Chicken Crumbles as cat litter.

peaches08

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Someone else in this thread recommended it. I don't recall how far back it was.

It's Paws n Claws from Tractor Supply. I get the 14lb jugs of the basic "scoopable" litter. I was buying the 25lb bags for a while but the formula changed in that size. The 14 lb size is a multicolored, odorless, clumping cat litter with very low dust. It costs $3.99 for 14 lbs. It costs more than chicken crumble, but it is worth it in my opinion.

It's also way cheaper than most litter on the market and it clumps beautifully.
I used the 25 lb bags and noticed lately that they have been more dusty, thanks!!  Picked up some jugs today to try, I'll let you know!
 
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bigperm20

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I used the 25 lb bags and noticed lately that they have been more dusty, thanks!!  Picked up some jugs today to try, I'll let you know!
Was it you @peaches  who recommended this brand initially? Someone here recommended it and I tried it on a whim when I was buying chicken crumbles. Yes, if you look closely the 25# bags are not the same product anymore. The first two 25# bags I got one that was dusty and a somewhat blue color, and one that was not that was a multicolored litter. The packaging was exactly the same. 

I figured it was just a fluke, but the next bag and the one after that were both blue colored dusty litter. I tried complaining in the store and on the phone and i never got anywhere. At one point TCS told me via their hotline that they didn't make the litter. After I hung up I noticed that it says made by TCS on the back...

I looked in a 14# jug and it was the multicolored stuff, so I never looked back. I just hope they don't move all the production to the blue stuff. It's definitely not as good. 

On a side note it seems like this exact same thing happens to me at least once a year. That's why I initially went to Chicken Crumbles. Every litter I bought ended up starting out great, and after a few bags I was being sold big bags of dust.
 
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susank521

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I'm still a huge fan of the Crumbles, but in April I had to switch back to clay in the boxes in non-climate controlled locations (all but 2) because of mold. Never had a bug problem, but mold started growing on the crumbles in the boxes (high humidity in Georgia). Because it is so light weight and so much cheaper I will be switching back to the Crumbles in the fall in two of the kennels, but for various reasons the others will stay on clay. So, once again, thank you everyone for the info about your experiences! I'll be heading to Tractor Supply, their website shows a 50# box of their scoopable for $9.99. Much cheaper than what I've been paying for Tidy Cat. 
 

peaches08

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@bigperm20 I've been using this litter for a while now, so I think it was me that mentioned it to you.  I got the jugs, and the litter is different.  I remember when Fancy Feast changed their labels, and the wording changed as well.  That's when I found out that "Made In",  "Made By", "Manufactured In", and etc all had different meanings and were a new slight-of-hand wordage allowed by FDA and etc.  It's possible that where ever the litter is being made now, there's not a consistency of ingredients being put into batches.
 
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bigperm20

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@bigperm20 I've been using this litter for a while now, so I think it was me that mentioned it to you.  I got the jugs, and the litter is different.  I remember when Fancy Feast changed their labels, and the wording changed as well.  That's when I found out that "Made In",  "Made By", "Manufactured In", and etc all had different meanings and were a new slight-of-hand wordage allowed by FDA and etc.  It's possible that where ever the litter is being made now, there's not a consistency of ingredients being put into batches.
[/quote
I was thinking the same thing, but once I initially bought the blue stuff in the 25# bag it stayed the same.

Since I switched to the jugs it's been exactly the same as well. The jugs are slightly more expensive per #, so maybe they are just charging a premium and don't want to change the label.

Have you ever tried the multi cat formula? It comes in the 14# jugs too.it's usually a couple bucks more. I also think it's available in a 40+ pound box as well. It it scented I think, but I often wonder if it's any different besides the scent.
 
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bigperm20

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I'm still a huge fan of the Crumbles, but in April I had to switch back to clay in the boxes in non-climate controlled locations (all but 2) because of mold. Never had a bug problem, but mold started growing on the crumbles in the boxes (high humidity in Georgia). Because it is so light weight and so much cheaper I will be switching back to the Crumbles in the fall in two of the kennels, but for various reasons the others will stay on clay. So, once again, thank you everyone for the info about your experiences! I'll be heading to Tractor Supply, their website shows a 50# box of their scoopable for $9.99. Much cheaper than what I've been paying for Tidy Cat. 
Glad we could help. Yes, I think someone else who kept their litter box outside on a porch had the mold issue. It is food after all ;) , it will decay given the right amount of moisture. I too live in the South. In a sweltering place called Nashville. I used to think Hotlanta was worse, after the past couple of summers I think it's a toss up.

