Is it okay to feed 2 1/2 month old feed?

[MissHenrietta]

Okay, so a couple of months ago I accidentally bought Layer feed and didn’t realize it until I got home. Instead of taking it back, I figured I’d just save it until my girls were ready to start laying, which I thought was going to be sooner than later. They’re all laying now, minus my sapphire gems who are 20 weeks old. Is it safe to feed them feed that is a little over 2 months old? The date on the bag is late September. The feed has been stored in a cool, dry place and when I opened it, it didn’t seem to have any moisture, weird odor, mold, etc. I’d really hate to waste $15, but if it’s best to throw it out and buy new, I certainly will. Would it be wise to call the manufacturer and see what they suggest?

 

[Lady Lionheart]

As long as there is no mold or funky smells, go for it. Dig to the bottom first and smell that to make sure.

 

[Mimi13]

Okay, so a couple of months ago I accidentally bought Layer feed and didn’t realize it until I got home. Instead of taking it back, I figured I’d just save it until my girls were ready to start laying, which I thought was going to be sooner than later. They’re all laying now, minus my sapphire gems who are 20 weeks old. Is it safe to feed them feed that is a little over 2 months old? The date on the bag is late September. The feed has been stored in a cool, dry place and when I opened it, it didn’t seem to have any moisture, weird odor, mold, etc. I’d really hate to waste $15, but if it’s best to throw it out and buy new, I certainly will. Would it be wise to call the manufacturer and see what they suggest?

It will be fine to feed it to them as long as there are no bugs, mold, etc. Of course we all want the freshest feed for our birds, but in all honesty there may be times that what you have now IS the freshest feed you can find. I get upset when the feed I buy (Purina) doesn’t have a big turnover in the store. Just last week when I went to purchase more feed, TSC still had some bags with an April date on them. To me, that is uncalled for. Feed that old can’t be good for the birds, but I think yours will be just fine.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I keep feed in my house. I buy the freshest feed I can. Usually 6 weeks or less. I had feed go bad at 5 months past mill date.
Egg production dropped by about half. I started to investigate and noticed a strong smell from the feeder. I checked the tightly sealed bag in my house and it also had a strong smell.
I cleaned the feeder and replaced the feed and egg production returned to normal in a couple of days.
I only had 3 hens at the time and a 40# bag would last months. I started to buy a 25# bag of Non-medicated Start & Grow feed and offer Oyster Shells separately. No more problems.
I now have 7 Pullets not yet laying and 3 hens 1 laying. I now buy a Non-medicated Starter Grower or a All-Flock/Flock Raiser in a 50 # bag Whichever is fresher when I'm at TSC and feed to all.
If you notice a Strong medicine or moldy smell it's better to toss. GC

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd use it, since you already checked for mold or bugs. It's probably fresher than what you can find hiding in some forgotten corner of some stores.

 

[Compost King]

Feed lasts a long time if it stays dry. I am not sure how long but a few months isn't going to be an issue.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Should be fine. When I started out with only 1 chicken..... I bought a 50 pound bag of feed for him. Took him a long time to finish that bag, plus who knows, that bag could have been 2 months old when I bought it already. Anyway, feed was good to the very last crumb.

 

[MissHenrietta]

Thank you all! I checked through it and it seems to be okay =)