Free chicken feed. Too good to be true?

[Cassandra]

I'd mentioned in chat that my dad (a welder) has been doing some repairs on commercial chicken houses. Yesterday, before I got home from work, Daddy brought two five gallon buckets full of chicken feed and left them with my husband.

The stuff doesn't look like the laying pellets I have always fed my girls. It is yellower and looks more powdery (like the chips at the bottom of the bag.) So, I am wondering if it is like what has collected on the bottoms of the feed bins over time and just gotten crushed by being there a while. I assume (without having had the benefit of talking to Daddy about it yet) that they are cleaning up the houses before they work on them and if he didn't bring the feed to me, they would just throw it away.

Otherwise, he'd be stealing.

My dad is very thrifty, but he is not a thief.

It looks clean and doesn't smell.

I can't decide if it's safe to feed my hens. Not knowing if it is laying food or not, I won't feed it to them exclusively--even if I do decide to give it to them as a treat. I will hate to throw it away. Dad would be hurt. And chicken food ain't cheap. Could I leave it for wild birds? Or leave SOME for wild birds and see if there is a rash of dead birds in the neighborhood? LOL

Either way, i don't want to just leave it there. It is bound to attract vermin. What would y'all do? Daddy said he could probably get more.

Cassandra

 

[AK-Bird-brain]

If your dads a welder it could be he was doing some work on their grain bin, and had to clean it out so a spark would start a fire.
Since its a commercial chicken house I would guess its the fines from either a grower ration or layer feed. either way it should be fine to feed your flock just mix it in with their normal food, maybe 50/50.

 

[wynedot55]

ok take a deep breath an relax.the feed is safe to feed to your hens no prob.its prolly 1 of 2 feeds.it could be starter feed.depending on how the flocks are in the broiler/pullet houses.or it could be grower feed.either way its safe to feed your hens.my buddies have broiler houses.an i wouldnt be scared to feed any feed they gave me.

 

[digitS']

Cassandra, since your flock is layers you could put out some oyster shell and that should cover any deficiency in calcium.

I think the 50/50 idea is a good one and you could stay with that until its gone. It would be hard for most of us to turn down 10 gallons of free feed. Looking at a gift horse . . . and all that . . .

Steve

 

[Cassandra]

All right, all right! I give! LOL

I took them out a cup a little earlier before dark. They like it! It looks like it has grits & corn in it. What I buy doesn't look like that at all! SO the chickens are thinking it is a yummy treat.

I will feed it with laying pellets for as long as it lasts.

Thanks for clearing my conscious.

Cassandra