Feed knots in food?

[blondie55555]

I found these in my chicken feed. Nutrena Nature Wise Hearty Hen. I don’t recall ever seeing anything like it. Bag was mostly finished when I found them. I got both bags from the same place.

I haven’t received contact back from Nutrena yet. I’m planning to take the freshly opened 2nd bag. Not sure if bag is safe for them to eat.

 

[blondie55555]

Is it clumps of mold? They are hard like a rock.

 

[Huntmaster]

Was it in both bags what is milling date of feed? How do you store your feed? looks like moister got to it and clumped it up and molded. If only in bottom of bag maybe ground moister got to it.

 

[blondie55555]

Was it in both bags what is milling date of feed? How do you store your feed? looks like moister got to it and clumped it up and molded. If only in bottom of bag maybe ground moister got to it.

Yes both bags, same mill date March 29. I store it in the original bag in closed metal trash cans. The big pieces sunk to bottom, little pieces throughout. Picture was of the new bag just opened with small one on top. Dug through bag and found larger also. Should I give them something in case it was mold?

 

[nao57]

Is it clumps of mold? They are hard like a rock.

That was my thought also.

I've encountered this before. What I think this is, is there was moisture in the bag overwinter or early spring. Then a mild amount of mild got in and knotted up. Then it dried out before it could affect the rest of the bag.

When this happens, you can smell test most of the bag, and most of it will probably be OK if you separate it from the rest. But what's touched the moldy you could throw out. you don't have to throw out the whole bag.

Its kind of hard NOT to have stuff like this actually if the bag was stored outside on a pallet over winter.

 

[Huntmaster]

Yes both bags, same mill date March 29. I store it in the original bag in closed metal trash cans. The big pieces sunk to bottom, little pieces throughout. Picture was of the new bag just opened with small one on top. Dug through bag and found larger also. Should I give them something in case it was mold?

As long as birds are not acting off, I wouldn't worry about giving them anything. Sounds like moisture got to it somewhere, could even be something from Nutrena milling process.

 

[Huntmaster]

I store it in the original bag in closed metal trash cans.

Have you noticed any moisture inside your metal can as metal can sweat in hot humid conditions. I use metal cans also and have them lined with heavy duty garbage bags and then feed left inside original bags. With all this heat and humidity that may have something to do with it.

 

[SourRoses]

Yup, definitely from moisture. The inside will be moldy, although you may not be able to see it. This can sometimes happen during the milling / bagging, but it's less likely. More likely is that some dampness got to it after opening.

In horse sweet feed, clumps can be just from uneven spray or dripping of the molasses, but since chicken feed doesn't have molasses that's not the case here.

You don't need to medicate your chickens as long as they seem healthy. But it's important to figure out how the feed got damp, if you can.
Here in humid Florida, we had problems with metal trash cans and moisture, although many people don't. There could be a flaw in the weld of your can, it could be condensation, or the lid may not have been put back on securely on one occasion. Your feed scoop could have gotten damp during use and stuck bag in the feed (ok, we deal with a lot of rain, so I'm always drying scoops, that may not be an issue for you).
If you live in the desert and you've verified your can is water-tight... then it was likely a mill issue.