I use organic layer pellets for my hens. I prefer pellets over crumble for many reasons:
-Less messy. Crumble spills all over the ground because the chickens will dig the feed with their beaks while eating. They will do this with the pellets too, but it is easier to eat it off the ground than the crumble.
-Easier to eat. Sometimes crumble can be powdery. Before a chicken pecks something, they look at it with their left eye first then their right eye to be able to pinpoint the thing they will peck. If the crumble is powdery, then it is harder to eat because the powder is so fine there isn't really anything to see. Pellets are much easier to see. (A solution to the powder/crumble is to put it in a bowl and mix in water to make it chunky).
-Not wasteful. Crumble will get all over the ground, and sometimes won't get eaten, so much of it will get wasted. You can put the wasted crumble in your compost if you have one.
-Better nutrition. (At least in Santa Barbara) chicken crumble usually doesn't have enough calcium (and other nutrients to encourage egg production) for laying hens because it is meant for chicks. So for calcium deficiency, you can either buy crushed oyster shells or grind their egg shells and mix it in with the feed (I do this for the pellets anyway).
-Lasts longer. In my experience, pellets last longer than crumble. When in storage, the crumble clumps together and gets moldy more quickly, especially if it's in a humid atmosphere.
I store the pellets in a metal trash can (with a lid) in our garden shed. I think it is good to store the feed in a cool or room temperature place to avoid it spoiling too quickly. I buy organic because we are eating the eggs and don't want chemicals in them, and of course it is much better for our environment and hens. But it is more expensive. I also get safflower seeds (and spread a cup around in the run) for extra protein-and they love it.
