Ness3103 Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 i've just bought a bag of layers mash and am now panicking thinking i needed the layers pellets the chooks don't arrive til next week but i wanted to get things ready so i'm not running round trying to get everything with my twins in tow will it matter? are the pellets better? oh isn't happy cos i now have 2 huge packs of hemcore and a large bag of chicken food in the front room i was going to put it in the shed and hope he wouldn't notice but all the wood for my wir was delivered and put in front of the shed so i can't open the door Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow_Warren Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I've only ever fed pellets as that's what they were on where I got them from. I'm sure they won't complain about having mash - I just find pellets more convenient and easlier to use... As for having these things in the living room Hannah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 ex-batts are often fed crumb or mash so I'm sure it'll be fine. I started my ex-batts on mash and slowly added pellets to their feeder to 'ween' them off the mash. (I had a 'flinger' of food ) They then happliy ate pellets and left the mash. You could always buy a small bag of pellets as a mixer? (Right up until amonth ago - now mash is the best thing ever for all my chooks and they won't touch the pellets! - Same for my mums chooks too! Fickle things) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LorMac Posted May 20, 2009 Share Posted May 20, 2009 I fed my girls on mash and they loved it. I read on one website that you can liken pellets to eating sugar in cubes and mash to licking your finger and sticking it in a sugar bowl!! It's much more satisfying for them to eat mash as it keeps them occupied and stimulated. It also means they can throw it all on the floor and scratch about in it - a favourite habbit of my brood!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ness3103 Posted May 20, 2009 Author Share Posted May 20, 2009 thank you i was so worried i'd got the wrong thing i'm getting myself in a right old pickle and dread to think what i'm going to be like when they finally get here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Watch Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 thank you i was so worried i'd got the wrong thing i'm getting myself in a right old pickle and dread to think what i'm going to be like when they finally get here Don't worry the mash will be OK. I fed my girls pellets for the first year. Then all of a sudden they all went on hunger strike and would not eat them (I hadn't changed brands they were just being contrary). So I bought a bag of mash (which is really only powdered pelletss) and the loved it. But I have to say it does make more mess than pellets and I went back to pellets by mixing them with the mash as soon as I could as I found pellets easier. So use up the mash, it is the same nutritionally, and when you get down to a third left in the sack, maybe get some pellets and mix them in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 I fed my girls pellets for the first year. Then all of a sudden they all went on hunger strike and would not eat them (I hadn't changed brands they were just being contrary). So I bought a bag of mash (which is really only powdered pelletss) and the loved it. How funny, we had precisely the same experience. My girls too went on hunger strike and wouldn't eat the pellets. We bought a new bag thinking the old bag may have got damp or something (although we couldn't see how) but they wouldn't eat the new stuff either. We got mash and they never looked back. It is a bit more messy but our girls tipped it out onto the floor then ate it all anyway, so I didn't mind too much and we stuck with it to the end. They're funny creatures!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chick wiggle Posted May 21, 2009 Share Posted May 21, 2009 Just wondering (in case my girls ever go on hunger strike) with the mash, do you have to add hot water and give it to them in a dish? Best to be prepared eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammy Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I'm new to this whole chicken experience like Ness getting mine end of June. My intention is to start them off on whatever feed they are used to with their breeder, but I'm going to buy in both pellets and mash to give them some variation. Sandie Foster - you don't have to mix mash with water - just give them as is but I hear many chooks do like it with the warm water to make it into a porridge, particularly on a cold day, so I'm sure I'll be trying that at some point! It's best to put mash in a more solid bowl as it's more messy for them to eat and they can knock the bowl over in their eagnerness - I'm going to use a spaniel dog bowl although I'm sure my Cavalier King Charles Spaniels will be less than impressed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stoice Posted May 22, 2009 Share Posted May 22, 2009 I now have one grub with pellets in and one grub with dry mash in. I used to mix the two together but my little cherubs would hoik out all the pellets to get to the mash - very wasteful! So now they can pick and choose what type they want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teee Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hi, im i hear organic food is better for my girls, and they like the mash better ,tho have 2 grubs so they can have a choice, they do eat both. But very when i put a search in for organic mash i cant find it any where on the net or in any of my local shops....... is mash not organic , the only other food other than organic pellets i have found is organic `Crumbs` which looks like it is for chicks and is not as fine... i am feeding my girls on a mash from my local pet shop, they love it, so guess its not a problem, but would like to no if there is such a thing as organic mash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ness3103 Posted June 7, 2009 Author Share Posted June 7, 2009 i found this website http://www.organicfeed.co.uk/Products/Organic-Poultry-Feeds/Layers-Pellets-and-Meal.aspx i'm sure meal is the same as mash my supplier can order in the organic for me which is what i'm going to do in future. my girls love the mash although they didn't seem too keen when i made the porridge for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*mummy_hen* Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 either will be fine so don't woorry although my girls just won't touch pelletts. Having said that florence will happily eat the ducks growers pelletts!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teee Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Thanks ness .... i have seen meal but was not sure if it was the same will take a peek at your web site i found this website http://www.organicfeed.co.uk/Products/Organic-Poultry-Feeds/Layers-Pellets-and-Meal.aspx i'm sure meal is the same as mash my supplier can order in the organic for me which is what i'm going to do in future. my girls love the mash although they didn't seem too keen when i made the porridge for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welsh sarah Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 hi i put pellets in the grub and make them up a bowl of porridge with the mash and warm water every morning, they love it. i use the wiggly wigglers mash with bokashi sarah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scramble Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I fed my girls pellets for the first year. Then all of a sudden they all went on hunger strike and would not eat them (I hadn't changed brands they were just being contrary). So I bought a bag of mash (which is really only powdered pelletss) and the loved it. How funny, we had precisely the same experience. My girls too went on hunger strike and wouldn't eat the pellets. We bought a new bag thinking the old bag may have got damp or something (although we couldn't see how) but they wouldn't eat the new stuff either. We got mash and they never looked back. It is a bit more messy but our girls tipped it out onto the floor then ate it all anyway, so I didn't mind too much and we stuck with it to the end. They're funny creatures!! exactly the same with us too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Budgies Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Yes, meal is mash! We used Organic Allen and Paige meal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...