I started this batch of RES out on bloodworms and the homemade hydrated crumbles. One thing I have noticed about the hydrated feed is that they will eat much larger peices of the hydrated feed, I assume the softer texture is easier to swallow, if it is dry they prefer much smaller peices. I am running a mix of Optimal BG and Optimal bass through a coffee bean grinder, pouring the mix into a wire mesh strainer, then shaking it back and so the fine dust and very small peices fall out the bottom. Larger peices tend to work their way to the top of the strainer and smaller peices toward the bottom. The nice thing is that there is a nice mix of sizes to feed them. I try and sort it so I hydrate the larger sizes and put the smaller sizes in an automatic feeder that feeds them four times a day while I am gone. I do like to hydrate the crumbles then let it dry out a bit before feeding, the stuff I hydrate in the morning gets fed in the evening and vica versa. This has worked much better than my previous run at feed training RES. Give hydrated feed a try with your crappie and see if it helps.
