What do you prefer to feed chicks mash or crumble??

[OLDRanch]

Hi,
I am going to be getting a batch of baby chicks this fall and was wondering if I should use crumble or mash feed My existing flock is on fermented mash (I will get starter for the chicks). I prefer mash, but my worry with the chicks and mash is that since the chicks are so small that they will only eat the parts they like and leave the rest because they won't need much to fill them, is this a worry? Or should I just buy a tiny bag or two of crumbles for just the first few days and then switch them to mash once they are a little bit bigger? I am very grateful for any suggestions or wisdom from personal experience.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I guess I don't understand the difference between mash and crumbles. Maybe there are others that also don't. Would you mind explaining, or if pictures of the products are available, would you mind posting them?

 

[saysfaa]

What is the mash? Do you mean a commercial mix like local feed mills make which is essentially like crumble except it didn't get pelletized and then broken? Then it can be better than crumble due to local crops ground closer to when you pick it up. Or it may not be better if your crumble source is on top of things and orders often enough with good rotation of their stock and your feed mill is lax about keeping the feeds fresh and rotating their stock of feed.

Mine liked such ground feed much better whether I soaked or fermented either of them or not. As tiny chicks and after too.

 

[FrostRanger]

As long as you wet or ferment the mash either is fine for chicks

 

[OLDRanch]

It's Scratch and Peck mash

 

[OLDRanch]

I guess I don't understand the difference between mash and crumbles. Maybe there are others that also don't. Would you mind explaining, or if pictures of the products are available, would you mind posting them?

These are pictures of pellet and crumble.

This is my mash.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

View attachment 4212882These are pictures of pellet and crumble.View attachment 4212884View attachment 4212886 This is my mash.

Thank you. I certainly understand the difference between pellets and crumble. Mash appears even finer than crumble, almost looks like coffee grounds. But ... does it consist of individual grains, allowing the chicks to pick out what they like and leave the rest? Sorry, am on my phone and it's hard to tell. If it's homogenous so every bite is the same I don't see that it would be that different nutritionally from crumble. The danger is if they can pick and choose, then they may not get a balanced diet, as they will only pick what they like.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I feed both Scratch & Peck starter mash fermented plus a "hatch-to-hen" crumble dry. They start with crumble the first week or so, as it's easier for me to leave them with dry crumble around the clock. Once they start getting let out to spend time with the adults the fermented mash is available for the whole flock so the chicks naturally copy the adults in eating it.