Chicken Crumbles as cat litter.

red top rescue

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I understand what you mean about cats not liking to have their litter switched, but since I do rescue and house multiple cats, both mine and fosters, I always give a SELECTION of litter, all of which needs to be acceptable to ME first.  I can't stand ANY scent in litter because even when it starts out smelling fine, when it mixes with cat chemicals, it becomes nauseating.  Second, it has to be basically healthy, i.e. NO DUST, silica, or other irritants.  Even pine dust is an irritant.  Third, because of the volume I go through, it needs to be economical.  And fourth, because I haul my own garbage to the dump, it can't be basically too heavy., so if I'm buying 40 pounds, it  needs to have a lot of volume, and better not be able to fit in a little bucket!  FINALLY,  it must also be acceptable to most of the cats.  This corn cob horse bedding fits all those requirements.  I introduced it by just adding a few boxes of it in the litter box area to see if they used it.  They did.  Then of course gave it time and saw how well it lasted and absorbed and clumped, how it was to clean and to haul away.  That was fine too.  The ONLY thing I like better about the pine pellets is the smell.  I like the fresh pine smell, so I will always have at least one box with pine pellets in every room whether they use it or not.  So dont change your cat's litter, just ADD a few boxes temporarily to see if they, and you, like the other.  As for the bugs, I have heard a LOT of people complain about the bugs in the chicken crumbles.  It probably depends on your local bugs and how open to the outside you are.  Might be fine in a closed up apartment, but I KNOW I'd have bugs in mine because I have to even keep thingslike flour in plastic bags or else it gets bugs.  I'm in the south and in the woods.  Itty bitty bugs come right through the screens in the warm seasons.
 

peaches08

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Actually you CAN beat it and not risk the bug problem.  Tractor Supply carries ANOthER kind of horse bedding in addition to their pine pellets.  It's in a large paper bag (at our store, it's over with the horse feed bags) and it's called BEST COB PREMIUM HORSE BEDDING.  It costs $8.99 for a 40-pound bag and it's made of corn cob crumbles/small pellets.  It CLUMPS FOR EASY CLEANING (according to the bag) rather than just turning into sawdust like the pine pellets.  It doesn't have the nice smell of the pine pellets; it doesn't have much smell at all actually.  No dust, no chemicals, totally healthy.  I've been using it for at least half of my 10 boxes and it's very well accepted by most of the rescue cats.  I have a few who still want the soft sand litter so I keep a couple of boxes with that in it too, but I DO like this Best Cob product.  I suggest you chicken crumbles fans try it before bug season begins.
I would love to see a close up picture with some kind of reference such as a quarter, if it isn't too much trouble. The litter I use is INCREDIBLY dusty and I'd love to find something better. I'm afraid of corn because of Gadget, but I can't swear that the other 2 wouldn't nibble on corn as well. All I need is a no or low scent scoop able litter. My cats eat raw so I don't need anything to cover up smells.

Any tracking problems? Cat's Pride unscented flushable scoopable tracks badly.
 

red top rescue

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Imagine Feline Pine with each piece cut into 3 pieces, that's about what it looks like.  Doesnt track much because it's heavy.  And it's corn COB, not corn, so they dont eat it.  I cant take a picture, I dont have a Smart Phone like the younger generation, sorry.  Each piece is about the size of a pencil eraser if you can imagine that for a size reference.  As I said about clumping, it doesn't clump tightly like Cats Pride, for instance, but compared to feline pine, which turns to sawdust, this also breaks down its bonds but doesn't get as powdery as feline pine.  I imagine the clumping is about the same as the chicken crumbles.

The very best litter I've ever used is the new Blue Buffalo litter, which is made of I think WALNUT shells.  It holds no odor at all, and we use it in the Petco Center for that reason.  It costs a small fortune or else I would buy it for here.  We get it donated to the cats at Petco.  I have brought one bag of it home and tried it in 2 covered litter boxes.  The cats seem to love it, it doesn't track, and it does keep down the smell although it has no odoro of its own.Definitely worth the price to use for one or three cats in a home or an adoption center, but not for a rescue population of 19-20.
 
