Why is all the feed so old in stores?

[Stephine]

I give mine the expired feed, but supplement it with lots of bugs (they free range on two acres) and snacks from my kitchen (vegetables, fruit, yogurt, etc.)
I tried talking to my TSC about it but they didn’t have an answer. I’ve also tried giving them a mix but like yours they pick and choose what they want. Then they get soft eggshells ‘cause they won’t eat oyster shell.

I just bought a vitamin supplement to sprinkle on their feed (poultry booster from rooster booster), but it seems idiotic to have to do that - and expensive!

 

[Stephine]

Harvest is in the fall so bags will be either really old grain or last years grain.

Whole grains actually keep quite well, because the shell keeps it from oxidizing. It’s when it is ground up and mixed with other ingredients and pressed into pellets that the shelf life really suffers, so the manufacturing date is the one that’s important.

 

[Stephine]

Can you order from Chewy?

Can’t afford the shipping! But is their feed any fresher?

 

[nuthatched]

Where are you? The farther you are from a

Can’t afford the shipping! But is their feed any fresher?

Not necessarily

 

[TooCheep]

When stored properly in dry, moderate temperature conditions, feed can be stored for up to 4 months, although we recommend usage within 60 days in hot, humid summer months and 90 days in cooler months.

That is counter-intuitive. Feed keeps longer in moderate temperatures than cool temperatures? I can't think of any foods where that is true except certain things that can be destroyed by freezing.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

You read that backwards. Less time in hot weather than cool weather. The quote is from a feed supplier I'll not name. Bottom line is I would not accept feed older than four months unless given a considerable discount.

 

[TooCheep]

You read that backwards. Less time in hot weather than cool weather. The quote is from a feed supplier I'll not name. Bottom line is I would not accept feed older than four months unless given a considerable discount.

No, I read it carefully. It says:
-Moderate temperatures: 4 months
-Hot temperatures: 60 days (2 months)
-Cooler temperatures: 90 days (3 months)

That is why I asked about moderate and cool, but not hot.

 

[Stephine]

Where are you? The farther you are from a

Not necessarily

Sonoma County CA

 

[nuthatched]

Sonoma County CA

You should be able to find a stote with high turnover.

 

[Stephine]

No, I read it carefully. It says:
-Moderate temperatures: 4 months
-Hot temperatures: 60 days (2 months)
-Cooler temperatures: 90 days (3 months)

That is why I asked about moderate and cool, but not hot.

Oh, you missed the “although we recommend” bit of the statement. They mean 4 months under reasonable storage conditions, (will not kill your birds in the short term), but really (if we actually care about their feed being nutritious), it’s a shorter shelf life: one month less when it’s cool, 2 months less when it’s hot and humid. That’s what they meant, I think.