Bugs in Feed Question

[CrazyChickGirl]

Just after I posted my other question, I noticed a few teeny tiny bugs in our brand new bag of feed. Ugh. I will be returning it today or tomorrow. Unfortunately I had dumped the new bag in our canister, right on top of our good food. So, these are my questions: in my search to pull out a few bugs for proof, I can only now find one. Earlier I saw at least three. I dug through and am having a hard time finding them now. I'm guessing its a small infestation. So I now need to get rid of it all, correct? Should I sanitize the canister? If I look through and find a clean scoop, would it be ok to feed my chicks a little? The only food they have right now is in their brooder/ coop and there isn't much left...

 

[bugflipper]

Yep it won't harm them. This is just something that happens. If folks paid attention,more feed has bugs then doesn't I'd imagine. When a farmer harvests grain it generally goes in his silo or is sent directly to a buyer and sits in his silo. When the chicken feed manufacturer needs the grains they are shipped ,that could be a year later. Odds are the bugs are already in the grain in the field, the hopper of the combine, the first silo, the grain trailers, the distributor's silo, the grain mill's silo or even the shoots or grinders in the mill. The longer the bag sits in the store the more generations of bugs that can reproduce in the bag. For a bag not to have some bugs would be the rare chance since by nature grains are available to bugs at every stage until it is in a bag. Usually feed stores with the cheapest prices in an area with a higher population will go through stock quicker and in turn have less generations of bugs in them.

If you want to take some for proof to get your money back they generally work their way to the top so it's easier to breathe without the grain crushing against them. More will be up at the top tomorrow.

Have a good day.

 

[escape]

A few years ago, I bought a bag of oats for my horse and put it in a tote. I didn't notice the bugs until a couple weeks later when I had a nightmare of little worms crawling all around my stable. Up the walls.... on the ceiling.... eww! everything I touched had a little worm. It was like living in a horror movie!

I tossed that tote of oats out.

Now, when I buy grain, I add a little food grade diatomaceous earth to it when I pour it in the tote. The de kills the bugs and doesn't hurt my animals.

 

[CrazyChickGirl]

Thank you for all the info and advice!