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bigperm20

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I understand what you mean about cats not liking to have their litter switched, but since I do rescue and house multiple cats, both mine and fosters, I always give a SELECTION of litter, all of which needs to be acceptable to ME first.  I can't stand ANY scent in litter because even when it starts out smelling fine, when it mixes with cat chemicals, it becomes nauseating.  Second, it has to be basically healthy, i.e. NO DUST, silica, or other irritants.  Even pine dust is an irritant.  Third, because of the volume I go through, it needs to be economical.  And fourth, because I haul my own garbage to the dump, it can't be basically too heavy., so if I'm buying 40 pounds, it  needs to have a lot of volume, and better not be able to fit in a little bucket!  FINALLY,  it must also be acceptable to most of the cats.  This corn cob horse bedding fits all those requirements.  I introduced it by just adding a few boxes of it in the litter box area to see if they used it.  They did.  Then of course gave it time and saw how well it lasted and absorbed and clumped, how it was to clean and to haul away.  That was fine too.  The ONLY thing I like better about the pine pellets is the smell.  I like the fresh pine smell, so I will always have at least one box with pine pellets in every room whether they use it or not.  So dont change your cat's litter, just ADD a few boxes temporarily to see if they, and you, like the other.  As for the bugs, I have heard a LOT of people complain about the bugs in the chicken crumbles.  It probably depends on your local bugs and how open to the outside you are.  Might be fine in a closed up apartment, but I KNOW I'd have bugs in mine because I have to even keep thingslike flour in plastic bags or else it gets bugs.  I'm in the south and in the woods.  Itty bitty bugs come right through the screens in the warm seasons.
I live in the south as well. I'm in Nashville. I know all about those pesky little gnats that come in through the window screens. I do definitely feel for you not having trash service. I thought about taking my own garbage to the dump last year to save money. I only live about a mile from the dump so it was a viable option. I decided that $4 a week is pretty cheap to not have to haul soiled cat litter in my car.


I would love to see a close up picture with some kind of reference such as a quarter, if it isn't too much trouble. The litter I use is INCREDIBLY dusty and I'd love to find something better. I'm afraid of corn because of Gadget, but I can't swear that the other 2 wouldn't nibble on corn as well. All I need is a no or low scent scoop able litter. My cats eat raw so I don't need anything to cover up smells.

Any tracking problems? Cat's Pride unscented flushable scoopable tracks badly.
The crumble tracks pretty easily right around the box, but that's it. I never find it more than a foot from the box.I keep a little vacuum handy to keep clean. My girl Oksana is a very aggressive digger so it's most likely her. There is however almost zero dust.

If you look back through this thread I made light of my kitty Beans eating some crumble when I first switched the over. It constipated her so bad I had to "remove" a present from her hind end- not my finest hour...Immediately after that "incident" I added a half a box of baking soda to both boxes. No eating issues since, thank God. I should probably mention that Beans has PICA, which means she'll eat anything that isn't nailed down...SMH...

Imagine Feline Pine with each piece cut into 3 pieces, that's about what it looks like.  Doesnt track much because it's heavy.  And it's corn COB, not corn, so they dont eat it.  I cant take a picture, I dont have a Smart Phone like the younger generation, sorry.  Each piece is about the size of a pencil eraser if you can imagine that for a size reference.  As I said about clumping, it doesn't clump tightly like Cats Pride, for instance, but compared to feline pine, which turns to sawdust, this also breaks down its bonds but doesn't get as powdery as feline pine.  I imagine the clumping is about the same as the chicken crumbles.

The very best litter I've ever used is the new Blue Buffalo litter, which is made of I think WALNUT shells.  It holds no odor at all, and we use it in the Petco Center for that reason.  It costs a small fortune or else I would buy it for here.  We get it donated to the cats at Petco.  I have brought one bag of it home and tried it in 2 covered litter boxes.  The cats seem to love it, it doesn't track, and it does keep down the smell although it has no odoro of its own.Definitely worth the price to use for one or three cats in a home or an adoption center, but not for a rescue population of 19-20.
The chicken crumble I use is very small crushed corn pieces. It's more like Worlds Best Cat Litter than feline pine. The chicken feed "pellets" are about the same size as feline pine but they don't clump. This says on the package "for baby ducks, chickens, and other foul". The pieces are very small so baby birds can eat them. This smaller size lends to it's clumping ability.

