Lay Pellets VS Crumbles

[MonkeyZero]

HI

Quick question. We are gonna buy food for the silkies tomorrow. At 5-6 months of age, they are on a lay crumble. Now, I was thinking about lay pellets.
What do you prefer?

 

[crdawson80]

They are plenty old enough to put on the pellets. I always start my pullets on laying pellets around 16 weeks.

 

[MonkeyZero]

Ok

But since they are small silkies, will pellets be ok for them?

 

[imtc]

I think either is fine. pellets are less waste than crumbles though and are the same food. Unless your chickens are debeaked they should have no problems with it.

 

[sillybirds]

It seems about a coin toss to me, pellets vs crumbles. I used to use pellets, but then I imagined they weren't eating them as well so I switched to crumbles, which my chickens seem to like better. As imtc mentioned, with some feeders, which allow feed to be spilled out, pellets will result in less waste as the chickens will be better able to find the pellets and eat them on the ground. That's not the case with my feeder, so I like the crumbles fine.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

My chickens hate the pellets and won't eat them. They steal the chicks starter.

 

[Judy]

Pellets. They won't starve themselves. At this point they seem to prefer them. Guess it's easier to pig out on them.

 

[journey11]

I didn't have any trouble switching my flock over to pellets. They really do waste less. They are the same food anyway.

 

[Germaine_11.20]

I just had this conversation at the local hatchery and asked their opinion.
Funny, they thought there was less waste and starving with the crumbles. Simply because the chickens did not care for the pellets.
I know it is the same food and that is why I tried it too. It just goes to say that if it does fall on the ground it is easier to see and eat than crumbles.
Maybe if yours get started on pellets right away they will change over well. Mine were almost a year when I tried. It is still sitting in the feeder as we speak. They will eat it, but first they steal the chick starter. I gotta fix that.
That was a very good point though ddawn, about silkies starving themselves. When they are setting and only have enough time to eat a bit, those are easier to get better volume down.
Thanks for the topic, I am going to keep reading.

 

[Rocky Top Chick]

I switched mine to pellets at around 18 weeks. They love them. As a matter of fact, sometimes I throw a couple of handfulls in the pen and they go crazy thinking I have a special treat.