I have seen people "say" on here that if your feed gets bugs you should throw it out...

[missnu01]

But do chickens not love bugs? Do they not get more nutrition from bugs than from the feed? I don't understand why bugs in the feed is bad. One of my uncles is a parrot fanatic and he would pay extra money for this crazy food that had live bugs in it. You had to keep it in the freezer so the bugs would be alive when you were ready to feed it to the birds. So...why no bugs in chicken feed? I catch bugs for my chickens...I don't have any buggy feed as we keep it in the house...but I read this a few times and it just got me thinking...

 

[animallover505]

'The bugs destroy the nutrient content in the feed.

 

[Michael Apple]

I think the message is if "bugs" are in your feed, it isn't fresh, and possibly spoiled feed which could contain bacteria, mold, etc. Also, what kind of bugs? I brought a bag of feed home once with millions of mites crawling around in it. I took it back and told the owner it was unacceptable.

 

[missnu01]

I haven't had any bug issues, only mold for me. I just know that chickens love bugs, and bugs are good for them..so I didn't really understand why bugs in the feed are bad. Bugs fed chicken feed would be especially nutritious no? Mealie bugs, beetles of some sort maybe? What kind of bugs get into dry feed?

 

[cutechick2010]

'The bugs destroy the nutrient content in the feed.

But wouldn't they be getting nutrients back by eating the bugs themselves?

 

[littlethorn]

Quote:
Bingo! This is why I won't give mine feed with bugs in it. It's not the nutrient content, but the fact that it could have gotten wet/moldy spoiled and that is why it has bugs. Moldy feed can kill your entire flock. The special bug feed has been formulated that way (rather than it being due to spoilage). I also suspect it has to be kept cool to prevent this from happening and that is why it is safe.

 

[Michael Apple]

Grain mites thrive off of Aspergillus, molds, and fungi. Bugs are often found in feeds that were not stored properly or kept at too high of a temperature.

An example of common feed tag directions:
1. Feed Organic Chick Start & Grow Crumbles free choice as the sole ration of growing chickens.
2. Store Organic Chick Start & Grow Crumbles in a cool, dry area. Never feed moldy or insect infested feeds.

That's good enough for me. Note that all the voyeuristic trends of giving vast varieties of treats/human food to those cute, little chicks, as mentioned numerous times on this forum, are not to the benefit of chicks in the brooder. Which is why a balanced feed ration should be the sole purpose of feed until they are out of the brooder, as recommended in #1 of feed tag directions. Even then, small amounts of grass clippings, bugs, etc. should be introduced gradually. And those new chicken owners should be aware that bugs, worms can harbor parasites, so watching for warning signs of possible infestation is a duty.

I've never had an issue with spoiled feed due to my storage of feed. I store feed in the original bags, in galvanized cans with tight lids, in a cool, dry area of my barn, so no possible pests can get in my feed. I never buy more feed than I can use in a month. I've bought spoiled feed and upon opening & observing it, I took it back and let the store owner know it wasn't acceptable.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

But wouldn't they be getting nutrients back by eating the bugs themselves?

The bugs may have nutritional value but it is not the same nutrition or balance of nutrition in the original feed.

 

[missnu01]

Hmmm...so a cool dry place...makes sense