I have seen that Blue Buffalo litter. I figured it worked really well but like the WBC I wasn't willing to shell out the extra bucks for it.
 

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Actually you CAN beat it and not risk the bug problem.  Tractor Supply carries ANOthER kind of horse bedding in addition to their pine pellets.  It's in a large paper bag (at our store, it's over with the horse feed bags) and it's called BEST COB PREMIUM HORSE BEDDING.  It costs $8.99 for a 40-pound bag and it's made of corn cob crumbles/small pellets.  It CLUMPS FOR EASY CLEANING (according to the bag) rather than just turning into sawdust like the pine pellets.  It doesn't have the nice smell of the pine pellets; it doesn't have much smell at all actually.  No dust, no chemicals, totally healthy.  I've been using it for at least half of my 10 boxes and it's very well accepted by most of the rescue cats.  I have a few who still want the soft sand litter so I keep a couple of boxes with that in it too, but I DO like this Best Cob product.  I suggest you chicken crumbles fans try it before bug season begins.
Might have to give this a try. What makes it bug-proof?

The Nature's Pine is nice and has been lasting me a while, but as soon as it gets wet it turns into sawdust and they track it all over the house.
 

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Years ago I started using crumbles( ie over ten) ... the non medicated kind ... It worked great ... I tried periodically changing back to other litter as new non clays came readily avail .... always come back to the crumbles till now ... I now use a NON GMO chicken feed that looks alot like scratch only with no corn and does have lentils... I love it even more than egg layer crumbles ... The odor control is wonderful and the house of five cats no odor at all ;), clumping is = to many non clays ... I give it a b - for clumping ( had a foster on clay and theres a difference 
 
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bigperm20

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Years ago I started using crumbles( ie over ten) ... the non medicated kind ... It worked great ... I tried periodically changing back to other litter as new non clays came readily avail .... always come back to the crumbles till now ... I now use a NON GMO chicken feed that looks alot like scratch only with no corn and does have lentils... I love it even more than egg layer crumbles ... The odor control is wonderful and the house of five cats no odor at all ;), clumping is = to many non clays ... I give it a b - for clumping ( had a foster on clay and theres a difference 
Would you say it clumps as well as layer crumble? The crumble I use clumps pretty well as long as the cats aren't especially vigorous with the digging.
 

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I get it from my CSA or the Farmers ( family small ) that I get my chickens from ..... If you can find organic IT is supposed to be NON gmo ;), my local feed store s have that 
 
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bigperm20

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I get it from my CSA or the Farmers ( family small ) that I get my chickens from ..... If you can find organic IT is supposed to be NON gmo ;), my local feed store s have that 
So is it "crumble" made from Lentils, etc, or does it look like dry "split bean soup"? I looked one type up earlier and it reminds me of a soup I made last month.

I guess the best thing to say is: Is it homogeneous? What does it cost? Pics maybe???
 

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I may get a pic of the not used batch ... to me it looks like scratch that got milled on more time .... it is not uniform in shape ... you can see and almost identify each ingredient... A finely milled soup mix may be close ;) .... Mine is 20$ for 50 though like layena is ave of 16 for 50lb s here some areas have way different pricing ... Looks like the MASH in your pics ;)
 
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lisa j tx

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Thanks to all of you for the great advise.  I am so glad I recently found this site.  I was starting to have a very difficult time affording Tidy Cat clumping litter so I researched and found a site (catsadored) that convinced me to try the chicken laying crumbles and the giant rubbermaid boxes.   What a huge savings it has been and so much cleaner!!!  I did cut out recess openings on the really tall containers but I kept the lowest point between 7 to 8 inches high above the floor.  One big Sterilite container I had was only about 13 inches tall and I cut out a v shape with the lowest point about 7 1/2 inches from the floor.  I had 3 month old kittens and grown cats.  I think now it would have been better not to have cut that one at all since it wasn't very tall.  They never had trouble climbing or jumping in and now that slot just allows for scattering litter.  But you have to cut an entrance for the really tall containers.  I just used a hacksaw and smoothed and rounded the edges with a file. (The last one I ended up breaking my cheap hacksaw blade but I was able to finish the cut fairly well with a serrated kitchen knife.)

