Pellets vs crumbles

[SusanH]

I've recently switched to layer pellets from grower/finisher in the Dumor brand. Today I saw one of my hens poop a BIG GLOB of undigested pellets. Is this normal or is she not getting anything out of the food? Would I be better off with crumbles? They have never wasted any food. I want them to be healthy.

 

[theDregs]

Just curious here, has she had access to grit or been able to free range in a yard where she had access to dirt? I am pretty new, but I am pretty sure that's what the need to grind the pellets up.

 

[Akane]

I am not trying to hijack this post, but can a chicken get problems from eating pellets like a horse could? Can the pellets swell up in their pipe and get stuck somewhere down the throat or digestive system? I have seen serious pellet problems in horses, so better give a different food, but chickens......?

Pellets will not swell up in horses either. All good horse forums will say this is a myth. Any problems seen are coincidental from a horse that doesn't chew properly or has muscle damage and would have gotten choke or colic from other food sources.​

 

[crazy huhn]

Quote:
Pellets will not swell up in horses either. All good horse forums will say this is a myth. Any problems seen are coincidental from a horse that doesn't chew properly or has muscle damage and would have gotten choke or colic from other food sources.

Right, but still a life threatening problem. Not chewing properly, eating to fast....just not fun to watch and immediate human help necessary. They do absorb plenty of fluids, so they may swell and cause further problems, more though than other good feed options. I have worked in a large animal hospital in Europe and have seen some very well cared horses up to Olympic level with problems....

 

[Akane]

The problem is not specific to the pellets though. The pellets do not absorb enough water or swell a noticeable amount to cause the problem specifically. The problem would happen with any type of feed and is even more likely to happen with hay than feed. You can't fail to feed horses hay since their digestive tracts are made for long stem fiber. Not feeding pellets really doesn't prevent anything. The horses would still suffer the same problem eventually.

 

[journey11]

I use a homemade bucket feeder hung from the ceiling joists with a dog chain with a cone over the top. Keeps out mice and keeps chickens from dumping feeder/roosting on it. I switched to pellets too because 1) they were wasting a lot of the crumbles, and 2) my feed store always has in stock more of the pellets. Works fine for me.

Crumbles are just crunched up pellets anyways.