Chick Crumb Only Cat Litter Thread (Worlds Best Cat Litter substitute)

lilibeth

I'm aware that chick crumb has been mentioned in passing in the other very old and very loooong cat litter thread. I think that because the general public have mostly never heard of this and it is a bit unusual it really deserves its own thread. Especially now we are in recession saving that bit extra is more relevant than ever. A thread where those who use it and those who want to use it can share information regarding:

-which brands are best
-where to get it cheapest
-why you should avoid ones with hormones
-flushability
-how often to do a full litter tray clean-out/how deep to fill etc.
-any other tips or problems or advice.

For those who don't know, chick crumb is feed for baby chickens which an increasing number of cat breeders use as cat litter as a cheap substitute for 'Worlds Best' and 'Okö Plus' branded cat litter which are the most expensive cat litters and are corn based. It costs about 1/6th of what World's Best costs and it too can be flushed.

Any current chick crumb devotees wish to nail their colours to the mast and talk about their experience? Please? I'm about to take the plunge next week. Anybody using Farmgate Chick Crumbs ACS?

robert_harper_2000

I always use OKO I find it lasts a long time (you're only flushing away the clumps aren't you? ). I would avoid changing brands too quickly in case the cat doesn't understand. Avoid any scented brands again to avoid confusion. If I don't clean it each time the cat does his business he won't use it and will go on my floor - so I clean it twice three times again - just flushing the clumps.

OKO does come in three sizes, might be cheaper in bigger bags - 5L, 10L, 40L

rachiee

I have used chick crumbs before when i had some chicks out the incubator and i ran out of litter so used some and they loved it, only thing was i had a big bag in the tack room and they peed in it!!

lilibeth

rachiee wrote: »

I have used chick crumbs before when i had some chicks out the incubator and i ran out of litter so used some and they loved it, only thing was i had a big bag in the tack room and they peed in it!!

Why didn't you stick with it? I realise that unless you are into the whole 'Worlds Best Cat Litter' (aka the worlds most expensive) thing it probably wouldn't be a saving over ordinary litter.
I'm really worried about tracking so I'm getting some fake astro turf mats from wilco and a covered litter tray before I start using it.


P.S I'm seriously jealous of the Irish wolfhounds

giantmutantbroccoli

Is it that much better than normal cat litter?
I find the idea of using food as cat litter a bit weird and...wrong.
There's no real moral basis behind that though, other than the ingrained "You shouldn't waste food" thing I was brought up with.

Fire_Fox

Apologies for going off topic, but I am pretty sure OkoPlus is wood-based not corn-based like WorldsBest and chick-crumb. I am using OkoPlus as Noah used that before but would be willing to switch: does chick-crumb clump? Does it track badly?

Astroturf is meant to be very harsh on cats paws, I guess because it sticks up between the pads.

lilibeth

Yeah it is Worlds Best that is corn based I was being lazy and lumping them together because they tend to be aimed at the same market. Shhhhhhh:D
I'm using it at the moment too. All the stuff I've seen in those pet forums where the breeders hang out most of them seem to have been using Okö or the Worlds Most Expensive prior to switching and the majority seem to love it. Some even say it is better.

Re astro turf it isn't real astro turf I didn't know how else to describe it. A breeder friend of my brothers recommended it and it is pretty soft it is to catch the cat litter only I won't make him walk on it all day.

spookylukey

I used chick crumb for around 18 months, have now switched to Oko plus even though it's much more expensive for reasons below:

Pros for chick crumb

Very cheap, around £9 for a 20kg sack - I used to buy mine from Jollyes.
Controls smells
Clumps well
Cats liked it
Flushable

Cons for chick crumb

Tracks quite badly (even with hooded trays and litter mats)
Dusty

It was the tracking that made me switch in the end, I now use Oko which is much more expensive. Oko is also quite bad for tracking but as the pieces are a bit larger it makes it easier to sweep up.

lilibeth

Spookylukey
Just to be clear the above are the pros and cons for chick crumb yeah?
I'm going to be getting it for 7.50 a bag (20kg). I'm a bit concerned about tracking but I cannot justify keep paying what I am now on Okö which tracks anyway. The price difference is huge. The breeder friend I mentioned claims it tracks less. I've heard some people say it is about the same and some say it is less and some like you say it is a bit worse. My cat chucks it about the place anyway, it seems to be a sport for him.:D
Thanks for your input, how did you find it for flushability?

Oh and what brand(s) did you use I've heard some are better than others regarding dust?

spookylukey

Yep sorry, the above pros and cons are for chick crumb, have edited the post now

£7.50 is a good price, the price seemed to fluctuate but never went over £10 for a 20kg sack. I wouldn't say crumb is much worse than Oko for tracking, in reality they're probably the same but due to the Oko pieces being slightly larger it just seems easier to deal with.

lilibeth wrote: »

-which brands are best
-where to get it cheapest
-why you should avoid ones with hormones
-flushability
-how often to do a full litter tray clean-out/how deep to fill etc.
-any other tips or problems or advice.

-I would avoid any brands with antibiotics/hormones added, check the packaging. The one I used was by 'Dodson & Horrell'.
-Farm feed type shops, horsey places, Jollyes
-I would be concerned about cats ingesting added antibiotics/hormones by licking their paws
-I only flushed poos, would be concerned about flushing all deposits in case it clogged up the drains.
-Litter needs to be filled nice and deep, I scooped a minimum of twice daily and then topped up when the level ran low. The second time it ran low I did a complete change/scrub of trays.

lilibeth

spookylukey wrote: »

Yep sorry, the above pros and cons are for chick crumb, have edited the post now

£7.50 is a good price, the price seemed to fluctuate but never went over £10 for a 20kg sack. I wouldn't say crumb is much worse than Oko for tracking, in reality they're probably the same but due to the Oko pieces being slightly larger it just seems easier to deal with.



-I would avoid any brands with antibiotics/hormones added, check the packaging. The one I used was by 'Dodson & Horrell'.
-Farm feed type shops, horsey places, Jollyes
-I would be concerned about cats ingesting added antibiotics/hormones by licking their paws
-I only flushed poos, would be concerned about flushing all deposits in case it clogged up the drains.
-Litter needs to be filled nice and deep, I scooped a minimum of twice daily and then topped up when the level ran low. The second time it ran low I did a complete change/scrub of trays.

Thanks for this it is seriously helpful info for us paupers and skinflints.
I already scoop twice daily so that is no problem. And I do a complete change about once a week to once a fortnight. Regarding the antibiotics/hormones thing yeah as I mentioned in the OP I'm aware of this and very very careful about making sure I only get crumb that is free of it. For the reasons you have mentioned. It's the same reason I never used clay based litters because the end up ingesting it.