Does anyone feed there chickens Mash?

[GhostRider65]

Our local co-op has a mash they mix themselves that they swear is much better for the chickens than the commercial feed mine are currently getting.
My problem with trying it is this......... its dust? I can not get my chickens to eat the bottom dusty crumbles of feeder crumbles how am I gonna get them to eat dust...... it's ground so fine its dust. To me anyway. they call it mash, does anyone use it and how do you feed it, and how much do they waste? Its suppose to be 19% protein. TY Kim

 

[KandiandJerry]

I feed mine laying mash and they do good but do have some waste it comes from a local feed store that also mix their own but it keeps them laying good

 

[oldorchardfarms]

I feed my chickens the dusty mash also, What i do is mix 4 cups mash, 3 cups scatch and 2 cups cracked corn then in the am i scater whole corn down from them to peck at, i though the same way and did not think my chickens would like it ethier but they do and i know the mix is funny but it took me a little while to get it just right and my girls have been laying better since and i had them on purina laying mash plus they love there food now!!

 

[GhostRider65]

So they do eat it and not waste so much?????????
I hate having to see them waste alot of that crappy crumble, they pick at it and mostly eat the corn/Boss I throw in it, and leave or scatter the rest all over. they seem to not like it much at all. So thats how I heard about the mash the feed guy said we should try. The 16 ladies are still laying tho its been a few degrees below here at night and maybe 20's during the day, but out of 16 pullets 6 and 8 months old I'm getting maybe 6 to 10 eggs a day, and that isn't every day, like today I got 6 yesterday I had 4, then a couple days back before it got so friggen cold I was getting a dozen........ I also make them breakfast few times a week scrambled eggs if I have em, or oat meal with fruit and veggi's. Kim

 

[DMRippy]

The DUST

I would love to switch. I am going to try to mix some Tucker feed with my local feed that is mash. I think they may both be very good quality feed. I also supplement with spent barley to up the protein to about 20-22%.

Of course they may just eat the pellets

we will see.

I do think there is a lot of waste. I see feed all over the ground. They do pick at it and leave lots of dust behind. You can wet the mash and feed it that way too.

 

[jaj121159]

The best thing about feeding mash is the price. A 50lb bag from my local feed mill cost $10.36 last week. A 50lb. bag of commercial layer crumbles or pellets is about $14.40. The local mill's price changes every week based on the price of corn they are paying on the day before the feed is ground.

 

[KandiandJerry]

thats what I started doing wetting it a little and it made a difference....... but they still pick the corn out first but when its gone they see they have no choice they been better

 

[littleflocker]

I make mash with the powdery leftover feed in the feeder and the pellets my girls wouldn't eat. I mix some pellets and powder with some rice or oatmeal and add some milk and molasses and a little salt and water as needed. Microwave and mix. serve warm. Very nice on frozen cold mornings

 

[Country Parson]

I had to stop using mash. The way my feeder was designed I had way too much waste. Anything that fell on the floor was trampled and wasted. Crumbles that were dropped, by contrast, are usually gobbled up.

When I do the meat birds (Spring and Summer), I feed them mash.

 

[TDM]

The drawback to ground mash is the waste, which is why commercial chicken farms pelletize their feed with the aid of binders. However, you can add water and make mash into an oatmeal like consistency, and feed it to your chickens in bowels.