Pelleted vs. Textured Feed By: Lyndsey Keller When feeding lambs a commercial ration, consumers often want to know which is best for their lamb, a pelleted feed or a textured feed. The truth is, both kinds of feed have their own advantages to the other. Just take a look at them below. Pelleted Feed... causes no sorting Some lambs on a textured feed may sort or weed out specific feed ingredients of which they are not fond. Although these "sorter" lambs can be taught to eat that one ingredient they would prefer not to, with pellets there is nothing to weed out. is often cheaper is less attractive to insects Textured feed is often "sweet" meaning it has molasses in it not only for nutrition and taste but to also help hold the feed together. This sweet smelling ingredient is also sweet smelling to insects. Although pelleted feeds may also contain sweeteners like molasses, it isn't as strong or noticable, making it more insect-friendly. "keeps" longer Textured feed is made up of several grain ingredients, each having their own shelve life. They won't all go bad at once, but if one goes bad, the rest of them will follow. Things such as the amount of molasses or the amount of moisture in corn can cause feed to go bad quicker than planned. With pelleted feed, everything is all together in a little package, making spoilage a thing that usually only happens with bad feed storage. Textured Feed... has ingredients listed on feed tags that one can actually comprehend Pelleted feed ingredients are often listed under things such as plant protein products. Textured feeds list ingredients in terms the average person would know such as rolled corn. is easier to monitor for feed quality When looking at a pelleted feed, there may be very little difference in fresh pellets and those that are months old. When looking at each specific grain in textured feed, an educated eye can tell the quality and freshness of the feed. is easier to supplement with other ingredients (topdresses, more corn, etc.) When adding another ingredient, such as whole corn, to a pelleted feed, lambs may often sort out the new ingredient as they aren't accustomed to eating different things all at once. However, a textured feed already has different grains in it and the lambs are used to eating things that taste different and have different textures all at once, so adding an extra ingredient is more likely to go unnoticed. is easier to wet feed Wet feeding with a pelleted feed is possible, but some lambs may simply refuse to eat a complete "mush" meal. Because pellets are easily broken down in water, they will turn soft and will almost liquify if left in water long enough. Wet feeding with a textured feed may still make mush, but some things in the feed won't be broken down with water (corn, oats, etc.). is more palatable is what it is When you look at a pelleted feed, can you tell what's in it? When you look at textured feed you can tell right away of what the feed is composed (corn, oats, barley, etc.). |
This page was last updated on: January 7, 2005
Pelleted vs. Textured Feed By: Lyndsey Keller When feeding lambs a commercial ration, consumers often want to know which is best for their lamb, a pelleted feed or a textured feed. The truth is, both kinds of feed have their own advantages to the other. Just take a look at them below. Pelleted Feed... causes no sorting Some lambs on a textured feed may sort or weed out specific feed ingredients of which they are not fond. Although these "sorter" lambs can be taught to eat that one ingredient they would prefer not to, with pellets there is nothing to weed out. is often cheaper is less attractive to insects Textured feed is often "sweet" meaning it has molasses in it not only for nutrition and taste but to also help hold the feed together. This sweet smelling ingredient is also sweet smelling to insects. Although pelleted feeds may also contain sweeteners like molasses, it isn't as strong or noticable, making it more insect-friendly. "keeps" longer Textured feed is made up of several grain ingredients, each having their own shelve life. They won't all go bad at once, but if one goes bad, the rest of them will follow. Things such as the amount of molasses or the amount of moisture in corn can cause feed to go bad quicker than planned. With pelleted feed, everything is all together in a little package, making spoilage a thing that usually only happens with bad feed storage. Textured Feed... has ingredients listed on feed tags that one can actually comprehend Pelleted feed ingredients are often listed under things such as plant protein products. Textured feeds list ingredients in terms the average person would know such as rolled corn. is easier to monitor for feed quality When looking at a pelleted feed, there may be very little difference in fresh pellets and those that are months old. When looking at each specific grain in textured feed, an educated eye can tell the quality and freshness of the feed. is easier to supplement with other ingredients (topdresses, more corn, etc.) When adding another ingredient, such as whole corn, to a pelleted feed, lambs may often sort out the new ingredient as they aren't accustomed to eating different things all at once. However, a textured feed already has different grains in it and the lambs are used to eating things that taste different and have different textures all at once, so adding an extra ingredient is more likely to go unnoticed. is easier to wet feed Wet feeding with a pelleted feed is possible, but some lambs may simply refuse to eat a complete "mush" meal. Because pellets are easily broken down in water, they will turn soft and will almost liquify if left in water long enough. Wet feeding with a textured feed may still make mush, but some things in the feed won't be broken down with water (corn, oats, etc.). is more palatable is what it is When you look at a pelleted feed, can you tell what's in it? When you look at textured feed you can tell right away of what the feed is composed (corn, oats, barley, etc.). |
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