Poultry Mash

Poultry, such as domesticated chickens, ducks and turkeys, are natural scavengers and will forage around for food. But most people who raise birds provide them with feed to balance their diet and provide more sustenance --- especially if ample pastures are not available. Homemade poultry mash is a popular food choice for free range poultry, in addition to commercial store-bought feeds. Traditional mash recipes are customizable, allowing supplements for nutritional and medical requirements.

  1. Mash versus Commercial Feed

    • Before the 1930s, the most common food to give poultry was mash. Today, though there are many commercial feeds on the market, many coop owners prefer mash because it can be a healthier alternative to the processed chemicals and starches often found in store-bought food, according to Jennifer Megyesi and Geoff Hansen's book "The Joy of Keeping Chickens: The Ultimate Guide to Raising Poultry." Also, mash can be a cheaper alternative, especially if the coop is on a farm where there is an abundance of vegetable scraps.

    Making Mash

    • Mash is usually a composite of vegetable peels, discarded or composted vegetables, scraps of breads and leftover meat. These scraps are diced into more uniformed sizes and added to a 5-gallon stock pot with about a 1 gallon each of water and milk. Let the mixture simmer for five to 10 minutes before allowing it to completely cool. Common vegetables used in mash include beans, beets, corn, broccoli, potatoes and turnips, as they do not tend to flavor the eggs. These scraps are often bolstered by stale bread or rice.

    Nutritious Additives

    • Calcium is an important mineral for chickens, especially for egg laying birds, as it is crucial to producing harder egg shells. One effective way of adding calcium is to incorporate ground oyster shells or calcium grit into the mash -- both of which can be found at feed shops. Another method of adding calcium is to save the egg shells and feed them back to the chicken. Make sure to clean and completely dry the shells before reintroducing them into the mash to reduce the risk of bacterial growth.

    Medication

    • Another common addition to mash is medication, which is often given to birds younger than 16 weeks to help prevent coccidiosis. Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease that can affect the intestinal tract of the bird. In younger birds it can significantly compromise their immune system, often resulting in death. The preventative treatment for the disease is a drug called sulfadimethoxine which can be purchased without a prescription through online pet medication suppliers or through a veterinarian.