Chicken Crumbles as cat litter.

  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #101

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
Please post the treadmill vid to YouTube and post it here. Sounds really funny...
 

lisa j tx

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
78
Purraise
5
I have never signed up for a youtube account yet.  Hopefully I will get around to doing that so I can post it.  He was pretty cute on the treadmill but the lighting was a bit dim so the video wasn't great.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #103

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
If you have a Gmail acct, you have a YouTube login. Gmail logins will work on any Google product.

No sweat though. My mental picture is probably better anyway.
 

lisa j tx

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
78
Purraise
5
Wow, I did not know that.  I will check it out.  Thanks for the info.
 

lisa j tx

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
78
Purraise
5
Okay, I am back to let everyone know who Is thinking of using chicken crumbles that chick starter crumbles clump MUCH tighter and better than the laying crumbles.  So I want to thank bigperm20 for posting and recommending the Dumor chick starter crumbles from tractor supply.  I was scared to give it a try because the Dumor laying crumbles were really pretty good.  The only thing that kept the laying crumbles from being a perfect cat litter is that it didn't clump as instantly or as tightly as regular clay clumping litter.  Well, Dumor Chick starter crumbles clumps great!!!! In my opinion it is the very best cat litter I have ever used!!  Instead of $14 for a 50 lb. bag like the laying crumbles, it was $17 per 50 lb bag ...only a few dollars more but so worth it because the pee clumps never break apart while scooping.  The texture of this stuff is much like grape nut cereal in case anyone was wondering.

I want to let everyone know who uses clay clumping litter  how much of a money saver this stuff is and what a perfect litter it is as well.  I have so many indoor cats that I estimated that I was spending about $1000 per a year on Tidy cat jugs from Walmart.  I have been using the crumbles for more than 3 months and can now predict that I will spend less than $350 per a year; that is a huge savings.  The main reason it is possible is because the same volume just goes so much further than the clay does; at least 4 times further.  I also want to say how easy it was to wash out the litter box.  First off, I was able to go more than 3 months without the box getting yucky and needing a washing!  It still wasn't yukky but I wanted to clean it to try the chick starter type crumbles by themselves so I could observe the difference.  The type of dust this chicken feed has is helpful.  It is almost like either a static charge or a silicone coating keeps the box from ever getting a crusty dirty build-up.  The box washed out perfectly clean and still new looking.  The chick starter crumbles are much less dusty than the laying crumbles but I bet they will still keep the box completely clean from build-up.  My husband is so relieved at the money savings and especially that we no longer have to constantly haul home 2 heavy 20 pound jugs of litter from the store every week, plus the scooped out litter is less heavy making the trash less heavy to haul out.  We are only having to get ONE 50 pound bag of crumbles about every 3 to 4 weeks and that is for 10 cats and 3 giant size rubbermaid containers cut out to use as perfect roomy cat litter boxes.  Before I switched off of clay clumping litter, I only had 3 regular large size cat boxes which were much smaller than what I am using now.  So the crumbles are lasting for many more weeks even though the 3 boxes are two times bigger.  BTW, my house never smells like cats.  People cat believe we have so many.  The crumbles are good odor protection as long as the cat actually covers there stuff.  I do scoop 2 or 3 times a day to keep them cleaner and so cats won't step in anything and track it.  That problem was much worse with clay litter.  The crumbles keep their paws very clean, much better than clay litter.

Because of other suggestions on this thread, I have just bought Tractor Supplies cheap Paws and Claws clumping litter to try out.  I sometimes put a scrappy formerly tomcat (now fixed) in the garage to keep him safe when I hear lots of owls and coyotes at night.  I didn't use crumbles in the garage because I thought it might attract bugs or moisture / mold.  I will post back my review of Paws and Claws clumping litter.

