Chickens going off feed & refusing to eat it

[SueT]

Okay folks, another thing. I received this bag on 1/31/23 & didn't open until 2/12/23; with the mill date being 1/3/23 do you consider it old? I realize there could be more to it than old feed, but was always under the presumption that within 60 days of mill date is acceptable. My only choices are the local feed store (Purina only option) & Chewy (several brands to choose from, but only familiar with Kalmbach). I'll need to order something as eggs & soaked grains/seeds are not a long term option and of course they free range so have plenty of green stuff.

Have you offered any other feeds? Your chickens could have some other issue than the feed. I feed Kalmbach and my chickens really love it. They prefer it to the Purina I recently changed from. The Kalmbach feed smells good==does yours have an off smell?

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

I've been feeding Kalmbach for several years now after switching from Purina. It smells normal to me & is free, loose & dry (no clumps). The Cardinals have not been eating it either, nor have the raccoons. There's definitely something off with the feed. I've not tried another feed as it's all I had. I'm on Chewy looking at other brands though I may just order Purina locally as they deliver on Wednesdays, so can get it tomorrow, whereas Chewy would be Thursday or Friday. Looking at Nutrena on Chewy, but not convinced it's much better than Purina & costs a bit more. Also at Chewy is Bluebonnet Poultry & Gamebird which has 20% protein too.

 

[SueT]

Kalmbach has good customer service, I would contact them.
We’re feeding Kalmbach 20% flock maker crumbles, and it’s the same date as yours. The cardinals and sparrows are so bad about stealing feed and making a mess that I now give them their own bowl of feed outside the run. The chickens eat all theirs, and so do the wild birds. I’m at about 3 weeks of feeding this feed after switching from Purina.

 

[Geena]

Not true! Year is first. 23 003 is Jan 3 of this year. They use 3 digits for the day, thus the zero’s.
I talked w Kalmbach recently to clarify.

I think @Cindy in PA just miss- typed that. 2003 would be some really old feed.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

Kalmbach has good customer service, I would contact them.
We’re feeding Kalmbach 20% flock maker crumbles, and it’s the same date as yours. The cardinals and sparrows are so bad about stealing feed and making a mess that I now give them their own bowl of feed outside the run. The chickens eat all theirs, and so do the wild birds. I’m at about 3 weeks of feeding this feed after switching from Purina.

I did contact Kalmbach, via email, and they've forwarded to their Quality Assurance Dept.. Craziest thing isn't it; the Cardinals love Kalmbach, but won't bother with Purina. I bit the bullet & went with Bluebonnet Gamebird Feed which is still 20% & in pellet form. I bleached the bowls last night & reoffered today, but won't eat it. I had also noticed the raccoons aren't eating it either.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I wrote it wrong & am saying the same as @SueT

 

[Cindy in PA]

did you get there without a calculator? How clear do you think it is to someone looking in a feed store to buy a bag of recently milled feed?

Perhaps you can quickly add it in your head & come close or go in with the knowledge that today is day 81 according to my daily planner & figure how fresh they are from there? It really isn't that difficult.

 

[Sunshine_Chick]

Guess it's been a week or so of feeding the Bluebonnet Gamebird Feed & the girls have adjusted to eating it. It took a day, but after having soaked whole grains & scrambled eggs I expected them to frown upon it, at first. I'm not thrilled with it being soybean first & containing calcium as have a nearly 4 year old who rarely lays anymore, but guess can't tick all the boxes all the time. They now it it regularly & the others are laying steadily. It was ~$25.50 for a 50# bag at Chewy which is significantly cheaper than the Kalmbach All Flock. I've attached a pic of the ingredients & macros for anyone interested.

 

[aart]

did you get there without a calculator? How clear do you think it is to someone looking in a feed store to buy a bag of recently milled feed?

It's pretty easy once you're familiar with the system.
How do they mark the manufacturing date on feed in your country @Perris

 

[Perris]

It's pretty easy once you're familiar with the system.
How do they mark the manufacturing date on feed in your country @Perris

It works the same way as for human food here, so the last sack I finished says "Best before 20/12/23" (NB we order dates day/month/year, so that's 20th Dec 2023).

I buy whole grains, so the sacks are dated 'best before' a calendar year on from date the sack was packed. There are much shorter dates for milled grains, but they still use the 'best before' system, just like for human food.