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Mash refers to a nutritionally complete poultry in a ground form. This is the earliest complete poultry ration. •
Pellets consist of a mash that has been
pelletized; that is, compressed and molded into pellets in a pellet mill. Unlike mash, where the ingredients can separate in shipment and the poultry can pick and choose among the ingredients (many times picking out just the corn and leaving the rest), the ingredients in a single pellet stay together, and the poultry eat the pellets whole. Pellets are often too large for newly hatched poultry. •
Crumbles are pellets that have been sent through rollers to break them into granules. This is often used for chick feed. •
Scratch grain (or
scratch feed) consists of one or more varieties of whole, cracked, or rolled grains. Unlike other feeds, which are fed in troughs, hoppers, or tube feeders, scratch grains are often scattered on the ground. Hence, a large particle size is desired. Because they consist only of grains, scratch grains are not a complete ration, and are used to supplement the balanced ration. ==See also==