Chicken feed comes in both pellet and crumble form. Each provides essential nutrition specifically tailored for laying hens.
Pellet feeds may be easier to scoop and clean up after than crumble feed, as well as having less waste produced during manufacturing.
Some chicken keepers like to give their flock crumble because of its texture, believing that it makes eating more appealing to chickens and can assist picky eaters.
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What is Crumble Feed?
Pellet and crumble forms of poultry feed are the two most commonly available options, both designed to contain essential grains, proteins, vitamins, and minerals for optimal health and egg production in chickens. Both formats also make consumption easy for hens which reduces wasteful eating habits as well as messy waste disposal issues.
Pellet feed is made by heating and compressing ingredients together until they form hard pellets, while crumble feed manufacturers break whole pellets apart into smaller pieces so it’s easier for chickens to consume them.
For some chicken keepers, especially those keeping younger birds, the texture difference between pellet and crumble feed can be an important deciding factor when purchasing starter feed. Chick starter food usually comes in crumble form as this makes it easiest for chicks with their tiny beaks to pick it up and feed themselves. But ultimately it shouldn’t matter to most poultry keepers as either option provides equal nutrition.
Pellet Feed
Compressed into small cylinders for ease of eating by chickens, pellet feed is often preferred by farmers because it saves both time and money while providing consistent nutrition in every bite. Made up from grains, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that can be ground up before being compressed through a machine into pellets that shape them into tiny cylinders, pellet-based feeders typically require higher protein contents than their mash-based counterparts to promote healthy egg production.
Ideal AA Layer Crumble Chicken Feed has been specifically developed to provide laying hens with the ideal combination of protein, nutrients and energy necessary for strong egg production. Available both as pellet and crumble form for convenience of feeding to younger chooks – especially as crumble encourages feeding behavior while decreasing waste – though with higher percentage of fines present it could result in mold or clog feeder issues.
Mash Feed
Mash feed is a powdered form of poultry feed consisting of crushed whole grains combined with protein meal and additional vitamins and minerals for starter/grower chicks, but may be suitable for full-sized chickens as well.
Recent research indicated that flocks fed crumble-and-whole grain mixes gained more weight at 42 days than those on all-pellet diets, had lower feed conversion ratios, and produced higher-quality eggs than their pellet-only counterparts.
If your flock refuses to eat pellets, try switching over to layer crumble mix instead. With its soft texture and larger pieces, this may prove more appetizing for them. For an easier transition process, moisten some powdered food with apple cider or warm water before feeding so your chickens can more easily swallow and digest their new meal without strain.
Fermented Feed
Feeding chicks and young chickens a crumble formula ensures each bite of food contains enough coccidiostat to stay healthy, as well as helping ensure they consume their meals more quickly so they receive all of the essential vitamins they require quickly.
Fermented feed can add extra nutrition to your chickens’ feed by taking advantage of fermentation’s unique process – whereby wild yeasts and bacteria take residence within food products, breaking down sugars and starches into lactic acid bacteria that benefit their health.
Start by filling a bucket with enough feed and clean water to cover it completely, stirring regularly and adding additional liquid as necessary to ensure complete submersion of all solids in three days’ time. At that point, drain off and save any liquid as inoculant for future batches before feeding out solids to your flock.
