leftover crumbs in layer mash??

[Pickled Egg]

I feed my chickens Shur-gain layer mash from the feed store and they are doing well on it. The one thing that I noticed in the last six months or so that puzzles me is that there is always lots of crumbs left in their feed troughs that they don't eat.

These "crumbs" have the consistency of clumping cat litter (sorry, best thing I could compare it to) and is kinda grayish-brown.

When I check on the hens in the evenings they are acting like they are starving and yet their troughs are not empty. These "crumbs" end up being tossed so I can add more mash, which they eat like it's their first meal in days. Are they just being picky and holding out for the cracked corn and whole grains, or is there a problem with the mash itself?

Some evenings it seems like I am throwing out a 1/3 of what I put in the troughs in the morning because the crumbs take up space and they simply do not eat it.

Any insight would be appreciated - I hate feeling like I'm wasting food and money!

 

[EggyErin]

Could be that there is mold. How long does it take them to get down to crumbs?

 

[Wildflower_VA]

They are being picky and only eating what they like best. I have read that you should mix the leftovers with buttermilk or yogurt and they will gobble it down. Many of the supplements and the most nutritional part of the mix is in the finer ground ingredients, which they are not eating. Another choice is waiting to add more feed until they are hungry enough to eat what they already have.

 

[Pickled Egg]

Thanks! I will try mixing in yogurt or just leaving it until they finish it off. I suspected they were being picky girls