pellets and not crumbles? Leave it there long enough and they will clean it up and eat it.

 

[ScottyHOMEy]

I don't discount the reports of those who have, but I haven't had any problem with waste feeding crumbles.

I set out feeding them intentionally. Their coop is plenty roomy, but my schedule is such that their outdoor time is limited to several days per week. My thinking is that the extra pecking needed to take nourishment from crumbles (as oposed to pellets) takes up some of the pecking instinct, and keeps the, to some degree, from pecking each other.

I keep a magazine type feeder, hanging from a rafter for them. I don't notice any waste under it when I clean the coop, and actually find that they'll scratch and peck anything up that may spill over when I feed them, before getting on to the fresh feed in the feeder..