It was beautiful here today.

You can't go wrong with the plain "Scoopable Cat Litter" in the 14# jugs. The stuff in the bags is still good but it's too dusty for my kitties. They both are fastidious diggers and spread the dust everywhere.

However if you've never really had a dust problem with tidy cat, you may be very happy with the cheaper stuff. Just remember the labels are the same... Clear as mud... I know:rolleyes:
 

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Would I be able to stop using plastic liners for the litter boxes?  What do you do with the contents when it's time to change out?  Is change out and cleaning done once a month?  TY TY TY for any answers/help you can give me.
 
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bigperm20

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If you want to stop using liners the best way to do so is get a deeper litterbox and fill it pretty high. I use plastic Sterelite containers, myself.

What's your issue with the liners? Are the cats scratching holes in them?

What
 

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I can still use the liners....they're heavy duty....was just wondering about cutting corners and money. But, I would imagine the liners are still a must for disposal.
 

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And you are using the Chicken Crumbles and happy with them? I'm afraid my cats will protest and leave little piles here and there.  Their boxes are on a screened in porch.
 
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bigperm20

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And you are using the Chicken Crumbles and happy with them? I'm afraid my cats will protest and leave little piles here and there.  Their boxes are on a screened in porch.
It's not a good idea to use Chicken Crumble outside as it has no preservative in it. It will rot eventually around enough moisture.

Have you tried the Paws and Claws? There are several posts on here regarding it. I think it would be a good option for you as long as you scoop the box at least once a day and try to keep it dry. Humidity and outside moisture won't be a big deal as long as it's tended regularly.

What are you using now?
 

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I use Tidy Cat clay litter and need to change it out completely every 4-5 days. I do scoop daily.  I have 2 large size littler boxes.
 

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 I am glad that you are using the chicken feed!!  If you need better clumping action, simply add some UNSCENTED clumping litter to the mix.  I have had good results with both the crumbles/krackettes and laying mash.  Personally, I enjoy the grain scent and I especially appreciate the fact that the scent does not aggravate MY asthma like the scented litters do. Even the unscented litters can have a trace of the irritating odor.

Another plus is that the chicken feed does not irritate tender anal tissues like scented litters can, so it reduces the likelihood of going outside the box. It makes me want to cry when I visit a home with a "bad kitty" and a quick whiff of scented litter plus a glance at an irritated kitty-bottom tells an all-too-common story of broken down communication - the kitty can't speak in plain people language and the loving owner isn't tuned in to kitty's cues..
 

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I can still use the liners....they're heavy duty....was just wondering about cutting corners and money. But, I would imagine the liners are still a must for disposal.
Liners are not required for disposal. Any plastic or paper bag will work. I always ask for paper bags at the grocery store and find they're much stronger than the plastic ones for anything heavy. I stopped using the expensive litter box liners very early on because my kittens scratched holes in them which allowed the urine to collect between the litter pan and the plastic. Ick! It also meant that the liners were useless for carrying the used litter out to the garbage bin.
 
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bigperm20

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I can still use the liners....they're heavy duty....was just wondering about cutting corners and money. But, I would imagine the liners are still a must for disposal.
Liners are not required for disposal. Any plastic or paper bag will work. I always ask for paper bags at the grocery store and find they're much stronger than the plastic ones for anything heavy. I stopped using the expensive litter box liners very early on because my kittens scratched holes in them which allowed the urine to collect between the litter pan and the plastic. Ick! It also meant that the liners were useless for carrying the used litter out to the garbage bin.
I agree on the liners being more trouble than they're worth. I use clumping litter, and I keep it pretty deep in the box so they don't stick pee clumps to the bottom.

Then once a month or so I carry the boxes out and dump it all in the bin. I then use a big scrubber, the hose, and dish soap to thoroughly clean both boxes.
 

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I hated using cat pan liners.  Our cats just clawed them all up which made more of a mess.  I stopped using them years ago when I started using clumping cat litter.  Clumping litter lasted much longer since every deposit was scoopable.  After several weeks I would let the litter get low and then just dump it all into doubled up plastic grocery bags to throw it away and then thoroughly clean, bleach, rinse, dry and refill the boxes.  Due to taking in a pregnant stray our cat population doubled (now 10) so we had to search for a cheaper alternative to clumping cat litter.

