Chicken Feed as Cat Litter

[NewbieCiara]

I've been searching around the web for cheaper litter ideas and everywhere I look people are saying chicken feed (crumble layer) is the best bang for the buck. I currently have 9 chickens so buying an extra bag would be no problem but is it safe, effective and actually cheaper? Has anyone actually tried it?

Thanks for any responses, I'm at a loss!

 

[punk-a-doodle]

I had to stop providing my rabbits with an uncovered sand box because my cat favored it so much. It clumped pretty well when not still wet. Now I'm thinking of purposefully using sand with baking powder.

 

[Imp]

I tried it for a while. I didn't think it was great at odor control.

Imp

 

[NewbieCiara]

Did you ever try adding baking powder to it? Do you think its worth the effort to switch the cats and all that stuff?

 

[NewbieCiara]

Do you think sand with baking powder's the best option for litter?

 

[Imp]

Do you mean baking soda?

I have never tried it. Either baking soda or sand

I gave the feed a good try, maybe for a few months.

I tried Stall-Dry for quite a while after that. Liked that better, but it was very dusty.

I've given up and gone to the "Worlds Best Cat Litter" I think it corn based too.

Imp

 

[NewbieCiara]

yeah THAT ^.^
Yeah apparently that is the best but its pricey so I'm trying to cut back.
Thanks for the input

 

[franklinstreetwest]

I used Swheat Scoop and then switched to chicken food to save money. I liked that I could flush it. The smell was pretty bad....and I would go through 5 pound boxes of baking soda even with daily or multi-daily cleaning. When I noticed mouse droppings around the box, I realized I was providing an open food source for unwanted pests. I have since switched to pine pellets. In winter months, I buy the pellets for furnaces. In the summer I am stuck with horse bedding....The furnace pellets are the cheapest way to go. You can get a pallet at Home Depot for 175.00. The odor control is good, I don't have to use baking soda. I just scoop the poop daily and flush it. When the pellets get soaked with pee they turn to sawdust and you can tell its time to change it out. Even better, I don't have little bits of litter tracked out on their paws every time they use the box!

9 cats / 4 boxes (only 2 boxes get used regularly) scoop poop daily / complete dump, wash & refill every 3-4 days

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Oops, yes, I mean baking soda too. Newbie (haha, what will you do with your username when you've been here a few years?) , I am trying sand and baking soda with my cats as of today. I'll let you know how it goes.

 

[NewbieCiara]

Oops, yes, I mean baking soda too. Newbie (haha, what will you do with your username when you've been here a few years?) , I am trying sand and baking soda with my cats as of today. I'll let you know how it goes.

Haha I didnt think that far ahead