how long would powdered kelp last in storage?

[jmc]

i can get 50 lb bags of it. expensive. but i'd like to give a small amount each day in order to stretch it out. i wonder how it would keep. it comes in a paper bag. the local organic farmer uses it in her chicken feed daily..................

maybe in a cool place stored in 5 gal. plastic buckets.

it's like 60 bucks for 50 lbs. but when i consider that AVIA CHARGE 2000 from m mcmurray cost 20 something dollars for one pound.............well, do the math. avia charge i am sure has kelp in it--among other things................

thoughts

 

[Beekissed]

Mine kept in the bag, in my storage building, for 2+ years without any issues. It doesn't seem to draw moisture at all or lose it's basic properties. I found it to be a very wise investment for all my livestock and kept everyone shiny and in great health be it sheep, cows or chickens. After using it regularly for 2+ years I still had enough to give away at the end to my mother to put around her rose bushes.

 

[Stacykins]

Not sure, but at least with humans, it isn't a good idea to consume kelp products on a daily basis. Kelp is a good source of many vitamins and minerals, it is a powerhouse for supplying iodine. But it can also inhibit the absorption of IRON if used constantly.

I'd assume kept dry and cool, the kelp could last a very long time. It is very salty, and sodium chloride does help preserve things. But if allowed to get moist it'll go bad like anything else.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

My kelp meal is around a year old I think and I can't tell that there has been any deterioration by looking at it and smelling it. I keep it in a metal garbage can in my insulated garage- elevated on pallets.

 

[Beekissed]

I kept mine in its torn open bag on the work bench in my uninsulated building....

Even the kelp meal that I mixed with coarse salt and kept in feeders in the orchard didn't draw moisture or lose it's nature in any way. Good stuff.

 

[jmc]

awesome!

beekissed, sounds like you gave up on kelp meal...........................

???????

 

[NoisyCricket]

I feed Source to my horses, and if I buy a big tub it last me 6-9 months. I store it with the rest of my minerals, in a dry place, and have never had a problem with it going bad. I didn't think of feeding it to the chickens though. How much kelp meal do you feed per chicken? I am thinking that it might be good to give some to my chickens esp. in the winter, when they can't forage.

I would worry more about the iodine content, than it inhibiting iron, in chickens. Unlike us, horses have the opposite problem - iron overload, because they absorb iron from the dirt they ingest. I would guess that chickens would be the same - able to absorb more than they need from the dirt. Does anyone know if that is a correct assumption?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote:
Here are a couple of websites with % recommendations on kelp meal:

http://thrivegreenag.com/KelpMeal.htm
http://www.agriorganics.com/agriculture.php?Pid=37

This will hopefully help.

 

[jmc]

one lb. can cover 100 lb. of feed....................though, as sweet mentioned, there may be other recipes.........
kelp meal also increases the nutrient uptake from the feed that is given, thereby possibly lessening the total amount of feed consumed--and your money spent on feed.

better hatches
calmer birds
nicer plumage
more sperm production

better nutrient uptake
better nutrient uptake
better nutrient uptake

!

plus what the helpful links our friend provided above.

excellent on Kelp benefits is Chicken Tractor, by Andy Lee and Trish Foreman

 

[NoisyCricket]

Thanks for the links!

Can it be fed free choice or does it need to be mixed with the feed? I use pellets and am not sure how well it would mix in???