HELP Bugs in chicken feed

[Belovedturkey]

Yesterday I bought a new bag of all flock from a store I don’t usually go to, and when I put my birds to bed tonight there were bugs in the feeder and the bag. This isn’t a problem with my feeder or storage bin as I have used them for a long time and nothing like this has ever happened I also had somebody buy a bag of a different kind of chicken food that had the same bugs in it just a bigger and I’m pretty sure it came from the same store anyways there’s nothing I can do about it now because we already bought the food and my chickens have already eaten it for today and since it’s nighttime, I’m leaving it there overnight because I don’t have anything to do with it and it’s a $20 bag of food so I don’t wanna throw it away if I don’t have to yet if anyone knows what kind of bugs these are and what I need to do to get rid of them advice would be greatly appreciated and what do I need to do to clean all my stuff so that when I get future food the bugs don’t get in that.

 

[Altairsky]

Bugs in chicken feed is not an issue for the chickens. If it concerns you, you can put the whole bag in the freezer and let it sit in there until it's all frozen and at that point the bugs die.

 

[Belovedturkey]

Bugs in chicken feed is not an issue for the chickens. If it concerns you, you can put the whole bag in the freezer and let it sit in there until it's all frozen and at that point the bugs die.

So it’s okay to leave it as it is until they finish the bag? Should I clean the feeder after this bag of feed?

 

[Altairsky]

I personally never worry about the bugs in the chicken feed. At least it means there are not pesticides in there.
Cleaning the feeder is always a good idea.

 

[Belovedturkey]

I personally never worry about the bugs in the chicken feed. At least it means there are not pesticides in there.
Cleaning the feeder is always a good idea.

Okay thanks for the advice!

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

That is a nontoxic beetle. Looks like a latridiidae or a drugstore beetle. Both are chicken safe, do not let in to your house! If you are to freeze it for over 48 hours to kill the bugs, double bag it in garbage bags and then tape shut! Both lured by mildew/water and are a common house pest, very hard to get rid of if inside the house. Does not cause wood damage, simple foragers.

 

[Belovedturkey]

That is a nontoxic beetle. Looks like a latridiidae or a drugstore beetle. Both are chicken safe, do not let in to your house! If you are to freeze it for over 48 hours to kill the bugs, double bag it in garbage bags and then tape shut! Both lured by mildew/water and are a common house pest, very hard to get rid of if inside the house. Does not cause wood damage, simple foragers.

Probably not going to freeze it because of the risk, but I’ll just leave them be since they seem harmless and hope the chickens and ducks don’t mind.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Might put the sack in a steel barrel, hang a couple of 100 watt incandescent bulbs inside, put on a lid, wrap it with something to insulate the barrel, and cook the little buggers over a couple of days. Or put the feed in a barrel with a tight lid and drop in a couple bucks worth of dry ice.

 

[Fluffy_Butt_Hutt]

Might put the sack in a steel barrel, hang a couple of 100 watt incandescent bulbs inside, put on a lid, wrap it with something to insulate the barrel, and cook the little buggers over a couple of days. Or put the feed in a barrel with a tight lid and drop in a couple bucks worth of dry ice.

They are quite heat resistant, so the cooking wouldn't work without fire hazard or charring the food.

 

[FrostRanger]

Even if you don't want your money back do still tell the store about the problem as it is still something they should know about

But yeah, the bugs aren't an issue in of themselves, however their presence does make me question the age of the food. Old food has less nutrients than fresh. Not saying this bag is necessarily old but if you shop there again check the mill date on the food (good idea when buying food anyways)