Earwings in Dry Grain Storage

[byc-andy]

I recently switched from store bought pellet feed to making my own fermented mix of dried grains. My mix includes, whole corn, whole oats, red wheat berries, and dried split peas. I aslo sprinkle fish meal on each serving.

I store my supply of each grain in their own metal trash cans with a lid outdoors (front range of CO). A couple times/wk I will make a fermented mix in a 5 gal bucket. I noticed earwigs around the surface of each bucket when I open the lid. More so in the wheat/oats, some in the peas, never in the corn.

I have just been picking them out as I can grab them and feeding them to my chickens as an extra source of protein. First, are there any problems with hens eating this particular insect?

Second, should I be more concerned about these, or can I continue my current ways? I'm curious about a few things:
- Are they going to eat a significant amount of my supply if left unchecked?
- I assume they are laying eggs in there, are those safe for the chickens to consume?
- Do I need to worry about infesting my nearby garden beds?
- Are the bags I purchase from my suppliers likely already infested, or are these bugs likely crawling into my can afterwards?

Final note, the bucket containing my wheat berries is small, I can usually search the entire supply and clear most if not all of the bugs out. The oats however are in a larger bucket due to how readly available they are for me to purchase in bulk from Tractor Supply. I fear the day when I get to the bottom of the bucket to find an army of these things waiting.

Thanks!

 

[nuthatched]

The Feed is safe, they're likely crawling in from your yard since it's not common for them to be in warehouses.
The chickens will likely eat the earwigs.
I'd rethink your recipe, it doesn't appear to be nutritionally complete from the information you provided.

 

[Altairsky]

Earwigs are one of the most delicious things in this world. It's gourmet cuisine for chickens.

 

[byc-andy]

The Feed is safe, they're likely crawling in from your yard since it's not common for them to be in warehouses.
The chickens will likely eat the earwigs.
I'd rethink your recipe, it doesn't appear to be nutritionally complete from the information you provided.

Edited for additional context

What am I missing? thanks!

My current mix recipe:

• 30% Corn
• 30% Wheat berries
• 20% Peas
• 10% Oats
• 8% Fish Meal

(2%) They also get table scraps and free range the property for 4-5 hrs/day, so whatever they find out there too

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

@Perris can help with your recipe

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I have found a couple in my feed as well. I switched to a more airtight container but I didn’t worry about it. I was more worried the food would go stale from air exposure

 

[byc-andy]

I have found a couple in my feed as well. I switched to a more airtight container but I didn’t worry about it. I was more worried the food would go stale from air exposure

I think I cycle through all but the oats fast enough to avoid going bad. in reading through some of their other threads, @nuthatched is having me question the use of oats altogether.

 

[nuthatched]

Edited for additional context

What am I missing? thanks!

My current mix recipe:

• 30% Corn
• 30% Wheat berries
• 20% Peas
• 10% Oats
• 8% Fish Meal

(2%) They also get table scraps and free range the property for 4-5 hrs/day, so whatever they find out there too

I'm not at home, so I can'tput too much time in it, but it *seems* that the peas are doing most of the heavy lifting for the protein/amino acids area.
Do you have a nutritional break down? Where'd you find this recipe?

 

[byc-andy]

I'm not at home, so I can'tput too much time in it, but it *seems* that the peas are doing most of the heavy lifting for the protein/amino acids area.
Do you have a nutritional break down? Where'd you find this recipe?

I can't recall exectly, it was a pretty long drawn out YT video that went into quite a bit of detail. I'll see if I can find it. Here's what Claude has to say about my mix:

Fish Meal (8% of your mix) - The amino acid powerhouse:

• Provides excellent complete protein with all essential amino acids
• High in lysine and methionine (often limiting amino acids in poultry diets)
• Contains tryptophan, threonine, and arginine
• This is your most balanced amino acid source

Peas (20% of your mix) - High lysine contributor:

• Very high in lysine (even higher than soybeans)
• Good source of threonine and arginine
• Lower in methionine and cysteine (sulfur amino acids)
• Provides about 20-25% protein

Wheat (30% of your mix) - Moderate protein with good digestibility:

• Contains about 12-15% protein
• Reasonable amino acid profile but lower in lysine
• Good source of threonine
• Higher in methionine than peas

Corn (30% of your mix) - Energy with some protein:

• About 8-10% protein
• Lower in most essential amino acids, especially lysine
• Provides some methionine and cysteine
• Mainly serves as energy source

Oats (10% of your mix) - Moderate amino acid contributor:

• About 11-14% protein
• Better amino acid balance than corn
• Provides some lysine and threonine

Potential gaps in your recipe:

• Methionine/Cysteine: These sulfur amino acids might be on the lower side since peas (your largest protein contributor) are low in these
• Overall protein percentage: Your mix might be around 16-18% protein, which is appropriate for layers

 

[nuthatched]

I can't recall exectly, it was a pretty long drawn out YT video that went into quite a bit of detail. I'll see if I can find it. Here's what Claude has to say about my mix:

Fish Meal (8% of your mix) - The amino acid powerhouse:

• Provides excellent complete protein with all essential amino acids
• High in lysine and methionine (often limiting amino acids in poultry diets)
• Contains tryptophan, threonine, and arginine
• This is your most balanced amino acid source

Peas (20% of your mix) - High lysine contributor:

• Very high in lysine (even higher than soybeans)
• Good source of threonine and arginine
• Lower in methionine and cysteine (sulfur amino acids)
• Provides about 20-25% protein

Wheat (30% of your mix) - Moderate protein with good digestibility:

• Contains about 12-15% protein
• Reasonable amino acid profile but lower in lysine
• Good source of threonine
• Higher in methionine than peas

Corn (30% of your mix) - Energy with some protein:

• About 8-10% protein
• Lower in most essential amino acids, especially lysine
• Provides some methionine and cysteine
• Mainly serves as energy source

Oats (10% of your mix) - Moderate amino acid contributor:

• About 11-14% protein
• Better amino acid balance than corn
• Provides some lysine and threonine

Potential gaps in your recipe:

• Methionine/Cysteine: These sulfur amino acids might be on the lower side since peas (your largest protein contributor) are low in these
• Overall protein percentage: Your mix might be around 16-18% protein, which is appropriate for layers

I'm sorry, who's Claude?
Is there a complete nutrition breakdown for the feed as a whole?

If you're going to go to YouTube for recipes, I'd reccomended Justin Rhodes,