I thought I had really large and deep cat boxes until I decided to try using big deep rubbermaid / sterelite type containers.  They are SO much better!  For the really tall ones I just cut a sort of-  \_/  -shaped slot to make for easier access for all the different sized kitties.  The lowest part was still about 7 inches up from the ground and the weaned kittens could manage it.  Due to the higher sides the cats scatter so much less and they never miss their mark.  

To save money we started trying the chicken laying crumbles.  It is great!  It clumps well, not quite as instant or as tightly but well enough to scoop everything out as long as you don't sift the clumps too roughly or ram into them with the scoop.  The most amazing part to me is that the 50 lb. bag which is about $14 last for so much longer than regular clumping litter.  It is a bit lighter in your trash and what they scatter doesn't ever stick to the floor.  It has about the same amount of dust but it is less offensive and if the cats "decorate" the side of the box it easily scrapes off with the scoop.  I think the dust helps it not to get stuck to the sides.  I believe we started using the giant containers for litter boxes and the crumbles sometime in July and I haven't needed to completely empty the boxes and clean them yet!  Amazingly they don't get encrusted and they don't get a stink build up, nor does the litter seem to degrade.  Those were all problems in the past with the old pans and expensive clumping litter.  I am amazed that there is no ammonia build up as sometimes a fresh pee clump will fall apart if I am not careful when I scoop. I just let the boxes get down to about 2 inches and then I sprinkle a little dusting of baking soda on top about every other week and then add back new crumbles on top of that to get the depth to about 4 inches.  

I haven't had any bug troubles with the crumbles ...maybe one or two moths but nothing else and I haven't had any mold issues because it is completely indoors and safe from high humidity.  I read somewhere here that the chick starter crumbles are even better but I haven't tried that yet.  I am pretty happy with Tractor Supplies Dumor laying crumbles.  I have also used a local feed store brand that was good as well.  I transitioned my cats slowly, one box at a time so they had a choice.  They were very curious and all seemed happy with it right away.  It is just funny though to see their reaction to new things.  Never had any rebellions about the new litter. Another great thing is that this litter will not clump up and encrust around the older cats claws.  Plus I no longer had to worry about kittens accidentally eating it when they would clean themselves.  That was a bit scary with clumping cat litter as it would stick in their mouths and throat.  The crumbles just have a sort of horse feed smell and as long as they cover their business it covers odors well.  People cannot believe that we have 10 indoor cats (actually 12 with my father-in-law's 2 cats that live with him in his end of the house).  But I do scoop very often because I can't stand the thought of the cats tracking stuff around the house.  Another perk - the crumbles are so much better for keeping their paws clean than clay clumping litter.  For those thinking of trying it, just try one box at a time.  At first I didn't think I would like it as well.  I just had to learn to scoop a bit more carefully.  I am so glad I switched.  We used to constantly notice the huge amount of money we were spending on cat litter and we were getting so broke it was like a Christmas present every time I got a new jug of Tidy Cat.  Now it is such a minuscule amount that it isn't even noticeable!

Now for reference: I was using approx. 2 - 20 pound Tidy cat jugs per a week (approx $10 each) for 3 large cat pans sized 15" x 21" x 7" and keeping the litter about 3 inches deep.  About every 10 weeks I had to buy twice that amount to completely clean and refill boxes.

Now with the laying crumbles we are buying 1 - 50 pound bag for about $14 and that bag lasts about 3 weeks for 3 much larger litter pans and mostly keeping the litter about 4 inches deep.  

These new 3 pans are so much bigger: 18" x 30" x 13",  14" x 24" x 15",  18" x 26" x 20"    

I estimate that I was spending for the much smaller boxes approximately:                        $1140 annually on clay clumping cat litter.

My new estimate for the laying crumbles and the much larger boxes is approximately:    $   308 annually on laying crumbles for litter and that is even allowing for a complete emptying and cleaning every 12 weeks which I haven't yet had to do.

I am very happy and thankful that I found such great money saving info on this site as well as on: cats adored .com  where I also learned about the better cat box idea.  I am so grateful people took the time to share their good advise.  It meant we didn't have to make our precious cats live outside and I would once again be worrying about loosing another pet to rattlesnakes, great-horned owls, hawks, and coyotes.  What a relief!!!  Now it would be great to learn of ways to safely let them out sometimes without all the risks.  I guess that will be my next internet research.
 
