# Cat Litter review - Chick crumbs



## Iky316 (Aug 13, 2010)

Hello folk,

I have decided to write a review about using chick crumbs as cat litter. When I joined this forum, I read somewhere about using chick crumbs as cat litter as it has clumping properties similar to to Wrolds Best and Cats Best cat litter. I decided to buy it, and after a few weeks of use I want to share my findings.

* Please note* that this review is based on my own personal experience. Others may have had different experiences and they are more than welcome to leave their own thoughts below.

The chick crumb that I have reviewed is Alan&Page Organic chick crumb.

*Cost* - 20kg bag for £9.50 (I got this on offer, its usualy around £15)

*Purchased* - From a farm supplies wholesaler. These products can be purchased online but the cost of delivery is almost as much as the product itself.

*Tip *- Alan&Page small holder website has a list of suppliers around the UK. These should be able to supply the products at internet costs, without the delivery charge, as you can collect it yourself.

*Advantages* 
- Cost. £9.50 for 20kgs is dirt cheap. Even £15 for 20kgs is alot cheaper than other clumping cat litter (Cats Best and Wolrds Best etc).

- Clumping. It clumps as well as Cats Best... Which is a great clumping cat litter.

- Duration of use. I bought this product in October and still have over half left. This should easily see me through to february. _*NB*_ This usage is based on a single cat houshold.

- Flush friendly. As its biodegradable it can be flushed down the loo, or used as compost.

*Disadvatages*

- Its animal food!! Yes folks. Chick crumbs is actual chick feed and not a specific cat litter. Those who have issues with using animal feed as cat litter will not want to use this.

- It Tracks!! OH BOY does it track! Especialy when the cat decides to spring out of the tray. I would advise people to lay large door mats around the cat tray covering the area around the tray a foot in each direction.

- Minimising odours. It does a good job of eliminating urine odours as it balls up realy quickly. However, Feces is another matter. Chick crumbs do not neutralise ammonia, so when your cat takes a dump there is a lingering smell.
Once feces is taken away though, the smell goes away too. If you are working all day then you might come back to funky smell.

- Heavey bag. The bag is 20kg!! So trying to put litter in your tray could be very difficult. I would advise using a cup or a medium sized bucket to fill the tray in bits.

*My Conclusion* Would I buy this product again? Most likely yes. I know it has a few problems. But the cost is so cheap it outweighs the negatives. And the performance is just as good as Cats Best.

I will however say that it is not as good as odour neutralising as silca cat litter or pine pellets.. Which I might be tempted to use next. (Pine pellets that is)

I hope this review has been helpfull for someone.

Iky:thumbup:


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

An excellent review. Very clear and unbiased :thumbup: It's the smell that puts me off using it though.


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## hobbs2004 (Mar 12, 2010)

Excellent review Iky.

Just to point out, because it is animal feed for chooks, there are some chick crumbs that are medicated. These should be avoided if it is used as litter.


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## buffie (May 31, 2010)

Thanks for taking the time and trouble to put this thread together.


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## MissBethM (Aug 25, 2010)

Thanks for the review  very informative.

I started using chick crumb about 3 weeks ago  unfortunately, one of my cats (no names mentioned cough cough Tilly) spends an extraordinarily long time digging up the litter after she has been on the tray. I have picked her out of the tray on some occasions only for her to dash back on to carry on digging! Therefore, instead of having neat little wee balls to scoop out, Tilly has dispersed the used litter all over the tray and there is no way to effectively remove the offending clumps as they just mix in with the clean litter.

I find I am fully emptying and cleaning the tray as much as when I used the wood pellets.

I probably would continue using the crumbs if I didnt have an overactive litter digging cat but  alas I will be returning to the wood pellets when the bag is finished as I find these do not track so bad!


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## Iky316 (Aug 13, 2010)

Thanks for the kind words folks.

Two points raised above by Miss BethM and Hobbs2004.

Miss BethM - You're right The wee balls can break up easily if you have a maniac digger. Jess does that too. But I find that if you fill the tray deep enough then this solves the problem. For me anyways.

Miss Hobbs - You are absolutely right. I meant to make a note of that in my review but forgot as I was writing the review on alan and page and the organic crumbs.

*Note for all folks* - If you are thinking about using chick crumbs as cat litter then be aware that cheap brands can contain antibiotics, cocciostats or growth promoters.

You will want to stay away from these.

You dont have to necessarily buy organic to avoid em... The small holder range from alan and page contains none of the products mentioned above and is cheaper to buy.

Cheers

Iky:thumbup:


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## dagny0823 (Oct 20, 2009)

I've been using chick crumbs (or layer crumbles as they are called over here) for nearly a year now based on advice from this forum and I have to say I haven't looked back. Yes, sometimes there's a funky odor from poo, especially if certain cats don't cover well. But I've found a sprinkle of baking soda in the box or borax (the laundry booster kind, which isn't toxic and kills any fleas hopping around in the box during flea season) does the trick. I've also considered adding some litter pearls but I haven't seen the real need when I use the baking soda or borax. 

I've used clay clumping and World's Best in the past. I have to say I adore the chick crumbs. Plus if the dog gets in the box, the litter is okay for him to eat. The clumping stuff makes my dogs horribly ill.


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## billyboysmammy (Sep 12, 2009)

Ive been using chick crumb for a while now too, as for the tracking yes it tracks, but no more than cats best or worlds best imo.


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## Sorcha (Oct 19, 2009)

Great review :thumbup:

I'm using chick crumb now as well. The bag I have is about 8 pounds for 20 kg.
I do not use it in the living room and the bedroom though, as I really don't like the smell. Most of our trays are in the conservatory and they all have chick crumb in them.


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## MaryA (Oct 8, 2010)

Does Chick crumb smell the same as World's Best or is it different please?


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