Thanks to all of you for posting helpful and money saving advise!  I love this site!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #106

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
Okay, I am back to let everyone know who Is thinking of using chicken crumbles that chick starter crumbles clump MUCH tighter and better than the laying crumbles.  So I want to thank bigperm20 for posting and recommending the Dumor chick starter crumbles from tractor supply.  I was scared to give it a try because the Dumor laying crumbles were really pretty good.  The only thing that kept the laying crumbles from being a perfect cat litter is that it didn't clump as instantly or as tightly as regular clay clumping litter.  Well, Dumor Chick starter crumbles clumps great!!!! In my opinion it is the very best cat litter I have ever used!!  Instead of $14 for a 50 lb. bag like the laying crumbles, it was $17 per 50 lb bag ...only a few dollars more but so worth it because the pee clumps never break apart while scooping.  The texture of this stuff is much like grape nut cereal in case anyone was wondering.



I want to let everyone know who uses clay clumping litter  how much of a money saver this stuff is and what a perfect litter it is as well.  I have so many indoor cats that I estimated that I was spending about $1000 per a year on Tidy cat jugs from Walmart.  I have been using the crumbles for more than 3 months and can now predict that I will spend less than $350 per a year; that is a huge savings.  The main reason it is possible is because the same volume just goes so much further than the clay does; at least 4 times further.  I also want to say how easy it was to wash out the litter box.  First off, I was able to go more than 3 months without the box getting yucky and needing a washing!  It still wasn't yukky but I wanted to clean it to try the chick starter type crumbles by themselves so I could observe the difference.  The type of dust this chicken feed has is helpful.  It is almost like either a static charge or a silicone coating keeps the box from ever getting a crusty dirty build-up.  The box washed out perfectly clean and still new looking.  The chick starter crumbles are much less dusty than the laying crumbles but I bet they will still keep the box completely clean from build-up.  My husband is so relieved at the money savings and especially that we no longer have to constantly haul home 2 heavy 20 pound jugs of litter from the store every week, plus the scooped out litter is less heavy making the trash less heavy to haul out.  We are only having to get ONE 50 pound bag of crumbles about every 3 to 4 weeks and that is for 10 cats and 3 giant size rubbermaid containers cut out to use as perfect roomy cat litter boxes.  Before I switched off of clay clumping litter, I only had 3 regular large size cat boxes which were much smaller than what I am using now.  So the crumbles are lasting for many more weeks even though the 3 boxes are two times bigger.  BTW, my house never smells like cats.  People cat believe we have so many.  The crumbles are good odor protection as long as the cat actually covers there stuff.  I do scoop 2 or 3 times a day to keep them cleaner and so cats won't step in anything and track it.  That problem was much worse with clay litter.  The crumbles keep their paws very clean, much better than clay litter.



Because of other suggestions on this thread, I have just bought Tractor Supplies cheap Paws and Claws clumping litter to try out.  I sometimes put a scrappy formerly tomcat (now fixed) in the garage to keep him safe when I hear lots of owls and coyotes at night.  I didn't use crumbles in the garage because I thought it might attract bugs or moisture / mold.  I will post back my review of Paws and Claws clumping litter.



Thanks to all of you for posting helpful and money saving advise!  I love this site!
I'm glad it worked so well for you.
 

ltodeasa

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
2
Purraise
1


Yes...Dumor brand layer feed crumbles sell for $13.49 for 50 pounds at our Tractor Supply store in Connecticut. It's probably cheaper elsewhere! I have used this exclusively for a year now after reading about the similarity to the World's Best Cat Litter. I bought a small bag of WBCL (8 pounds was more than $10) and tested it out. Luckily, we have backyard chickens, so I "borrowed" some from my husband's supply to compare. They perform identically!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #108

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee


Yes...Dumor brand layer feed crumbles sell for $13.49 for 50 pounds at our Tractor Supply store in Connecticut. It's probably cheaper elsewhere! I have used this exclusively for a year now after reading about the similarity to the World's Best Cat Litter. I bought a small bag of WBCL (8 pounds was more than $10) and tested it out. Luckily, we have backyard chickens, so I "borrowed" some from my husband's supply to compare. They perform identically!
I have actually quit using the crumbles for the last year or so. I'm about to change back b/c the cheap cat litter I've been buying has gotten really dusty as of late.
 

tnhand1022

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Feb 22, 2014
Messages
28
Purraise
2
What an interesting thread! I've been using Dumor crumbles as litter for about 2 years. All my cats & foster kittens have used it just fine - except for one who started off having a corn snack while doing his business. Ew! That only lasted 2 days though.

