What is the leftover dust in layer feed?

[kuntrydazy]

Oh the last one came in while I was writing - thanks for the photos, that's definitely not what I'm seeing. Yours is clearly grains especially once water is mixed in. Mine looks like silt dust, light gray brown and extremely fine. When water is added, it makes a sludgy paste, not crumbles like yours makes. I think it must be a bad feed brand.

 

[matt44644]

Oh the last one came in while I was writing - thanks for the photos, that's definitely not what I'm seeing. Yours is clearly grains especially once water is mixed in. Mine looks like silt dust, light gray brown and extremely fine. When water is added, it makes a sludgy paste, not crumbles like yours makes. I think it must be a bad feed brand.

Hey sorry i don't want to be misleading there.That is whole grains that i hand grind,Some come out medium some come out very fine.Take your fines and pour them on top of your feed,then use just enough water so that the fines stick to the other food.I was trying to show how the fines stick to the bigger pieces.

 

[pdirt]

Oh the last one came in while I was writing - thanks for the photos, that's definitely not what I'm seeing. Yours is clearly grains especially once water is mixed in. Mine looks like silt dust, light gray brown and extremely fine. When water is added, it makes a sludgy paste, not crumbles like yours makes. I think it must be a bad feed brand.

The best feed I ever used was Scratch n Peck. It had the silt like you mention. It was a whole/cracked grain feed. They don't over process the feed like some feed mfrs do, so the nutrients stay fresher longer. Pellets have been made with high pressure and heat, which destroys many of the natural vitamins. They then make up for it by adding in synthetic vitamins. Also, many feeds use a fair amount of oil (usually GMO soybean) to try to keep the silt sticking to the feed. This oil has likely either been stabilized with toxic preservatives or it will go rancid quickly, especially in summer heat.

What I did with the fines was mix with diluted yogurt or kefir and only as much as they'd eat in a few hours.

What brand of feed have you been using?

 

[azygous]

You might want to inspect the"dust" under a hand lens. It could be grain mites. They're harmless, but it could also mean your bag of feed is older than you think.

 

[AnnieE]

That dust is the reason i started making my own feed. I was buying an organic layer mix and I know there's a bit of "settling during transportation" but i was getting a lot of dust too. Seemed like just a waste of money. I haven't reached the bottom of my individual bags that go into making my own feed yet, so i'm not sure of total dust in those, but so far my feed just looks so much cleaner!! And mixing my own turned out to be cheaper too.

 

[enola]

That dust is the reason i started making my own feed.  I was buying an organic layer mix and I know there's a bit of "settling during transportation" but i was getting a lot of dust too.  Seemed like just a waste of money.  I haven't reached the bottom of my individual bags that go into making my own feed yet, so i'm not sure of total dust in those, but so far my feed just looks so much cleaner!!  And mixing my own turned out to be cheaper too.

What is your recipe for mixing your own feed?

 

[yyz0yyz0]

I use a 5gal pail feeder and the way I tell if it's getting low is they have eaten the dust off the feeder tray, so I know it's time to add feed.

As long as there are still pellets falling when they hit the trigger, the dust just builds up in the feeder tray. But as soon as the bucket reaches a level where the pellets don't fall out anymore then they eat up all the dust on the tray.

So I just let it build up and when they are hungry they will eat it.

 

[CrazyTalk]

If u have alot of powder in the feed bag change brands you're waisting money.

Agree - you're buying crappy food. Most of the organic food is a bit substandard - it lacks the animal proteins.


Crumble is just ground up layer pellets. The dust is just more finely ground.

 

[turkeys gone wild]

Thanks those are all helpful suggestions. I think I will look for new feed, the dust portion makes up a good quarter of the feed, so it isn't practical to constantly mix it with something else to get them to eat it. Even if it is good stuff, it seems like their must be better feed out there that doesn't have such a large portion that they don't eat well. They may eat it as dust eventually but it builds up too fast. However in the meantime, my chickens love yogurt so I will save it and mix it with some yogurt. Thanks again!

I just read your post, I am having that trouble now. Just curious what food you changed over to?

 

[Brooks_]

I just read your post, I am having that trouble now. Just curious what food you changed over to?

Poster has not been seen in several years. Go ahead and start a new thread with your issues.