fermenting substandard chicken mash/crumble?

[amiachicknorwat]

Hi, the last chicken crumble (i'd wager it's crumble over mash). The colour is dull looking compared to what I've bought at last place. The chickens do eat it, but not with the same crazed enthusiasm of previous crumbles. Geez, sounds like I should return it. Seems too late for that tho, since the chickens have eaten thru a good sum of it. I just thought fermenting would be a value adding act to improve it and they might eat thru it faster. Any ideas? Thanks, Nick

 

[shortgrass]

I was at Farm & Home last week buying feed. After the bags were in the cart I started checking dates. Most were less than a month old but one was 4 months old. I checked the pallet and there was one fresh bag of that type and all the rest were 4 months old.
The date will be stamped either on the ingredient tag or on the seal at the end of the bag.

Chickens eat to satisfy their energy needs.
Actually, in winter caloric needs are higher to maintain body temperature. In heat, energy requirements are less so they eat less.

Yep, they need calories in winter to help them stay warm

As long as the feed isn't moldy, you can sure ferment it; it would increase nutritional value since it seems that the feed has obviously lost most if its nutrients by now. Since it IS questionable what quality the feed us, I would also feed them some fresh, dry grain or pellets to make sure they get their needs met until you use up the old feed.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

What is the manufacture date on the feed? I don't buy any feed without checking out how old it is.

I don't know what crumble over mash is. Feed is usually manufactured as pellets or mash. Then the pellets are run through a crumbler to make crumbles.

 

[Heron's Nest Farm]

So are you saying that you fermented this crumble and it is gray?

It takes a while for your chickens to get used to fermented food, but once they do they love it (and it looks gray after fermenting). I recently talked to someone with a degree in animal ?something? who made their living as a feed consultant. They stated that chickens need to get a certain calorie intake per day. This I knew, but they stated that chickens have a crop that can only hold so much. So, the only concern with fermented food was that they would not be able to pack enough in during the day (as it is swollen with water) to meet caloric requirements. They recommended topping my birds off in the evenings with dry crumble.

If it is old food that you are talking about then I would be careful that it has no mold as that is never good and can effect egg production. generally my hens don't like switching food, but they eat when hungry!

Hope I understood your question.

 

[amiachicknorwat]

No, the crumble was gray when I bought it. Previous crumble I've bought was light brown to yellow. I didn't check the date. Till the other respondent's reminder here I've only checked date on my own food. Didn't even know the big bags of animal feed are dated, as if didn't matter cuz they're "just animals". Hmm, re calorie intake. I usually think one would need as much as burn and so would burn less in winter so need less then. But yeah, will try not to let wet displace their intake capacity and so balance with dry feed. Thanks to you and Chickencanoe too.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I was at Farm & Home last week buying feed. After the bags were in the cart I started checking dates. Most were less than a month old but one was 4 months old. I checked the pallet and there was one fresh bag of that type and all the rest were 4 months old.
The date will be stamped either on the ingredient tag or on the seal at the end of the bag.

Chickens eat to satisfy their energy needs.
Actually, in winter caloric needs are higher to maintain body temperature. In heat, energy requirements are less so they eat less.

 

[amiachicknorwat]

I tried taking the chicken-deemed lousy stuff back but the owner rebuffed me saying it's normal. I thought I'd give it another chance but they're just not biting (pecking). I could mix it in with scratch and COB, but I bet they'll highgrade and i"ll be left with that crap at bottom of feeder. Will shop elsewhere and try taking it back again. We're in a very small town and she should want to keep good relations. After all I'm the newbie here. It's she who should know better.

I will give it a smell. I was going on contrast of look to previous purchases from there. If I sense no mould that should give me more confidence that might rub off on the chickens interest level. Shrug, Nick

 

[barkinghills]

I've had the odd bag of sub-par feed here and there, and have also been rebuffed by my local feed store in trying to exchange it. The feed that was bad was Purina Flock Raiser Crumble (it was almost completely powder), and I did have luck contacting the Purina customer service website (aka Land O'Lakes or Purina Poultry feed, different than Purina dog and cat food website). They sent me a voucher for a replacement 50 lb bag of feed.

Good Luck!

 

[amiachicknorwat]

I'm not gonna go that far, but I will return yet again to point of purchase as I'm yet more sure now and she can be too. That there is something wrong is obvious given how differently the chickens receive it: from something they're ravenous for to som'n they shun. How clear is that. Thanks. Even still I'll still probably need that luck.

 

[lazy gardener]

2 winters ago, I had a bag of feed that my flock just wouldn't eat. I tried giving it dry, I tried fermenting it. They were clearly hungry, and mobbed me the minute I arrived with feed. I put the feed down, they'd check it out, and walk away. They were loosing weight, and obviously starving. They had NEVER acted this way before. I went back to the feed store, and bought a bag of Multi-flock, which they started to eat ravenously. Called the manager, and they replaced that other bag of feed. If you don't get satisfaction from the store you bought it from, I'd go to their corporate office. Work your way up the chain till you get satisfaction. WE SHOULD NOT ACCEPT SUB STANDARD OR OLD FEED FOR OUR ANIMALS. BTW, always check those dates on your feed.