Crumbles don't clump as hard when it's humid, so I'm a pro at hunting down the runaway pee-crumbles. But it's worth it for me - no perfumes, no plumes of dust, natural ingredients, and I can get 50lbs for $10.99. Also, crumbles could be eaten in a severe emergency like a zombie apocalypse.  ;)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #110

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
What an interesting thread! I've been using Dumor crumbles as litter for about 2 years. All my cats & foster kittens have used it just fine - except for one who started off having a corn snack while doing his business. Ew! That only lasted 2 days though.



Crumbles don't clump as hard when it's humid, so I'm a pro at hunting down the runaway pee-crumbles. But it's worth it for me - no perfumes, no plumes of dust, natural ingredients, and I can get 50lbs for $10.99. Also, crumbles could be eaten in a severe emergency like a zombie apocalypse.  ;)
To stop snacking add a box of baking soda for every 50 lb bag and stir it up really good. Cats don't like salty things and it helps the box smell fresh.
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
Repeating a suggestion I made awhile back, Tractor Supply carries two kinds of horse bedding.  One is just like Feline Pine and is $5 to $6 for a 40-lb bag.  The other is "Best Cob Premium Horse Bedding" which is made of corn cobs.  It comes in 40-lb bags for $8.99 a bag and is very economical.  Usually the pieces are about half to 1/4 the size of the pine litter pellets, and it has no odor but deoodorizes very well.  It absorbs a lot and never sticks to the bottom of the box.  It doesn't clump hard, it sort of boils up into a lump like particle board when it gets wet, making it easy to scoop out those clumps.  What you miss becomes a fine sawdust in the bottom of the pan.  Most cats accept it well and it's a great litter to use for multiple cats.  I'm not sure if it's better litter than the chicken crumbles, since I have never used the chicken crumbles, but it is certainly less expensive and there is no problem with bugs.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #112

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
Repeating a suggestion I made awhile back, Tractor Supply carries two kinds of horse bedding.  One is just like Feline Pine and is $5 to $6 for a 40-lb bag.  The other is "Best Cob Premium Horse Bedding" which is made of corn cobs.  It comes in 40-lb bags for $8.99 a bag and is very economical.  Usually the pieces are about half to 1/4 the size of the pine litter pellets, and it has no odor but deoodorizes very well.  It absorbs a lot and never sticks to the bottom of the box.  It doesn't clump hard, it sort of boils up into a lump like particle board when it gets wet, making it easy to scoop out those clumps.  What you miss becomes a fine sawdust in the bottom of the pan.  Most cats accept it well and it's a great litter to use for multiple cats.  I'm not sure if it's better litter than the chicken crumbles, since I have never used the chicken crumbles, but it is certainly less expensive and there is no problem with bugs.
I think i'm going to try out the corn cob bedding next time. I bought a new bag of crumbles and after going back to clay for 6 months my girls don't like the crumble anymore.

Does the corn cob bedding smell very strongly of corn, or is it more muted? This batch of crumble is especially "barn yard smelling". I'm thinking maybe the cob pellets will be better. It does clump right?
 

red top rescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
4,466
Purraise
1,486
Location
Acworth GA, USA
I dot find the corrn cob beddig has any smell but my friend says it smells like the water you have boiled ears of corn in.  The clumps are NOT hard, they are just clusters of swollen pellets which are kind of disintegrating but quite easy to remove as such.  Thanks for reminding me, I need to go dig boxes now!  It's bedtime.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #114

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
I dot find the corrn cob beddig has any smell but my friend says it smells like the water you have boiled ears of corn in.  The clumps are NOT hard, they are just clusters of swollen pellets which are kind of disintegrating but quite easy to remove as such.  Thanks for reminding me, I need to go dig boxes now!  It's bedtime.

