6 months old layer feed - throw away or not?

[Natalijaasbj]

About 6 months ago I got two bags of "organic type feed. - it mostly made from cracked natural grains and added supplements like oyster shell. So it is not typical stuff from Feed store. The problem was chickens liked it but not very much. So I ended up with mixing it with regular pellets bought in the store.
So i ended up with one bag sitting for 6 months. I just opened it - it looks okey, but I am in doubt if I should feed it.
Any advice?

 

[PolkaDot77]

There might be an expiration date on the bag. Check the tag where the nutrition info is. Barring an actual date to go off of, I would probably just look at it, dig through it, smell it, etc to make sure it's not showing any signs of mold. What type of environment was it in? Temperature controlled garage, humid/dry outdoors, etc. Lastly, if it were me, and everything looks good with it, I'd offer it to the chickens and see if they will eat it. I have found chickens to be pretty discriminating about food that is no longer good. Good luck!

 

[donrae]

If it were my conventional commercial feed, I'd not worry about it one bit. With a special blend of more cracked grains vs my usual crumbles, I'd give it a more thorough once-over. Smell, feel, things like that. If feed is going to go bad, it's usually going to be pretty obvious about it--smelly mold, clumps of feed.

Check the bag for a date, and if you're still concerned call the company.

 

[Natalijaasbj]

Thanks for your quick response - both of you!
I agree with you Polka Dot - the chickens will let me know for sure. They feel when it is too bad to eat. It was kept in the garage, so it is not moist or exposed to elements.
Yes, if it were commercial I would not even ask the question, because this stuff is usually pretty"dead" and preserved for eternity. But as for "fresh" type of food - I have my doubts.
I gave them the feed today. they pick through,so I guess they will figure out what is not edible. I am just not in the mood to throw away 40 pounds of good food.
From now own I am done with buying bags of pre-made food - I see my chooks actually prefer mixed grains ( whole or split) . This is how they were fed before 1930-s. I just have to make sure they have enough protein, and give oyster shells to layers. so glad I found a new way which seems so much more natural.