Grain Mites in Purina Flock Raiser

[yakitori]

Brought home a crazy infestation of grain mites with my latest purchase of purina flock raiser. Didn’t catch it until it spread to my bag of layer feed and cat food It seems that permethrin would have been an ideal course of action if it werent for my cats sharing the same room as my feed/chicken stuff.

I’m treating now with DE, which seem to kill them only if they come in contact with it.

Anyhoo… I guess I just wanted to post this as a PSA. Check feed bags for signs of grain mites before you purchase them.
They are barely visible and look like little specks of dust moving around. if you don’t look closely enough a large mass of them could look like some innocent puff of lint fuzz.

Any other tips for speedy mite eradication welcome…

 

[azygous]

If grain mites are discovered in a bag of feed, the feed should be smelt for possible mold as well as mites, as outdated feed is often responsible for the mites developing.

While grain mites are harmless, they do indicate feed that is degraded and probably not fit to feed your chickens. Such feed should be reported to the manufacturer. I've had a bad bag of Flock Raiser before, and Purina asked me for photographic evidence, and when I provided it, I was mailed a coupon for a replacement bag.

 

[yakitori]

If grain mites are discovered in a bag of feed, the feed should be smelt for possible mold as well as mites, as outdated feed is often responsible for the mites developing.

While grain mites are harmless, they do indicate feed that is degraded and probably not fit to feed your chickens. Such feed should be reported to the manufacturer. I've had a bad bag of Flock Raiser before, and Purina asked me for photographic evidence, and when I provided it, I was mailed a coupon for a replacement bag.

ugh good to know if it (hopefully never) happens again. I’ve tossed out the bag already, but I’m still trying to completely remove them from the layer feed. The degraded grain also explain why they weren’t amassed around the layer feed like the bag of flock raiser. Also odd that it was going bad since I religiously check mill dates and the flock raiser was recent.

I haven't found any in the actual bag of cat kibble, so it may have just been spill over.

Did yours happen with the crumbles or pellet feed? mine was crumbles, and I’m wondering if there’s a pattern.

 

[azygous]

My bad bag of Purina Flock Raiser had a newly milled date. Along the sew tape, there were discolorations indicating the bag had gotten wet before I bought it, then later dried. The feed was clumped and had a bad odor. Often grain mites are triggered by moisture to grow in the feed. When moisture is allowed to get into feed, there's a high risk of mold. While mites won't harm chickens, mold can kill them. That's why I would play it safe and not feed it to my chickens.

 

[Brooks_]

Also odd that it was going bad since I religiously check mill dates and the flock raiser was recent.

Also, check nearby bags. And the bag integrity of what you intend to purchase.

I’ve tossed out the bag already,

I would still report it with as much info as you have. They do want to know about these sorts of things.