So it doesn't disintegrate like feline pine, it swells instead?

Are the pellets sticky or messy once they've done their business? Both my girls are aggressive diggers and occasionally get litter stuck on their paws.
 

rsnyder935

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Apr 4, 2015
Messages
1
Purraise
1
If you are looking for a good kitty litter that is 99% dust free then I would suggest Dr Elsey's Ultra Precious Cat Litter. A 40# bag is $15.57 and is an excellent kitty litter. We change the litter once a week and there is no smell.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #116

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
If you are looking for a good kitty litter that is 99% dust free then I would suggest Dr Elsey's Ultra Precious Cat Litter. A 40# bag is $15.57 and is an excellent kitty litter. We change the litter once a week and there is no smell.
I think I'm going to give the Dr Elsey's a try. My girls are really balking as going back to the crumbles. I never should have switched them back to clay litter as now it's all they want.
 

silverpersian

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Dec 16, 2013
Messages
342
Purraise
33
Location
Midwest - US
I use Dr. Elsey's, at least six inches deep. I scoop very carefully at least twice a day and wash the box about once a month. Nothing ever touches the bottom. If the occasional clump touches the sides of the box, I clean it with enzymatic cleaner. I dump out the litter only twice a year. We have very little dust or tracking (other than the litter that splashes out when our cat vigorously dives in and out). You can't smell anything even if you are inches away from  the box.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #118

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
I use Dr. Elsey's, at least six inches deep. I scoop very carefully at least twice a day and wash the box about once a month. Nothing ever touches the bottom. If the occasional clump touches the sides of the box, I clean it with enzymatic cleaner. I dump out the litter only twice a year. We have very little dust or tracking (other than the litter that splashes out when our cat vigorously dives in and out). You can't smell anything even if you are inches away from  the box.
I see your user name is @SilverPersian. I have a Domestic Long Hair with a very Persian like coat. It's very "cottony", and holds on to litter dust. I hate that b/c sometimes she comes to sit with me and a big cloud of litter dust erupts from her fur when she is stroked.

I'm going to Petco shortly to pick up a box of Doc Elsey's. I hope it works, and i also hope they don't change the formulation and start selling big bags of dust once i start using it. That's happened with 3 different brands now.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #119

bigperm20

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
1,334
Purraise
140
Location
Nashville, Tennessee
I use Dr. Elsey's, at least six inches deep. I scoop very carefully at least twice a day and wash the box about once a month. Nothing ever touches the bottom. If the occasional clump touches the sides of the box, I clean it with enzymatic cleaner. I dump out the litter only twice a year. We have very little dust or tracking (other than the litter that splashes out when our cat vigorously dives in and out). You can't smell anything even if you are inches away from  the box.
I see your user name is @SilverPersian. I have a Domestic Long Hair with a very Persian like coat. It's very "cottony", and holds on to litter dust. I hate that b/c sometimes she comes to sit with me and a big cloud of litter dust erupts from her fur when she is stroked.

I'm going to Petco shortly to pick up a box of Doc Elsey's. I hope it works, and i also hope they don't change the formulation and start selling big bags of dust once i start using it. That's happened with 3 different brands now.
So far it reminds me of the Tractor Supply brand we've discussed several times in this thread. When i first started using it, it had very little dust. After 6 months of happy dust free kitties, it suddenly got very dusty. There's no smell like the TSC litter, too. I hate that perfume smell some litters have.
 

ondine

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Nov 20, 2008
Messages
5,312
Purraise
780
Location
Burlington, North Carolina
I use Tractor Supply, too and also noticed the dust.  Our local store now has no clumping litter but about 75 bags of the non-clumping.  I suspect somethings going on with the formula.  Hope they are figuring out the dust issue!
 
Top