One of the local feed stores recently started carrying it on regular basis, so I switched to the layer pellets about a month ago. My birds love it, and I do see an improvement in their appearance and egg-laying. However, the dust is ridiculous. Out of a 50lb. bag, I bet at least 20lbs. is useless dust. I was willing to get a second bag, and see if it was a one-time problem, but nope - just as much as the first time.
I called the folks at Coyote Creek, and they were very friendly and willing to talk. The first thing they did was blame it on rough handling by the distributor/retailer. Well, ok - yes, that could have some effect, but not to this degree. I have bought many feeds over the years at this store, and they don't all look pulverized. I suspect the formula is somewhat to blame. When I mentioned that to the person on the phone, they said actually yes, they were making some recipe changes to help with the dust. I asked how long it would take to trickle down to the supply, and they told me new stuff would go out with that day's shipment.
Fast-forward to last week. The retailer told me he received his bags in the day before, so I bought another one, took it home, and guess what - pounds and pounds of dust! There's so much, it clogs up my feeders (on their most open setting), and I have to take it all out and screen sift the entire bag. My chickens love this feed, but the amount of material I'm wasting is not sustainable. I'm paying twice as much for a bag, and using half the amount as I was before - that's a four-fold increase in cost.
So, to the point: 1) has anyone else had this problem? 2) If so, what did you do about it? 3) Did you find a good workaround or find a better feed?
I was thinking about mixing it with corn oil and feeding it back to them, or maybe making it into blocks, but honestly, I would rather just be able to feed it as intended.
I called the folks at Coyote Creek, and they were very friendly and willing to talk. The first thing they did was blame it on rough handling by the distributor/retailer. Well, ok - yes, that could have some effect, but not to this degree. I have bought many feeds over the years at this store, and they don't all look pulverized. I suspect the formula is somewhat to blame. When I mentioned that to the person on the phone, they said actually yes, they were making some recipe changes to help with the dust. I asked how long it would take to trickle down to the supply, and they told me new stuff would go out with that day's shipment.
Fast-forward to last week. The retailer told me he received his bags in the day before, so I bought another one, took it home, and guess what - pounds and pounds of dust! There's so much, it clogs up my feeders (on their most open setting), and I have to take it all out and screen sift the entire bag. My chickens love this feed, but the amount of material I'm wasting is not sustainable. I'm paying twice as much for a bag, and using half the amount as I was before - that's a four-fold increase in cost.
So, to the point: 1) has anyone else had this problem? 2) If so, what did you do about it? 3) Did you find a good workaround or find a better feed?
I was thinking about mixing it with corn oil and feeding it back to them, or maybe making it into blocks, but honestly, I would rather just be able to feed it as intended.