OK, first, I wouldn't normally even consider this. But, sometimes you hit a period of time in any given month where things can get a little tight in the budget department. Yeah, we're having one of those months right now.
I have a bag of chick starter sitting up on the top shelf in the coop. I bought it last spring to feed to Rachel, Rosie and LizzyBeth when I first brought them home. Obviously 3 little chicks aren't going to go through a whole heck of a lot of this stuff to begin with. Especially not when I supplemented their diets so heavily with fresh things from the garden!
So, now I have 16 eggs in the bator, due to hatch Saturday/Sunday and it's looking like I might get all 16...maybe...oh gawds! I sure hope I didn't jinx that! Anyhow, I did pick up a fresh bag of chick starter yesterday, so it's not like I'm in an emergency situation here for feed for these soon to arrive chicks from the 'bator. But, if I get even half of that number, that's enough young chicks that I could end up going through the starter formula in pretty quick order. Especially as I'm still the better part of 3+ months away from producing anything out of the gardens for them.
Is this bag that I've kept sitting on the top shelf of the coop any good still? Or should I just throw it out into the compost heap? It has stayed nice and dry the entire time. I'm just worried about it loosing its nutritive value after so long. I'd hate like heck to feed it to the wee ones only to discover that I'm starving them to death!?!?
Any thoughts? What's the longest you've kept a bag of feed around? Did you notice any kind of decline in the health of your birds for having fed old feed to them?
I have a bag of chick starter sitting up on the top shelf in the coop. I bought it last spring to feed to Rachel, Rosie and LizzyBeth when I first brought them home. Obviously 3 little chicks aren't going to go through a whole heck of a lot of this stuff to begin with. Especially not when I supplemented their diets so heavily with fresh things from the garden!
So, now I have 16 eggs in the bator, due to hatch Saturday/Sunday and it's looking like I might get all 16...maybe...oh gawds! I sure hope I didn't jinx that! Anyhow, I did pick up a fresh bag of chick starter yesterday, so it's not like I'm in an emergency situation here for feed for these soon to arrive chicks from the 'bator. But, if I get even half of that number, that's enough young chicks that I could end up going through the starter formula in pretty quick order. Especially as I'm still the better part of 3+ months away from producing anything out of the gardens for them.
Is this bag that I've kept sitting on the top shelf of the coop any good still? Or should I just throw it out into the compost heap? It has stayed nice and dry the entire time. I'm just worried about it loosing its nutritive value after so long. I'd hate like heck to feed it to the wee ones only to discover that I'm starving them to death!?!?
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