Dusty Purina Layena Pellets, Clogging Custom No Waste Feeder.

[SuburbanFlock]

When I first started out with my backyard flock I had a standard, Little Giant hanging feeder. Worked great besides for what seemed like a large amount of wasted feed. I then switched from layena crumbles to pellets. Yes I saw a slight decrease in wasted food, but still waste none the less. So then thanks in part to many members of the BYC forum, I set out and built my own custom no waste feeder. Which to say the least has worked very well, until recently. With my custom feeder I still use Purina Layena Pellets, and until recently was having great success. My problem now is my creep style feeder jambs, due to what seems like overly dusty pellets. I have now started to pre-screen my pellet feed, to get this for a lack of a better term dust out of my feeder. Is anyone else experiencing what seems like really dusty Purina pellets. I have used Purina since day one, and buy from Tractor Supply, not sure if the new oyster strong Layena pellets is my problem or what. Any advise, maybe on a new feed brand, would be greatly appreciated.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Keep in mind, that 'dust' is where many of the added nutrients are.
Read the ingredient label. Primary ingredients are usually corn, soy, perhaps alfalfa, other grains or something else that needs to be ground up. After that, most of the ingredients are vitamins, minerals and essential amino acids missing in the vegetative sources and must be added as synthetics. Those ingredients are all added as powders, i.e. - dust.
After the larger ingredients are ground, they are steamed and mixed with the rest of the nutrients and a binding agent. They are then run through a pelletizer. If they want to produce crumbles, the pellets are run through a crumbler.
The 'dust' are those essential nutrients that break off as the pellets break up.
Either the binding agent is sometimes not as effective in a feed run, or the feed is old.
Do you look for the manufacture date before you buy a feed? Some stores turn over their inventory and others just keep it on hand till it all sells. Once it is manufactured and shipped, it is out of Purina's (or other mfgs.) hands.
Most companies add a bit extra of the goodies, knowing some will be lost in the fines.

Your choices are to completely clean your feeder from time to time or possibly moisten some feed adding the fines and feeding in a separate container.

 

[SuburbanFlock]

I appreciate the response, it may indeed be bad binder in the pellets. I do check the bags date and my tractor supply goes through them, they are not old bags. I go through about 50 pounds or one bag every two months. and the last couple have all been like this. I do clean out my feeder periodically so its not like a build up over time. just seems like the last couple bags have been terrible. I completely understand what your saying about the dust and how it is more then likely something they should be consuming. Just if i wanted all the dust i would buy crumbles, i get the pellets which should be the same as far as nutritional benefits go because i like them less waste and up until recently have been great. I may have to consider using my local feed stores pellets, as a friend of mine uses them and they are no where near as dusty, just good quality pellets.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Good for you for checking the mfg. date and in my experience, TSC does a good job of keeping fresh stock on hand. My local feed store, not so much.

Crumbles will have more fines, which the chickens won't eat. Pellets therefor, are more nutritious in the end because of less fines left behind even though the pellets and crumbles start out identical nutritionally.