Contaminated feed and salmonella

[suburbanduckmom]

I just read on CNN that the Salmonella found in eggs may be because of contaminated feed. http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/26/eggs.salmonella.farms/index.html?eref=mrss_igoogle_cnn

Do we need to be worried about contaminated feed?

 

[Amiga]

I reckon we need to be aware that boughten feed still carries the risk of contamination. Creepy.

 

[katharinad]

The last news I've heard about their feed is that they mix it themselves. They are buying individual ingredients by the truck load, store it in their silos and mix as needed. The contamination can be anywhere in the line.
I'm glad to raise my own birds for eggs, because I'm feed up with the industry. What happened to getting the stuff local? Really does a store in Oregon have to get their eggs from Ohio? Every time you look at mass production you are just asking for trouble. I have visited an egg production farm in Germany and it wasn't funny at all. It's the same over here. Poor animals.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Rhodent's can and do contritbute to salmonella.We started storing all of our feed in large metal trash can's with lid's a few year's ago.We didn't even realize We had rat's until We got pig's the first couple of year's We were here.We have been putting out poision for year's to keep them under control.Feed need's to be stored in a safe contained area.And If you can't see rat's or mice if you have any type of feed or corn on ground at anytime they are most likely present.There a lot of good trap set up's and stuff online.My new layers have just started laying and We wont worry about eating the egg's.I just made my 2 yr old grandson an egg biscuit from one this morn.If I obsessed over everything I ate I wouldn't eat anything.So much in the Media and I'm sure it's basicly all true most of it.Do you know what's in a hotdog bologna? Do you know what give's jellybean's the shine??.

 

[katharinad]

You are so right with whats in the food. I studied medicine in the early 1980s I must admit. We had to take a class called hygiene, which dealt with keeping labs and equipment clean, and also general health etc. The first thing the professor said was that when we die we all should be put into a dump for hazardous material. He said we would be full with heavy metals and other contaminants from what we eat, drink, and inhale. Ok he was a little bit extreme but no to far off. Next he told us that what does not kill us will make us strong. The argument was that sterilizing baby bottles with chemicals will create children that can get potentially very sick, because their body does not build a strong immune system because it is not exposed to the everyday bacteria. Rinsing with hot water is all needed and the few bacteria strains that make if will make the child immune. He has some points we should take into consideration. This will exclude facilities that are full of bacteria or viruses. So for example a facility that takes care of children must use more caution, while at home you can ease of a little bit.

 

[suburbanduckmom]

We keep our feed in a big Rubbermaid container so I think it is safe from critters. We just bought a new bag of feed and I don't want to have to worry about throwing it out. I never really thought about where the duck food was coming from or that it might not be safe! I'm just happy to have found a feed store that has layer feed at all in our area.

We are very fortunate to have local farms that produce most of the food our family eats and I know where what I eat comes from and who grew it/raised it/baked it. I just didn't think about the ducks food being safe.

We are still eating our eggs. Everyone we know wants some because they are worried about store bought eggs. I'm directing them to the farmers market vendors because we just don't have enough. Maybe I can make some money by selling them instead.