Chicken crumble (feed) as alternative to WBCL?

Hi,

I have a Litter Robot and am on a quest to find a natural litter so I can simply compost the waste and use it on my shrubs. Feline pine scoop is nice, but it collects horribly in my wirehaired cat's fur--imagine sawdust in an afro--so I need something a bit heavier. I bought WBCL last night and about DIED at the price--OMG!

This morning I got to thinking about a bunch of posts I read a year or so ago about using chicken crumble from the farm and feed store as cat litter. It is corn based, just like WBCL and would seem to me to work well.

Has anyone tried it lately? Anyone ever try it in a Litter Robot? The cost is apparently amazing--$6.50 for 40 pounds or so. You just have to be sure and keep it in an airtight container to keep bugs (weevils) out of it.

Thanks in advance,

Cally

WCBL is expansive because it lasts longer... and I use it exclusivelty in my litter robots

Y, I understand "why" it's expensive. I'm just looking for an equivalent, or nearly equivalent, less expensive alternative. With 5 pets, a 10 yo girl, and a husband, it's always good to spend money as wisely as possible.

I've known several people, generally with a house full of kitties, who use and recommend chicken feed in place of regular litter for the very reason you've described, it's much less expensive. The real test will be to see if your kitties approve!

Of course my cats can be quite different than any one elses but my sweet Joshua (RB) when I tried this, decided when first put in a box, it was a snack It may have been related to his restricted diet (he had severe IBD) I don't know, but I had to quit using it!

PM Neet (Neetanddave). She uses Chicken Layena (???) almost exclusively and has no issues at all with it. I believe it is very cost effective.

Myself, I'm a die hard WBCL fan!

I use the Egg Layer Mash feed, I have 8 boxes for my 11 cats that live in their own little house. It's VERY good for composting! It's unscented, so if you use scented litter already, maybe switch to unscented to get them used to that. It's very much like clumping litter, but not the tiny grains, like the larger ones (I think Arm & Hammer has those.) It's a little dusty, since it's less processed than litter is, but it clumps well. Only problem you may have is if you shake the clumps really rough, they will break apart, but in my experience the clumping litter does that too.

Walmart here sells the Family Farm brand, and any of your local farm supply stores should carry it. Just pick the egg layer mash over the scratch feed, it has large chunks of corn in it. The Family Farm brand is about $9 for a 50 pound bag here. At that price, I can change out the boxes completely every two weeks and refill as necessary.

Good luck with it! Your garden will appreciate you!

I love it. My price is more though. It went from 12.00 in the last year or so to 16. It seems like everytime I go it goes up a dollar. The excuse is the price of fuel and corn.
It is still the best buy, and I try to be organic whenever I can. I do mix it with swheat in the hot summer, because it smells a little"corney".
I am not sure I would compost it though, or maybe just the uurinated bit? I thought cat feces, or any feces for that matter, should not be applied to compost, for food crops especially. And wouldn't that odor of urine and feces invite other cats in the neighborhood to your garden?

Thanks. I'm going to give it a try! I switched to WBCL on Sunday and it's going really well. Big shock to me to see one of my cat's chronic eye irritation disappear in the absence of the Scoop Away! The WBCL also doesn't get caught in his "afro" and none of the cats are dusty anymore!

As for composting it--I plan to just put it on my front shrubs. No using it for my veggies! LOL

Cally

You can compost the feces, as long as you let it stew for awhile it should be fine. Same as cow manure, I think safer actually....

As far as the smell, it will actually keep other cats away, and will cut down on rodents (especially squirrels.) They smell it and think there's a predator nearby, so they take off.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Of course my cats can be quite different than any one elses

but my sweet Joshua (RB) when I tried this, decided when first put in a box, it was a snack

It may have been related to his restricted diet (he had severe IBD) I don't know, but I had to quit using it!

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Mr. Underfoot did the same thing when I tried it!

Neetndave, below are copied from just a few websites I searched. Unless your compost gets really hot, you are not going to kill the dangerous organisms in cat feces.
Cows and horses are vegetarians, which is why it is ok to use their manure. It is not a good idea to use cat or dog, or human feces in the compost. I wouldn't even use it around shrubs, because from time to time, your hands will be digging in that soil.

Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis. They become infected by eating infected rodents, birds, or other small animals. The parasite is then passed in the cat's feces in an oocyst form, which is microscopic.
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Pet wastes (e.g., dog or cat feces, soiled cat litter)
Might contain parasites, bacteria, germs, pathogens, and viruses harmful to humans
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there are things that should not go into the backyard compost pile. They may cause odors, attract pests or cause human health problems.

Don't include:

Manures from animals (dogs and cats) that eat meat
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Animal wastes (meat, bones, grease, whole eggs and dairy products) may cause odors and attract rodents; they are not recommended. Human, cat or dog feces may transmit diseases and should not be used.

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Originally Posted by tuxedokitties

Mr. Underfoot did the same thing when I tried it!

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Aha! My sweet Joshua-Poobers wasn't being totally insane then!

chicken feed was great but the dog liked the litter as she likes swheet scoop and worlds,.... wouldnt be so bad but she is allergic

Originally Posted by sharky

chicken feed was great but the dog liked the litter as she likes swheet scoop and worlds,.... wouldnt be so bad but she is allergic

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You know, some say you crave what you are allergic to/what isn't good for you...I am just sharing what I've heard so that's just anecdotal, but it makes me wonder if that's why your dog, my Josh like to nibble on this stuff?

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

You know, some say you crave what you are allergic to/what isn't good for you...I am just sharing what I've heard so that's just anecdotal, but it makes me wonder if that's why your dog, my Josh like to nibble on this stuff?

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Actually that is what the vet thought..after she stopped laughing ... see Gigi is not intrested in anything but the litter