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bigperm20

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I hated using cat pan liners.  Our cats just clawed them all up which made more of a mess.  I stopped using them years ago when I started using clumping cat litter.  Clumping litter lasted much longer since every deposit was scoopable.  After several weeks I would let the litter get low and then just dump it all into doubled up plastic grocery bags to throw it away and then thoroughly clean, bleach, rinse, dry and refill the boxes.  Due to taking in a pregnant stray our cat population doubled (now 10) so we had to search for a cheaper alternative to clumping cat litter.



I thought I had really large and deep cat boxes until I decided to try using big deep rubbermaid / sterelite type containers.  They are SO much better!  For the really tall ones I just cut a sort of-  \_/  -shaped slot to make for easier access for all the different sized kitties.  The lowest part was still about 7 inches up from the ground and the weaned kittens could manage it.  Due to the higher sides the cats scatter so much less and they never miss their mark.  



To save money we started trying the chicken laying crumbles.  It is great!  It clumps well, not quite as instant or as tightly but well enough to scoop everything out as long as you don't sift the clumps too roughly or ram into them with the scoop.  The most amazing part to me is that the 50 lb. bag which is about $14 last for so much longer than regular clumping litter.  It is a bit lighter in your trash and what they scatter doesn't ever stick to the floor.  It has about the same amount of dust but it is less offensive and if the cats "decorate" the side of the box it easily scrapes off with the scoop.  I think the dust helps it not to get stuck to the sides.  I believe we started using the giant containers for litter boxes and the crumbles sometime in July and I haven't needed to completely empty the boxes and clean them yet!  Amazingly they don't get encrusted and they don't get a stink build up, nor does the litter seem to degrade.  Those were all problems in the past with the old pans and expensive clumping litter.  I am amazed that there is no ammonia build up as sometimes a fresh pee clump will fall apart if I am not careful when I scoop. I just let the boxes get down to about 2 inches and then I sprinkle a little dusting of baking soda on top about every other week and then add back new crumbles on top of that to get the depth to about 4 inches.  



I haven't had any bug troubles with the crumbles ...maybe one or two moths but nothing else and I haven't had any mold issues because it is completely indoors and safe from high humidity.  I read somewhere here that the chick starter crumbles are even better but I haven't tried that yet.  I am pretty happy with Tractor Supplies Dumor laying crumbles.  I have also used a local feed store brand that was good as well.  I transitioned my cats slowly, one box at a time so they had a choice.  They were very curious and all seemed happy with it right away.  It is just funny though to see their reaction to new things.  Never had any rebellions about the new litter. Another great thing is that this litter will not clump up and encrust around the older cats claws.  Plus I no longer had to worry about kittens accidentally eating it when they would clean themselves.  That was a bit scary with clumping cat litter as it would stick in their mouths and throat.  The crumbles just have a sort of horse feed smell and as long as they cover their business it covers odors well.  People cannot believe that we have 10 indoor cats (actually 12 with my father-in-law's 2 cats that live with him in his end of the house).  But I do scoop very often because I can't stand the thought of the cats tracking stuff around the house.  Another perk - the crumbles are so much better for keeping their paws clean than clay clumping litter.  For those thinking of trying it, just try one box at a time.  At first I didn't think I would like it as well.  I just had to learn to scoop a bit more carefully.  I am so glad I switched.  We used to constantly notice the huge amount of money we were spending on cat litter and we were getting so broke it was like a Christmas present every time I got a new jug of Tidy Cat.  Now it is such a minuscule amount that it isn't even noticeable!



Now for reference: I was using approx. 2 - 20 pound Tidy cat jugs per a week (approx $10 each) for 3 large cat pans sized 15" x 21" x 7" and keeping the litter about 3 inches deep.  About every 10 weeks I had to buy twice that amount to completely clean and refill boxes.



Now with the laying crumbles we are buying 1 - 50 pound bag for about $14 and that bag lasts about 3 weeks for 3 much larger litter pans and mostly keeping the litter about 4 inches deep.  


These new 3 pans are so much bigger: 18" x 30" x 13",  14" x 24" x 15",  18" x 26" x 20"    



I estimate that I was spending for the much smaller boxes approximately:                        $1140 annually on clay clumping cat litter.


My new estimate for the laying crumbles and the much larger boxes is approximately:    $   308 annually on laying crumbles for litter and that is even allowing for a complete emptying and cleaning every 12 weeks which I haven't yet had to do.



I am very happy and thankful that I found such great money saving info on this site as well as on: cats adored .com  where I also learned about the better cat box idea.  I am so grateful people took the time to share their good advise.  It meant we didn't have to make our precious cats live outside and I would once again be worrying about loosing another pet to rattlesnakes, great-horned owls, hawks, and coyotes.  What a relief!!!  Now it would be great to learn of ways to safely let them out sometimes without all the risks.  I guess that will be my next internet research.
I'm glad the crumbles worked well for you. They do cover odor better than any cat litter I know of. I always just started out mixing the baking soda with the crumble. It discourages snacking and also works toward odor control.

