pellets vs. mash

[courtshep]

I sent my husband to get feed yesterday. So he fills up the feeder last night and I didn't see it till this morning. He got these pellet things! I have never gotten them. I thought he put the sheep feed in there by mistake, but apparently not. Are these pellets okay?

 

[seedcorn]

I like them better. Whenever your chickens eat one, they get a balanced diet. With mash, they can sort or ingredients in the feed can seperate.

 

[gritsar]

What stage feed are we talking about? Layer pellets instead of mash? If so, then yeah pellets are fine and you may find you like them a whole lot better. I love pellets, so much less waste.
When I switched from grower crumbles to layer pellets my chickens took them them right away; as if there was not a bit of difference. Your chickens may take a day or two to get used to them.

 

[courtshep]

Thanks for the info. My birds are 5 months old and started laying 2 weeks ago. mostly my bantams are laying. I have gotten about 4 green eggs, also. Anyway, good to hear that the pellets are maybe even better!!

 

[Colored Egg Farmer]

My list are crumble, pellets and then mash. My chickens seem to like the smaller size of the crumbles but it will not separate out like mash. I put the pellets in 2nd because they don't like them as much and my feed mill somehow made them the wrong size. The mash is last because it separates out and If you use a feeder that refills itself it doesn't flow as good as the crumble or pellets.

 

[MissPrissy]

Mash is made to be mixed with water. A lot of people put it in the feeders and free feed it but that is not what it was intended for. Old farmers I know of strongly believed that chickens did best with at least one warm wet meal per day - hence mash, to be mixed with warm water (or raw milk or whey) to make a wet warm feed 'mash'.

Crumbles can be very wasteful. Pellets help keep them from billing out the feed into dust on the ground.

 

[thedreamers]

We use crumbles with ours. They dont eat as well when i give them pellets. We use a feed dish with the crumbles so they dont make a big mess cause if they get wet on the ground the turn to mush. If it gets wet in the dish they still eat it.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

Quote:
Modern 'mash' or ground feeds are not intended for mixing with water. That may have occured in the past, but no longer.

A ground feed (mash) is made. It can then be sent to the farm or pelleted. The pellets can then be shipped tothe farm or crumblized.

Pelleting/crumblizing is used to improved digestibility through starch gelatinization. Pelleting also limits ingredient segregation.


Jim

 

[gritsar]

I think it depends on your definition of mash. We've been experimenting with the different types of "scratch" available. I didn't like the first kind we tried - scratch grains - because there was a type of seed in it that my chickens didn't eat, so it was wasted.
Next we asked for cracked corn, when we should have said we wanted chops. This cracked corn is more powder than anything. I tried once to feed it to my chickens as is. When they couldn't figure out what to do with it, I mixed it with warm water and they love it! Now that's how I feed it; mixed with the water, yogurt, or like this morning a combination of other soft foods.

 

[MissPrissy]

I have to disagree, Lazy J. It may not be the same for you. Here I can get crumbles, pellets and mash - for mixing as wet feed. Same way it was in Ga. where I am from.