Pellets or crumbles, which is better?

[Carrie Lynn]

flowergirl,
I replied to your post under "What treats did your chickens get today?"

 

[DinosRBirds]

Pellets for sure.

 

[iamsara]

wow!! all hens are different! omg.
Im in my first yr only, but when i started they werent eating the pellets. then, i put some water on it , in the container i scooped out, and they are eating it! its like cornmeal mush.
so i alternate. it seems they superbly like mushy grains of all kinds!
i was thinking of trying out the crumbles, but it doesnt seem to work for u all. so maybe ill pass.

 

[bikefreak]

The other thing to try is to transition them to pellets. Slowly mix in some pellets in their normal crumbles. Gradually adding more and more pellets.

Might be easier than a quick switch.

 

[AnnainMD]

Pellets, pellets and pellets. Oh by the way, did I mention pellets?

I had pellets--no waste, it was lovely. I switched to a crumble/whole grain mixture and promptly blew through #100 in less than 6 weeks. With pellets I am just now about halfway through a #50 bag and it's been over 3 weeks with the same cold temps and normal scraps I give them.
I have a wall feeder that is elevated to prevent billing and with the pellets there is nothing to bill for. I love pellets and can't wait for Countryside Naturals to have their feed pelleted.

Mine have switched between crumbles, pellets and the crumble/whoel grain mix without any problem. They really like to eat.

 

[alhanse77]

My chickens do not like pellets either. They knock them all out of the feeder looking for smaller, crumbled bits. So with mine, pellets have been more wasteful.

 

[BellevueOmlet]

I like crumbles because it is easier to transfer from the bag to my containers but the downside is that more gets wasted by the chickens knocking it to the ground and leaving the small pieces

 

[jomercer]

All pellets all the time (except when they're free ranging or getting a treat of oat sprouts).

 

[JerseyFresh]

How old so the birds need to be before you can give pellets? I have standard sized that are two weeks old.

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
Your two week old birds will be eating chick feed, which is crumbles, for quite a while, until about 18 weeks or so. At the time you switch to layer feed you can choose pellets if you like.