bugs in feed - safe or not?

[Sonmezay]

ewww....I went to feed my chicks and opened the bag to find bugs! They were crawling all over it, and it really grossed me out!

Aside from me being creeped out and disturbed by the insects, will they harm the chicks at all? (They are 2 weeks old) Or should I buy new feed tomorrow and a container to store it in?

 

[speckledhen]

You'll hear different opinions, but the tag on most feeds says DO NOT FEED MOLDY OR BUG-INFESTED FEED. Weevils in the feed mean the vitamin content has been compromised and the feed will probably be powdery (lots of fines). I personally return it. To me, it's not quite the same as bugs they find crawling across the ground outside. One feedstore owner thinks I'm nuts, but the brand guarantees 100% satisfaction, so I take them at their word.

 

[swtangel321]

What kind of bugs do you think they are ? What did they look like ??

 

[Sonmezay]

They were black, bigger than a small ant. And there were other small bugs in it...

We have had this for 2 weeks, and my husband had put the bag outside, and wouldn't buy an air tight container for the feed, so I think that has something to do with it.

 

[jadude]

yes i weevil i took mine back to the feed store

 

[crooked stripe]

I keep my feed in a 30 gallon Rubber Maid garbage can with the lid on and have never had a problem. When I first started this addicticting hobby I just kept my feed in the bag and found the mice ate holes in the bag for their feast. When the bag was almost empty I did find some worms and pitched it. Haven't had a problem since. John

 

[Katy]

I don't think the feed will probably hurt them, after all chickens eat bugs all the time. It's more that the quality of the food isn't going to be what it should be if it's been being eaten on by the bugs.

 

[Sonmezay]

Thanks for the replies! This weekend we'll get a new bag and a container to store the feed in.