I have really been pleased with the laying crumbles but be advised it doesn't clump as quickly or as tightly as regular clumping litter but good enough for the savings.  I have used different brands; some where finer and some much courser.  For now I stick with the Dumor Poultry Laying Crumbles from TSC.  It is mid range on courseness.  Thanks to all the input above, I realize now that I should be getting the "Chick Starter Crumbles" (of course unmedicated).  I have been using the Dumor Poultry Laying Crumbles for 2 months and sometimes a urine clump breaks apart if I am not careful when digging or sifting with the scoop.  But I have never had an odor problem and I have not had to empty out and start with a fresh box yet.  (I have a very sensitive sense of smell so I tend to be very picky about odors.)  I keep the boxes between 4 - 6 inches deep (this stuff needs to be deeper than clay).

I transitioned my cats to the crumbles slowly; one box a week and it never bothered them --they just seemed curious and amused.  They seem to like it fine.  Sometimes I catch our two dogs eating the crumbles (thankfully not the poop) so I just shoo them away.  About once a week I shake a little baking soda and mix it into the crumbles just to make sure to keep away odors.  I pay $14 for a 50 pound bag and that bag seems to last 3 or 4 weeks -- for 3 giant cat boxes which are used by 5 grown cats and 5 kittens.  I was going through one huge jug of Tidy cat clumping litter in less than a week so this is a huge welcomed savings.

I just thought I would post my experience for any new comers that haven't tried the crumbles yet.  I will try the chick starter crumbles next.  I am going now to check out the other threads about other inexpensive alternative litters.  I'm learning a lot of good info on this site and grateful for everyone's input.
 

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I have been changing litter constantly since becoming a cat owner 1 year a go. My three cats have been very tolerant of what seemed like my never ending quest for the perfect cat litter.

I have tried several of the common brands of clumping clay  litter. I can't stand the yucky stick to the bottom muddy mess that clay litter makes despite daily scooping (yuck!!.) Also the total litter box clean out is a drag because of how heavy the litter is when I dump into the large garbage bag. I have had several trails of Litter from the garage to the driveway as the litter burst through the bag. So I am definitely through with any kind of clay litter. One time I dumped the used litter in an empty litter cation and put it into the garage until garbage day. I then forgot I did that and assumed it was a new box of fresh litter. The garage started smelling really bad. I though an animal must have gotten into the garage and died. In my search for this dead animal I found the very stinky box of used litter. Needless to say I never did that again!! 

I have tried the natural non clay clumping litter like the one they carry at Walmart , Buffalo Blue, and a few others. I used the Walmart natural litter for a few months actually and liked it but really got tired of all the sweeping because it really does track a lot. 

I also tried the Breeze cat box system and my cats would not use it to poop and only occasionally to pee in. And I think that was only one of the cats.

I read on this site about using chicken scratch so I went to Tractor supply. I asked a clerk there about it and he directed me to the horse pine pellets instead stating that this is what he uses for his cat. He said  he use to use the feline pine but found the horse pine to be the same thing but a lot less expensive. It is about 6.00 for I think it is a 40 or 50 lb. bag. So I bought a bag. But I do plan on buying the feline pine so I can compare the two.

Finally my search is over. The solid matter stays on top and I just scoop it out and dump it in my litter Genie which by the way I love my litter genie!!  But really don't need it as much since I stopped using the clay litter. Oh well the refill bags  will just last twice as long now. The pea turns the pellets to saw dust. There is absolutely no oder at all. When I am leaning over the box sifting out saw dust from from the still formed pellets there is no urine oder at all. The best part is the saw dust does not stick to the bottom of the pan at all. No more muddy stinky mess needing to be scalped out of the bottom of the pan. Seriously the pan stays clean on the bottom. Also the saw dust is light and is easily scooped into my daily trash bags. No more need for extra sturdy trash bags to dump the litter in and drag to the driveway on garbage day. 

