Black Bugs in Chick Feed Starter

[oaktownchic]

I went in today to feed my 5 week old chicks and I found quite a bit of little black bugs inside the feed starter. My husband picked up the bag on Craigslist so I am not sure if it is old. Is it ok to feed my chicks this feed?

 

[NancyDz]

I wouldnt feed it to them, probably why it was on craigslist. Old chick starter loses it's nutritional value, I buy it in small quantities I know I'll use within a couple weeks because of that.


Nancy

 

[Mahonri]

Weevils.

They can eat through a 50 lbs bag in a week... and spread to the rest of the bags.

That's why I stopped buying feed from Pratts in Glendale.

 

[Peaguy]

I hope this bag is outside somewhere! Weevils will get into anything and everything! Flour, cornmeal, dog food, cat food. EVERYTHING! and once you get them they are hard to gett rid of! basically all dry food products are free game for them

 

[MoodyChicken]

Evil Weevils! They're so annoying! I had a bag pretty badly infested with them and I fed it anyways. As long as the feed doesn't smell rancid, then it's ok (they eat bugs anways!), but it spoils faster. I dumped the whole bag in the coop and threw the plastic away. That seemed to get rid of them, and the birds thoroughly enjoyed a mound of chicken feed.

 

[Sunny the Hippie Chick]

If you dont mind feeding the bugs to your chicks like some of the others.. Then I would put the whole bag in the freezer to kill the bugs and their eggs.. That way they cant infest other foods..

Mmm extra protein..

I went through this awhile back.. I put every thing that was dry goods in the freezer.. Now no more problem..

 

[nzpouter]

is this the rice weevil?

like this?

http://www.backpackfever.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/435px-sitophilusgranarius.jpg

if they are.. then it's extra protein for the chickens...

 

[Judy]

After a chat with my feed provider, I decided there were probably weevils or weevil eggs in all the feed I bought.

Weevils eat feed and chickens eat weevils.

Heck, the chickens might be better off with the weevils. I can't buy anything but vegetarian feed around here. And chickens are not vegetarians.

Food grade DE will control the weevils, and some feed has DE in it to kill the weevils, or so I understand.

Mealworms, anyone?