Giving 4 laying hens pellets in chicken tractor, barely eating pellets

[HappyDuckie]

I've never given my chickens pellets. Always crumbles, since I have bantams its easier for them to eat.

 

[NatJ]

First point: feed your chickens whatever you want. Pellets are fine, crumbles are fine.

But I do not understand the logic of what you're trying to say about that study, or how you think it applies to feeding crumbles vs. pellets.

I don't want fat, dead chickens.

So because chickens that eat crumbles (big pieces) grow faster (bigger, fatter) than ones fed mash, therefore you should feed your chickens even bigger pieces (pellets) to keep them from getting fat? That is what I think you are saying, but it does not make sense if I put it that way.

"Grains in their natural form have a low glycemic index, while processed carbohydrates, including those made with flour or puffed grains, have a high GI. The reason is that it takes longer for digestive enzymes to reach the starch inside whole grains or grains cracked into large pieces, slowing down the conversion of starch to sugar

That is NOT a reason to choose pellets over crumbles or mash.
Pellets are made from finely ground grains, so pellets would be more like bread, not like whole grains.

To make pellets: grains are ground into a fine powder.
That powder is stuck together into pellets which are easy for chickens to eat, but as soon as they get wet inside the cicken they fall apart into wet powder again.
So for digestive purposes (particle size), feeding pellets is the same as feeding mash, powder, or flour.