What are Pellets? All I can find are Crumbles!

[LilDucky85]

Everyone referrs to their duck feed as "Pellets", but all I can find are "Crumbles"? Are they the same thing but just called two different things or are pellets more like rabbit food pellets? If they are like rabbit feed pellets wouldnt they eat less? My 6 ducks eat over 100 pounds of crumbles a month!

 

[#1California Chick]

Not sure about ducks, but for chickens - pellets and crumbles are too different things. Yes the pellets look like rabbit food. What kind of ducks do you have? It took my nine young pullets about 8 weeks to eat 50 pounds of crumbles. I have just switched them to Layer pellets (they are now 18 weeks old) so not sure whether they will eat more or less. However, I have heard that they SPILL less with pellets.

Good Luck!!

Cindy

 

[rainplace]

They don't make so much of a mess with pellets and so you don't go through as much. You may have to ask them to order it for you. I know flockraiser comes in both crumbles and pellets. I get the pellets. If you're more east you can get duckchow which is pelleted too.

 

[Duck Keeper]

I feed pellets because they don't spread it all over the ground then not eat it, thereby wasting it.

Unless you have hundreds of ducks, I would think you'd never go through that much feed!




And to answer your original question, yes, pellets are just like rabbit pellets, but they're specially formulated for ducks. Did you know crumbles are made from crushed up pellets?

 

[protodon]

I use crumbles because at my house the crumbles seem to last a lot longer than the pellets. I think maybe for the birds it's the difference between eating something with a spoon or chopsticks. It's just quicker and easier for them to gobble up all the pellets, I guess.

 

[L0rraine]

I use crumbles because I can only find 'chicken feed' in Western Washington and my understanding is that the layer pellets are 'too rich?' for the ducks and I can only get the 'maintenance' feed in crumbles. But I just read someone's post recently that the crumbles can be harder to swallow? than the pellets so am still not sure what's best. I add a bit of brewer's yeast to their morning portion to try to make sure they're getting sufficient niacin.

My ducks do manage to clean up their crumbles fairly efficiently so I haven't worried too much about waste.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
Lorraine, I had the same problem for a while. Flockraiser comes in pellets and crumbles. If your feed store sells purina products can order you the Flockraiser pellets. It's a little higher in protein than I would like, but if your guys freerange it should be fine, and if they don't you can just cut it with oats or something similar.

 

[L0rraine]

Quote:
Lorraine, I had the same problem for a while. Flockraiser comes in pellets and crumbles. If your feed store sells purina products can order you the Flockraiser pellets. It's a little higher in protein than I would like, but if your guys freerange it should be fine, and if they don't you can just cut it with oats or something similar.

THANKS! One of our local feed stores started carrying Purina about a year ago, so I will ask if they will order for me. And, the ducks do free range (though they are incredibly cautious and don't go far from their run) so I hope they are getting enough bugs, slugs and miscellaneous greens.

 

[LilDucky85]

I have 5 Pekins, and one Pekin Runner mix. I buy at least two 50 pound bags a month!