Should chick starter crumble be as fine as, say, ground cinnamon?

[kritterdoc]

I purchased the Countryside Organic chick starter and there are some pieces of grain and other bits with texture, but the majority of the feed is dusty and ground as finely as cinnamon and similar spices. My chicks (almost 4 weeks old) don't want to eat the finer stuff, so I find myself dumping out the fine stuff they leave and replacing it with another scoop of feed which pretty quickly gets eaten down to the fine stuff, then they leave it. I guess I figured crumble had some texture to it, and this is super fine. Is that normal? Should I try to leave it longer for chicks to eat, am I wasting perfectly good feed when I throw out the powdery stuff? It's finer than the sand I have in their pen if that helps the picture. Thanks!

 

[mtnviewfarms]

I feed starter grower crumbles, have used a number of different brands, don't use organic as cannot afford it for my large flock but 'crumble' IMHO and experience should not be powdery as you describe.

 

[Den in Penn]

The fine stuff usually has the most nutrients. Try wetting the fine stuff to make a paste or porridge. They will eat it like its a treat once they try it. When I do that I add some fresh feed as well as the fines.

 

[kritterdoc]

Oops, I've wasted some good stuff then. Thank you so much, I'll start doctoring it so they'll munch it up!

 

[enola]

The fine stuff usually has the most nutrients.  Try wetting the fine stuff to make a paste or porridge.  They will eat it like its a treat once they try it.  When I do that I add some fresh feed as well as the fines.

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