Pellets vs. crumbles

[poecilia]

Hi all,
Our local milling company sells all mash egg pellets and crumbles. Both crumbles and pellets have the same ingredients. What are the advantages and disadvantages of crumbles and pellets? Which would you use and why?
Greetings, MT

 

[kevinquail]

Pellet seems to me less waste and more for your money

 

[Kelsie2290]

I usually use pellets for adult standard birds because they seem to waste a lot less than with mash / crumbles.
Cost wise, pellets are more per pound, but I think the less waste more than makes up for it.
I do use crumbles for chicks and bantams that are too small to eat pellets easily.
Mash is actually the cheapest thing here, and I will feed it if I have time to wet it and feed it 1 or 2 x daily (it is more labor intensive to feed than just putting a couple of days food in a feeder).
My birds pretty much free range so I don't need to worry about boredom, somewhere on the internet there are studies that penned birds fed crumbles have less problem with feather plucking etc, mostly because they have to spend more time eating mash/crumbles than pellets.

 

[junecleavage]

While they are still on starter I use crumble, but as soon as they go to layer rations I switch to pellets. It is for the same reason as Kelsie2290. Pellets have a lot less waste. Crumble gets all over the floor and if it gets wet it cakes to the floor. They don't seem to like it as much, but they have all day to forage for fun food.

 

[Percheron chick]

Layer crumbles and layer pellets made by the same company are the same feed. Crumbles are just pellets that have been put through a roller to crack them. Crumbles can have a lot of fines (mash) and some chickens will only clean up the bottom of the feeder when they are starving. Mine will eat more crumbles than pellets and don't waste anymore. How much they waste is going to depend upon what type of feeder you use. Can they throw the feed out looking for the juicy treats or are the sides high enough that they can't bill the food out and waste it. You can also put a pan under the feeder to catch the feed that is tossed out.

 

[mpgo4th]

Mine used to waste crumbles but when I built the new coop I put a hanger under it for the feeder. I hang it pretty high but they can still reach it easy. They don't waste any food at all now. The ground under the feeder is always clean. I think having it on the ground is why birds waste so much.

 

[Rich386]

I simply get less waste with pellets.

 

[buttercup95]

I've noticed my hens prefer the crumbles to pellets. I feed with a pvc feeder which makes it harder to waste the food. Although if I see pellets for a better deal I buy them and just crush them up. win/win

 

[junecleavage]

How much they waste is going to depend upon what type of feeder you use. Can they throw the feed out looking for the juicy treats or are the sides high enough that they can't bill the food out and waste it. You can also put a pan under the feeder to catch the feed that is tossed out.

You know I never really thought about it, but it is probably the feeder more than the food. When mine are chicks I usually just have a pan of crumble out for them, which of course they climb in an scratch around ... When I switch to pellets is about the same time I switch to the hanging feeder.

 

[JAMIEZ71]

I can tell I get a lot less waste with pellets.