feeding pellets...?

[birdbrain5]

i have tried so many different ways to cut costs and make my own gravity feeders out of pvc. first attempt didnt work, then i tried again and now they work too good. the chickens make a terrible mess and waste soo much feed. i am sick over how much money they are wasting and stomping into the ground. i am feeding a 15% layer mash, its the cheapest at the grain store but im thinking of switching to pellets. they are more pricey but i think in the long run i will save money because if they pluck them out onto the ground my hopes are that they will still eat them, unlike the piles of mash they dump out. my question is, will chickens that have been used to mash or occasionally crumbles even eat the pellets? i have seen on here some peoples chickens wont eat them. is this the same as "a dog will not starve with a bowl of dry kibble in front of it" and they will eventually eat it if hungry enough? i hate to buy a bag and have them not touch it...

 

[carrlr]

I switched to pellets a couple months back. I truly believe I've saved alot because I had virtually no waste. I didn't just switch flat out I slowly mixed crumbles with pellets until it was all pellets. Worked out fine for me.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

My chickens eat pellets with no problem - I buy them as treats (see my BYC page for my feed recipe if you are interested). They always start with crumbles.

Now, I will tell you my secret for stopping food waste (there is still a TINY amount of waste but really not much):

Fortex rubber black feed pans under the 12 lb feeders with the lip- I got mine at the feed store. I DON'T hang the feeder- I set it in the pan. They scratch some of the feed out and the pan catches it. If they are too short (chicks), I put a brick in front of the pan so they can use it as a step.

Here's what I'm talking about:
http://www.amazon.com/Fortex-Rubber...1L2Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303850543&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Miller-9112-G...1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1303850561&sr=1-1


I am not sure that the fortex tub I linked to is the same size that I have- so you would need to take measurements or get it at the feed store.

I lose almost NO feed.

(BTW, this doesn't work if the lip of the feeder is wider- they bill it out on the ground).

 

[trilyn]

Was a mash girl too....a 100 lbs a week for 33 birds...really? Ugh...stopped that this spring, switched to the pellets and have been oh, so much happier with my feed bill!

 

[birdbrain5]

ok great thanks, this is making me feel that this is better idea now! does Southern States brand carry a layer pellet? i find that souther states feeds are cheaper priced than other such as purina and nutrena

 

[The Tinman]

I put the pellets in a big bowl and poured warm water on them. They swell up and have the consistency of oatmeal. They love it and it stays in the bowl.

 

[DaveBeaty]

I switched to pellets when I found out my "waste" was actually feeding little birds that could fly through the welded wire of the run! The chickens scooped it out of their feeder looking for their old food at first, but I made them eat it off the ground, and now they realize that is their food when they are not ranging.

 

[belly]

Mine would not eat the pellets when I first switched so I added water to soften the pellets I only did this for two weeks and then I went back to using no water and they ate the dry pellets with no problem hope this helps

 

[dewey]

I really like the pellets, too. The switch was fairly drama free & easy...they ate it when they got hungry, and now gobble it up! There's virtually no waste.