I ordered 2 of feline Pines  special sifting 2 pan system and large slot scoops . It should be arriving tomorrow . Pretty expensive  for the litter boxes and scoops almost 70.00. You really don't need them but it makes the sifting of the saw dust easier.You just shake the pans so the saw dust falls through the holes in the top litter box into the bottom litter box to be disposed of. My cats are now using the Breeze litter box since I put the pine pellets in it. And because it has holes in the bottom and a slide out tray that catches the saw dust it totally works and I plan on keeping it as a third litter box.  
 
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bigperm20

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I have been changing litter constantly since becoming a cat owner 1 year a go. My three cats have been very tolerant of what seemed like my never ending quest for the perfect cat litter.



I have tried several of the common brands of clumping clay  litter. I can't stand the yucky stick to the bottom muddy mess that clay litter makes despite daily scooping (yuck!!.) Also the total litter box clean out is a drag because of how heavy the litter is when I dump into the large garbage bag. I have had several trails of Litter from the garage to the driveway as the litter burst through the bag. So I am definitely through with any kind of clay litter. One time I dumped the used litter in an empty litter cation and put it into the garage until garbage day. I then forgot I did that and assumed it was a new box of fresh litter. The garage started smelling really bad. I though an animal must have gotten into the garage and died. In my search for this dead animal I found the very stinky box of used litter. Needless to say I never did that again!! 



I have tried the natural non clay clumping litter like the one they carry at Walmart , Buffalo Blue, and a few others. I used the Walmart natural litter for a few months actually and liked it but really got tired of all the sweeping because it really does track a lot. 



I also tried the Breeze cat box system and my cats would not use it to poop and only occasionally to pee in. And I think that was only one of the cats.



I read on this site about using chicken scratch so I went to Tractor supply. I asked a clerk there about it and he directed me to the horse pine pellets instead stating that this is what he uses for his cat. He said  he use to use the feline pine but found the horse pine to be the same thing but a lot less expensive. It is about 6.00 for I think it is a 40 or 50 lb. bag. So I bought a bag. But I do plan on buying the feline pine so I can compare the two.



Finally my search is over. The solid matter stays on top and I just scoop it out and dump it in my litter Genie which by the way I love my litter genie!!  But really don't need it as much since I stopped using the clay litter. Oh well the refill bags  will just last twice as long now. The pea turns the pellets to saw dust. There is absolutely no oder at all. When I am leaning over the box sifting out saw dust from from the still formed pellets there is no urine oder at all. The best part is the saw dust does not stick to the bottom of the pan at all. No more muddy stinky mess needing to be scalped out of the bottom of the pan. Seriously the pan stays clean on the bottom. Also the saw dust is light and is easily scooped into my daily trash bags. No more need for extra sturdy trash bags to dump the litter in and drag to the driveway on garbage day. 




I ordered 2 of feline Pines  special sifting 2 pan system and large slot scoops . It should be arriving tomorrow . Pretty expensive  for the litter boxes and scoops almost 70.00. You really don't need them but it makes the sifting of the saw dust easier.You just shake the pans so the saw dust falls through the holes in the top litter box into the bottom litter box to be disposed of. My cats are now using the Breeze litter box since I put the pine pellets in it. And because it has holes in the bottom and a slide out tray that catches the saw dust it totally works and I plan on keeping it as a third litter box.  
I wish my cats would use pine litter. They were fine with the crumbles and I had no problem with it, but I found a good, cheap, low dust clay litter I like better.

As far as spending that money on the feline pine boxes, you can make ylur own if you have a drill and a little bit of ingenuity. There are plenty of people online who've done this. Google it.
 

caltritwiamb4

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I am sorry I realize now that this thread was about chicken crumbles for cat litter. I did not realize that when I posted about my horse pine pellets.  
 

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I wish my cats would use pine litter. They were fine with the crumbles and I had no problem with it, but I found a good, cheap, low dust clay litter I like better.
What did you find?
 
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bigperm20

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I wish my cats would use pine litter. They were fine with the crumbles and I had no problem with it, but I found a good, cheap, low dust clay litter I like better.
What did you find?

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.
 
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