About What is chicken mash feed, or feed pellets, this post will go through the history, process, and types of mash. It will also answer common questions about what it is, who it’s for, how to feed and how much to feed.
You’ll find that most chickens can’t live their whole lives on pasture alone. Even with a yard, chickens will need a little help during their short lives. For leftover scraps and scratches, you can give your chickens “chicken mash”, which is just as it sounds.
Chicken chilies are great for chickens to eat, as well as for flour feed. That said, not all chickens will take to mash or flour feed well. It’s very important that you know what your breed of chicken is before you offer them any feed-like products like this.
What Is Chicken Mash Feed?
Chicken mash is actually pretty simple. It’s basically just the chicken food that you left out at dinner last night mixed with water or broth.
You can buy it pre-mixed in buckets at the grocery store, but this is so simple to make that it’s not really worth your time when you can spend an extra minute or two with a little bucket and some breading mix to make your own from scratch.
For more on making your own chicken feed, see the following posts: 3 Easy Steps To Making Homemade Chicken Food for Chickens, Feeding Chickens, and Other Companion Animals, and What Happens To Your Chicken Feed?
Best 5 Types of Chicken Mash Feeds
Chicken mash feed can be bought in the store, in pre-mixed pail mixes, or in jars of homemade prepared mixes. You will find that some are better than others. Here are the best 5 types of chicken mash feeds for you and your chickens:
1. Feed to make:
Feed is made for chickens, usually by processing grain products that have been cooked for a long time, such as corn or dried beans. These are the best and will be similar in consistency to regular farm-raised chicken mash.
This is what my chickens eat, and I think it’s the best option for them. Poultry farmers and others who run small operations will tell you this as well.
2. Homemade Chicken Mash Feed:
It’s possible to make homemade chicken mash feed, but it’s not something that should be taken lightly. Some people have found success, but if you’re going to make your own, I suggest these 3 steps: First, save up your hard-earned money and buy the best quality chicken food available. Second, feed the number of chickens you have with this type of food at meal times so that they get an idea of what it is like. Third, try it and see if it’s right for you. This is called trial and error.
3. Dry Mixes
These mixes are usually just that: dry. You add water or broth to make them into something your chickens will eat, but they aren’t really chicken mash.
These mixes tend to be expensive when you look at the price per pound, and they may not break down in your chicken’s bodies very well. It’s better to go with option 1 or 2 if possible.
4. Dry Mixes for Finches
There is no reason why finches shouldn’t eat dry chicken mash feed mixes out of a bowl. It’s healthy and tasteful, and they’ll gobble it up. If you can find a feed designed specifically for finches, that would be best.
5. Powdered Mixes
The same goes for powdered mixes. Some of them will have to be mixed in water first before feeding to your chickens, but these are likely to be the cheapest option of them all.
You get what you pay for, and if your chickens are picky eaters, they may not take to powdered chicken feed. It’s best to go with option 1 or 2, which will do much more for your chickens overall.
How Much To Feed Your Chickens?
There really is no correct answer when it comes to how much chicken mash should be fed. It’s going to depend on many factors, but generally less is better than too much.
Your chickens will become picky and will stop eating if they’re given too much, so set a limit in your life for how much you can spend on this stuff. For more on how much to feed your chickens, see the following posts: How Much Should the Quarts of Brooder Feed for Chickens Be? and Calculating Chicken Feeding Amounts.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chicken Mash
Here are some of my most frequently asked questions about chicken mash:
How long should I cook chicken mash?
You’ll find that you can feed it raw or cooked. Cooked is better if your chickens aren’t used to eating this food, so they may not eat it. Though nothing is wrong with giving them a hot meal, I like to feed them their meal out of the pan so that it doesn’t get cold in their dishes.
How do I prepare chicken mash?
You can use your own breading mix to make your chicken mash, but you’ll find that pre-packaged mixes are easier to use if you’re a one-person operation. These pre-made mixes will usually have all the ingredients and substitutions you need, so find one that works for your budget and schedule.
Conclusion
Chicken mash feed is a common way for many owners to use leftover scraps and scratches. No matter what type of chicken you have, you’ll find this an open and accessible alternative to nuggets or other processed poultry food.
Some breeds are better at taking to mash than others, so it’s good to know what you’re getting into before you start offering this in your chickens’ diet.
If your chickens are already foraging for food in the yard, you can use some of the tips in this post to help them along and make sure they’re eating their fair share of chicken feed. Thank you for reading this article about the What Is Chicken Mash Feed,
