Crumbles or Pellets

[Chris09]

I feed a extruded pellet, it a lot different than a standard pellet.

 

[FarmgateTx]

I use both because TSC runs out of the crumble often and so I am left with the pellets or nothing. I have about 400 chickens and the waste is about the same. I will let the feeders run dry every now and then to get them to clean up the ground. They will eat the pellets off of the ground but will not eat the crumble.

 

[KuroKitsune]

I normally feed pellets to my LF chickens and ducks but the last couple months i've been feed crumbs as they are cheaper and i am raising 12 white leghorns for a friend right now and they have more then doubled the number of birds to feed so i went with the crumbs. so far there doesn't seem to be much difference between the two waste wise though i know my ducks drop less of the pellets but they dont drop much more the crumb to make a difference.


my banties get always get crumbs as they have trouble with the pellets and so they stay with the easy to eat crumbs



when the leghorns are gone i will switch back to the pellets as i prefer them but the crumbs aren't to bad so i might switch it up occasionally and buy them a bag or two of crumb to to give them something different

 

[Theegoliath]

Some good info here. We use crumble at the moment, but have been thinking about switching to pellet. We still have a 5 week old pullet that feeds with our year olds. So we are not switching soon. Just informing ourselves.

Like that farmer said, I to just stop filing the food, and they will eventually clean the food on the coop floor.

I am going to try this as soon as I get to it though. Sounds like it will help to keep spillage down.

http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/09/outsmarting-chickens-at-feeder.html

 

[WhiteLeghorn2]

I feed a extruded pellet, it a lot different than a standard pellet.

@Chris09 Where do you buy that? That looks awesome.

 

[Chris09]

@Chris09 Where do you buy that? That looks awesome.

I get it special ordered for me at the local feed/hardware store.
They deal with mostly Purina Mills Feeds but they special order it in for me.


Here's the specs on the 30% protein game bird starter -

Product Form
Extruded particles: ⅛” diameter x ⅛” length


Guaranteed Analysis
Crude protein not less than 30%
Lysine not less than 1.5%
Methionine not less than 0.60%
Crude fat not less than 2.5%
Crude fiber not more than 6.5%
Ash not more than 9.0%
Calcium not less than 0.95%
Calcium not more than 1.5%
Phosphorous not less than 0.90%
Salt not less than 0.10%
Salt not more than 0.50%
Moisture not more than 12%


Ingredients
Dehulled soybean meal, ground corn, wheat middlings, fish meal (menhaden), porcine meat meal, dehydrated alfalfa meal, brewers dried yeast, glyceryl monostearate, soybean oil, calcium carbonate, salt, dl-methionine, choline chloride, dicalcium phosphate, mixed tocopherols (a preservative), cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), vitamin A acetate, manganous oxide, d-alpha tocopheryl acetate (natural source vitamin E), zinc oxide, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C), niacin, calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (vitamin K), vitamin B12 supplement, copper sulfate, riboflavin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, calcium iodate, thiamin mononitrate, sodium selenite, biotin.

NUTRIENTS
Protein, %...................................................... 30
Arginine, % .................................................... 2.0
Cystine, % ................................................... 0.47
Glycine, % ..................................................... 1.8
Histidine, % ................................................. 0.78
Isoleucine, % ................................................. 1.3
Leucine, % .................................................... 2.3
Lysine, % ....................................................... 1.8
Methionine, % ............................................. 0.62
Phenylalanine, % .......................................... 1.4
Tyrosine, % ................................................. 0.94
Threonine, % ................................................. 1.2
Tryptophan, % ............................................. 0.36
Valine, % ....................................................... 1.4
Fat (Acid hydrolysis), % ................................ 5.1
Linoleic acid, % ............................................. 1.6
Omega-3 Fatty Acids, % ............................. 0.22
Omega-6 Fatty Acids, % ............................... 1.6
Fiber (Crude), % ........................................... 4.3
Neutral Detergent Fiber, % ............................ 15
Acid Detergent Fiber, % ................................ 5.0
Metabolizable Energy2, kcal/kg ....................2,625

MINERALS
Ash, % ...........................................................7.6
Calcium, % ................................................... 1.2
Phosphorus, % ........................................... 0.94
Phosphorus (non-phytate), % ......................0.57
Potassium, % ................................................ 1.3
Magnesium, % ............................................ 0.25
Sodium, % .................................................. 0.22
Chloride, % ................................................. 0.33
Iron, ppm ..................................................... 220
Zinc, ppm ..................................................... 130
Manganese, ppm ......................................... 140
Copper, ppm .................................................. 21
Iodine, ppm ................................................... 1.9
Selenium (added), ppm ................................ 0.30

VITAMINS
Thiamin, ppm ..................................................7.8
Riboflavin, ppm .............................................. 14
Niacin, ppm .................................................... 95
Pantothenic acid, ppm ................................... 23
Choline, ppm ............................................ 2,375
Folic acid, ppm ............................................. 4.8
Pyridoxine, ppm ............................................ 8.5
Biotin, ppm .................................................. 0.30
Vitamin B12, μg/kg .......................................... 31
Vitamin A (added), IU/kg .......................... 13,425
Vitamin D3, IU/kg ...................................... 2,135
Vitamin E, IU/kg ........................................... 150
Vitamin K (as menadione), ppm...................... 0.76
Beta-carotene, ppm ...................................... 1.1
Ascorbic acid, ppm ........................................ 72