I did have better luck with starter crumble as imho, it clumps a little better. It's a finer mash I guess.

12 cats... Wow! My 2 keep me busy. I can't imagine adding 10 more. :eek:
 

lisa j tx

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I know I am so crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was down to 5 cats and happy.  It is just nearly impossible for me to reject caring for strays.  One tomcat outside was no trouble until he brought over his pregnant "wife" who was sweet but had a raging, hard to fight case of various worms plus coccidia which affected all of her kittens.  My little kids and I fell in love with them plus we couldn't give away sick kittens.  They are now nearly 6 months old and doing much better.  They are so loving,cuddley, and funny!  (Today I scheduled with the vet to have the 5 kittens and tomcat all fixed for next week.)  I scoop the boxes at least 5 times a day since a couple of them are still having troubles with loose bowels.  They are still on meds for coccidia so i hope these messy days will be over soon.  I am so sick of cleaning!  At least the house is fairly big and we had the foresight to just do stained concrete floors throughout which makes it much easier than carpet to clean and disinfect. 

From your description, I bet i will like the starter crumbles even better.  I will get them the next time.  I almost got them last week but I chickened out for fear they might not be as good.  I sure would like it if the clumps would hold together more tightly.  I haven't seen the cats trying to eat the crumbles but my 2 dogs do like to try the crumbles sometimes.  At least I hope that is all they're after.  They are the only 2 dogs I have had that didn't ever seem interested in eating cat leavings from the box.  I will start using more baking soda and see if that helps to stop the dogs, although they rarely do that.  Thanks for the helpful info!
 
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bigperm20

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I know I am so crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was down to 5 cats and happy.  It is just nearly impossible for me to reject caring for strays.  One tomcat outside was no trouble until he brought over his pregnant "wife" who was sweet but had a raging, hard to fight case of various worms plus coccidia which affected all of her kittens.  My little kids and I fell in love with them plus we couldn't give away sick kittens.  They are now nearly 6 months old and doing much better.  They are so loving,cuddley, and funny!  (Today I scheduled with the vet to have the 5 kittens and tomcat all fixed for next week.)  I scoop the boxes at least 5 times a day since a couple of them are still having troubles with loose bowels.  They are still on meds for coccidia so i hope these messy days will be over soon.  I am so sick of cleaning!  At least the house is fairly big and we had the foresight to just do stained concrete floors throughout which makes it much easier than carpet to clean and disinfect. 



From your description, I bet i will like the starter crumbles even better.  I will get them the next time.  I almost got them last week but I chickened out for fear they might not be as good.  I sure would like it if the clumps would hold together more tightly.  I haven't seen the cats trying to eat the crumbles but my 2 dogs do like to try the crumbles sometimes.  At least I hope that is all they're after.  They are the only 2 dogs I have had that didn't ever seem interested in eating cat leavings from the box.  I will start using more baking soda and see if that helps to stop the dogs, although they rarely do that.  Thanks for the helpful info!
The Dumor brand is what I usually bought. I see that's what you'be been using, so I think the label says it's specofically for baby birds. The package has a silhouette of a duck, chick, and some other baby birds.

I usually used about a full box of generic baking soda per 50 lb bag. My kitty Beans thought she'd died and gone to heaven when I first filled the boxes. She ended up getting constipated something fierce. Needless to say, I got some baking soda pretty quickly.
 

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Oh, I bet she is the silly kitty I remember ready all the funny posts about ...the one who thought the crumbles were a giant bin of treats to eat.  That is so funny and I loved reading your hilarious posts.  Her cute stories were very entertaining.  I am glad she is doing okay now.  Thanks for sharing them.  Mine never even thought of eating the crumbles.  I am surprised because one of my cats, Mr. Cuddles, is always anxious for some treat.  The kids even got him walking the treadmill for pounce treats (with my supervision of course).  He will walk and walk with the treat just out of reach on the stationary cover of the treadmill.  Then we put the treat on the slow moving treadmill belt and he stops walking and rides it off to the floor and waits for his treat to meet him there.  
  We get a kick out of it and he likes all the attention and treats.   We really have only played that game a few times because I don't wan't to take the chance of him getting hurt.  At least we got a cute video though.
 
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