What is Mash Feed?
Mash feed is one of the most common and yet simplest types of feed for poultry, especially young chicks. This feed is made by grinding and mixing cereal grains such as corn, wheat, and soy with essential nutritional supplements like proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Due to the very fine and soft particle size, mash feed is easily digestible and absorbable by young chicks that do not yet have a complete digestive system. For this reason, this type of feed is very suitable as a starter food for chicks in the early days of their lives and helps them grow and develop quickly.
One of the main advantages of mash feed is its easy mixing with other additives. Poultry farmers can easily add medications, antibiotics, and other nutritional supplements to the mash feed to ensure the health and optimal growth of their flock. Also, some poultry farmers add water to the mash feed to make it soft and porridge-like to increase the attractiveness of the feed for the chicks and improve its consumption. However, it should be noted that the consumption of mash feed is generally not recommended for adult poultry, because the fine particle size may not be suitable for their digestive system and may reduce production efficiency. In general, mash feed is known as an economical and nutritious option for feeding young chicks in the early stages of their lives and plays an important role in the successful breeding of poultry.
Challenges of Mash Feed: From Health Problems to Uneven Flock Growth
Despite its numerous advantages, mash feed also presents challenges for poultry farmers. The floury texture of this feed makes it more difficult to clean and maintain hygiene in the poultry house. Mash feed is easily scattered on the floor, making it harder for poultry workers to clean the premises. This can lead to the accumulation of moisture and contamination in the litter, which provides a suitable environment for the growth and reproduction of pests and rodents such as mice. In addition, the moisture present in the mash feed can, over time, cause the feeders to become clogged and disrupt the feeding flow of the flock.
Another disadvantage of mash feed is the possibility of unevenness in its particle size. If the mash feed is not properly ground and mixed and its particles are not fine and uniform enough, the chicks may not be able to benefit uniformly from the nutrients present in the feed. In this case, some chicks who prefer larger particles may receive fewer nutrients, while others who eat smaller particles may be overfed. This can lead to uneven growth in the flock and increase the likelihood of disease among weaker chicks. Therefore, the preparation and distribution of high-quality mash feed with a uniform particle size is of great importance in poultry farming.
What is Animal Feed Pellet?
Animal feed pellet is a collection of food materials needed by livestock and poultry, which are compressed through a special process. Due to this compression, the required materials are evenly transferred to the herd, which leads to uniform growth of the herd. In an article, we have explained in detail what pellets are and how they are made.
Article: To learn about the A to Z of pellet feed production, click on the link.
What is Crumble Feed?
Crumble feed is a type of poultry feed that is made by crushing prepared pellets. In other words, crumbles are initially formulated and produced just like pellets. In the production process, the raw materials (including grains, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fats and oils, Feed-grade sodium bicarbonate, poultry probiotic and other additives) are mixed together and then subjected to pressure and heat to form small, compressed pellets.
The main difference between pellets and crumbles is in the next step. To produce crumbles, the prepared pellets are crushed by a machine called a crumbler. This machine turns the pellets into smaller, softer particles. In this way, crumbles are exactly the same as pellets in terms of nutrients, but their difference is in the size and shape of the particles.
The particle size of crumbles can vary depending on the type of feed and the age of the poultry. Generally, the particle size of crumbles ranges from less than 1.5 mm (fine crumble) to about 4 mm (coarse crumble). Finer crumbles are usually used for smaller chicks and coarser crumbles for larger poultry.
Mash vs. Pellets – Which Feed is Better for Livestock and Poultry?
As mentioned, these two feeds differ in their form when presented to livestock and poultry. Under the same conditions and using the same materials, the delivery of all necessary nutrients to the animal’s body can vary in these two forms. According to various studies and references, we see that buyers prefer pelleted feed, followed by crumble. In recent years, the preference for buying pelleted feed has increased even more significantly. This is quite logical considering the points mentioned. Because this feed both reduces the cost of livestock and poultry feed, and you will have a more uniform and healthier flock with better feed conversion and efficiency.
Difference between Mash, Pellet, and Crumble Feed
As we mentioned earlier, crumble and pellets are essentially the same thing, presented in different forms. In both cases, chicken feed is usually a mixture of grains, vitamins, and minerals. In fact, both types provide the same level of nutrients for your chicks. However, the key differences between crumble and pellet feed can be stated as follows:
- Manufacturing method: In the production of mash feed, the ingredients are first ground and then mixed. Pellets, which are obtained from the same ground and mixed materials, are another type of feed that is compressed and formed into small grains through a process. But the process of producing crumble has one more step than pellets, and therefore its production cost is also higher. In this way, the pellets are crushed again and turned into finer particles.
- Texture and the possibility of component separation: Compared to powdered feeds, crumble is less prone to scattering and waste. This helps to improve feeding efficiency and reduce breeding costs. But there is still the possibility of its components separating. Due to its fine and loose texture, crumble has a softer consistency than pellets. For this reason, it has more dust than pellets. But pellets, with a more coherent and compressed form, retain their shape well, and are also easier to store and handle.
Which is better: Pelleted or Crumble Feed?
There is no definitive answer to which feed, pelleted or crumble, is better for poultry. This is because both types of feed have their own advantages and disadvantages, and the choice between them depends on various factors such as the age of the flock, breed, breeding purpose, and the breeder’s preferences.
Pelleted feed,due to its greater density and larger particle size, has less waste and is therefore more economical. Also, pellets prevent poultry from separating the different components of the feed, resulting in a more balanced diet. However, pellets may not be suitable for smaller chicks that have small beaks and cannot easily eat large particles.
Crumble feed is made by crushing pellets into smaller pieces and is therefore very suitable for smaller chicks, especially newly hatched chicks. Because of its soft texture and small particle size, crumble is easily eaten and digested by chicks and helps them grow. Also, due to the small size of the particles, their contact surface with digestive enzymes is greater, and as a result, the nutrients in the crumble are better absorbed. This is especially important at a young age when the chick’s digestive system is not yet fully developed. However, crumble has more waste than pellets and may be more expensive.
Therefore, the choice between pellets and crumble should be made according to the specific conditions of the flock and breeding goals. For example, if the goal is to raise broiler chickens, crumble can be used in the first weeks of the chicks’ lives and then gradually changed to pellets.
In contrast, for raising laying hens, pellets can be used from the beginning.
Finally, the most important point about poultry nutrition is the quality of the feed. The feed must contain all the nutrients needed by the poultry and be made from high-quality raw materials. Therefore, regardless of whether you use pellets or crumble, be sure to get the feed from reputable manufacturers. For example, Jahan Kaveh Company, by producing Superstar starter feed and broiler starter in crumble form, well meets the needs of broiler chicks in the early stages of breeding.
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