Pellets

[joestahl]

I've looked through a bunch of threads on the merits of pellets vs. crumbles, and seen some good info on both. My issue is this - our birds don't seem to particularly like the pellets. They'll eat them, but usually not until they've searched the yard for bugs and other things. If there are some pellets left on the ground overnight and it rains, then they go nuts over them. The pellets get puffy and soft, and they'll ignore their new pellets and go after these wet ones. Is it a good idea to wet them somehow? Soak or spray them? I would think if they get too wet they would fall apart. Does anyone else do this?

 

[Den in Penn]

The pellets will fall apart if left to soak. Pellets are just mash with a binder added and compressed. Many do wet the feed they give, from just wetting it, to fermenting the feed. I will take the dust like leavings from my feeder and wet it and put it in another pan for them, they clean that right up.

 

[bluedragon]

I recently bought pellets and put it in my feeders and was very worried about them eating it. I shouldn't have because they cleaned them up and I didn't wet them at all. I like the pellets, especially for winter, because they don't waste nearly as much compared to crumble.

Last week, my wife got crumble instead of pellets. I put it out and the next day I went out to the coops and my Silkies had kicked out crumble all over the ground.

No more crumble for me. I can't afford the waste.

 

[gypsy5583]

When I first introduced the pellets , they looked at me like I was nuts especially since they had been getting alot of treats when I first got them, I was so excited about having chickens and wanted to spoil them , but as I began to educate myself I learned this was not healthy and not good for egg production. So I mixed the feed. I make my own mix of pellets, scratch and BOSS. they love it. there is never any left. On cold mornings they get warm oatmeal with the mix sprinkled on top. And now in the evenings they will eat just the pellets. My wlh who lays consistently will eat anything I put out.

 

[Teylah]

same with me, I thought "mm my Roos are getting bigger ill get them pellets"
so they just stopped eating - wouldn't have a bar of them- kicked them around, pecked at them but wouldn't/couldn't? eat them....so each time we go to feed them I just pour water over the pellets, leave for 5mins then give them to my Roos and they will now eat them!!

fussy boys...
I have just switched back to the crumble, because obviously they can't eat the pellets ..

tomorrow I'm trying out a bunch of different treats...banana and yoghurt first

 

[gypsy5583]

I was experimenting a little, I gave them plain pellets last night, there were still some left this am lol. My WLH will eat it any thing any old way, she is not picky, the 3 other girls seem to like the mix better, and rusty my roo, he usually eats last pecks here n there lets the girls eat first hes such a gentleman

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

They waste less with pellets, so it may appear they are eating less, when in fact they are eating about the same amount.

Chickens seldom "like" a new food, but give them some time and they will learn