Australia - Six states..and that funny little island.

[MaryJanet]

Hi MaryJanet, mine get stuck into the Country Heritage Soy Free Layer Pellets. For a trial I just filled some of the feeders with Country Heritage Gluten Free Soy Free mash and they are getting stuck into that as well.

Thanks! I'll look it up.

 

[SkyAJK]

Hi Aussies! My hens are not eating enough of their pellets lately, not sure why but I have a range of thoughts. Anyway, have you found a highly palatable pellet? If so, what is it? If not, do you feed grains?

Might be smash up your pellets feed or add some water in it. You try it out see if they like it.

 

[MaryJanet]

Might be smash up your pellets feed or add some water in it. You try it out see if they like it.

Yeh, they like it mashed, but I can't do that all day long, so I'm seeking a more palatable dry feed.

 

[SkyAJK]

Yeh, they like it mashed, but I can't do that all day long, so I'm seeking a more palatable dry feed.

I feed my chicken Kewpie Layer Mash, they like it. There is a lot of wastage with mash from my experience, so to minimize it I soaked it in water overnight so everything expanded and thus reduce the wastage. Some produce stores have different brand feed in 10kg bag you might give those a try.

 

[Down Under]

I feed my chicken Kewpie Layer Mash, they like it. There is a lot of wastage with mash from my experience, so to minimise it I soaked it in water overnight so everything expanded and thus reduce the wastage. Some produce stores have different brand feed in 10kg bag you might give those a try.

The type of feeder helps with wastage, in general pop I have the dine a chook feeders with virtually no wastage (they won't work with molasses coated feeds though). In the brooder mash is the BIGGEST NO NO as half of almost every bag is wasted from them flicking it out of the baby feeders, so crushed crumble for the first week and then regular crumble after that cuts down on the wasted feed.

 

[MaryJanet]

The type of feeder helps with wastage, in general pop I have the dine a chook feeders with virtually no wastage (they won't work with molasses coated feeds though). In the brooder mash is the BIGGEST NO NO as half of almost every bag is wasted from them flicking it out of the baby feeders, so crushed crumble for the first week and then regular crumble after that cuts down on the wasted feed.

The Dine a chook feeders are really good. As far as I'm aware, the only problem is small wild birds like sparrows, so the feeders can't be used anywhere the small birds can get to them.

I've never heard of feeding mash to chicks. I have only ever seen crumble fed to chicks. I assume larger formats are not edible for a little chick - a bit like asking a baby human to eat solids.

 

[Down Under]

The Dine a chook feeders are really good. As far as I'm aware, the only problem is small wild birds like sparrows, so the feeders can't be used anywhere the small birds can get to them.

I've never heard of feeding mash to chicks. I have only ever seen crumble fed to chicks. I assume larger formats are not edible for a little chick - a bit like asking a baby human to eat solids.

The Indian Myna birds are the only things with enough gusto to have a try at my feeders and they have a hard time getting in there. It is still early days but so far I haven't seen a Myna go near the feeders with the mash in them, it probably isn't worth the hassle for such little reward.

Yep you are right, baby chicks only have small beaks so they need smaller feed unless it is something that they can break up easily like scrambled eggs. The mash is just ground up feed, some brands of mash it looks like they bag half a batch after they grind it all up and then turn the other half into pellets it is that fine . I am not sure if other brands do a starter or grower mash but I am fond of the Country Heritage Starter Grower crumble (I'm not too fond of the mash version though ) because I don't have to swap out feeds and if I am doing multiple hatches they can all have the same feed until they are old enough for layer feed.