Freezing feed?

[SpikeDmax]

I have two hens and just bought a 50lb bag of feed. I just did some reading and it said one should use up an opened bag of feed within two weeks or it will get stale, like bread. A couple of questions, since there is no way my two birds will eat 50 pounds in two weeks would it be wise to pack some feed in zip locks and freeze it so it last longer? Second question, is there any truth to feed going stale and does it make any difference to the birds?

 

[SpikeDmax]

Whoa, just saw the other thread about stale feed.

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
I imagine that freezing would work.

I bought some feed from WR in north phoenix and even unopened, it went stale after about a month.

 

[kari_dawn]

I have a large bin with wheels and a rubber sealing lid. I put my feed in there when I open it, and it seems to stay fresh. I had a single chicken for a while, and then a bunch of chicks that couldnt eat the layer. I still had layer when I got them, and have just now started using it again. It is not stale, and has been sitting in that rolling bin for several months now. I guess since the bin is "air tight" the feed stays fresh. It is actually a dog food bin that I bought at petsmart. Maybe you should give that a try? It may be easier than freezing portions of food.

 

[Mac in Wisco]

Freezing it should work, keeping it in an airtight container might help too. Where do you get your feed from? We've gotten feed from many places, but some of the feed stores would sell smaller quantities of feed to those with a few animals. They'd open a 50 lb sack and re-bag it into paper sacks in whatever amount the customer asked for. It might be worth looking around. Of course if they don't have a lot of business like that you may end up with feed out of the same sack over a period of time anyways...

 

[greathorse]

I would be surprised if two weeks made a real appreciable difference, maybe so but I really doubt it. I just can't fathom the aggravation of freezing feed which of course would help. I think air tight container would help a lot also, Mac in Abilene feeds commercially and he ought to know.

I think you just need more birds LOL

 

[crooked stripe]

When you are talking about dried grains and vitamins what dictates fresh? If the feed is not kept dry, then you face moisture problems and that IS a problem. I buy my feed 100 lbs at a time and store up to 6 weeks. Most material that is mixed to make feed is harvested in the fall, kept in silos till the need arises at the mill for production. My feed store takes delivery once a month so it is hard to say how long it sat till I get it. Most important is to keep it dry.

 

[LynneP]

But you have to remember that freezing reduces the nutritional value of any feed, and that if thawing produces condensation you could get mold in that feed...

 

[greathorse]

So are we saying that if you freeze the feed to salvage nutritional value that you really are compromising nutritional value? UMMMM not sure if I can get my head around that.

 

[Chris09]

Quote:
I have to agree with greathorse here. If freezing feed would reduces the nutritional value of feed then there would be next to no nutritional value in the feed that you get from the mills up here in the north when the temp. gets below freezing... When I get my feed from the mill I go to it is in unheated pole barns and the mill itself is just above freezing..

Chris