Massive incoming grain and food shortages

[Birdielee]

Be careful, I had been using purina, and got almost 20 bags of rotten feed. Like, not feed that had rotted in the bag, but that was made with moldy/spoiled ingredients. I can only assume that it was stuck in shipping due to supply chain issues (the grain) and molded, and they didn’t want to lose money so they used it anyways. Also even in the best conditions, pellet feed is only really storable for a few months. Especially over warmer and wetter seasons. Dry/cold conditions longer, but not much. And you don’t want to spend a ton on feed you can’t use when you need it. Thankfully I found a local company (beaver) that has amazing feed, and who also has a center that will hand mix any special types you want, or sell you anything in bulk for great prices as well. Which is great for now. And I will never use purina again. That’s for sure.

I keep having a feed issue, too. The last bag was organic purina layer feed. They won’t touch it. I bought a small portion (scooped out of a bulk bag) of purina omega 3 layer feed that they ate happily in the past. They didn’t want that, either.
I ran out of sunflower seeds. Inpocked one up and she was BONES. One hen was chucky and the other 2 were getting skinnier and skinnier.

I just finally broke down and bought a bag or organic nature’s path grower crumbles. It smells good.

 

[Opiumbrella]

I keep having a feed issue, too. The last bag was organic purina layer feed. They won’t touch it. I bought a small portion (scooped out of a bulk bag) of purina omega 3 layer feed that they ate happily in the past. They didn’t want that, either.
I ran out of sunflower seeds. Inpocked one up and she was BONES. One hen was chucky and the other 2 were getting skinnier and skinnier.

I just finally broke down and bought a bag or organic nature’s path grower crumbles. It smells good.

Yes I have noticed improvement I didn’t realize was even needed and some that I did, since changing food. They are eating more, and putting on weight. I had been concerned about parasites and worked everyone as there was some weight loss and odd droppings, the worming didn’t work, but it is 4weeks into feeding beaver brand all flock and a calcium supplement free choice, and not only are the eggs better and stronger, they are eating more putting on weight, and their droppings are normal again. I’ve noticed better feather regrowth on a few hens who had been having some feather issues. Purina is just garbage.

 

[Opiumbrella]

This may or may not be what Opiumbrella saw, but I have seen two types of "bad" feed and am now wondering if one was the bad ingredients type. The molded-in-open-bag feed i've seen looks fine at the start and then eventually shows clumps that have fuzzy patches or a grayish color if you break them apart. The other thing I've seen though is pellets that are bone dry with no clumping or fuzz, but there is a mix of normal-colored ones and those that have some of that already have that greenish-gray color when the bag is first opened - although that color doesn't seem to spread to the ok-looking pellets. My chickens still ate this second type but hated it, whereas the first type they'd completely refuse (usually right before I found a moldy clump).

It had blackish greenish and grayish chunks in the pellets as if the ingredients used were rotten. And some pellets were worse than others.

 

[Opiumbrella]

I keep having a feed issue, too. The last bag was organic purina layer feed. They won’t touch it. I bought a small portion (scooped out of a bulk bag) of purina omega 3 layer feed that they ate happily in the past. They didn’t want that, either.
I ran out of sunflower seeds. Inpocked one up and she was BONES. One hen was chucky and the other 2 were getting skinnier and skinnier.

I just finally broke down and bought a bag or organic nature’s path grower crumbles. It smells good.

My layer wasn’t the organic, but then I bought some of the purina organic all flock, because Wilco only sold purina, and had the same problem. I asked the manager why they keep selling it if so many people bring it back. And what if they don’t notice and their animals get sick? And they said “unless they recall it we sell it”. I was so mad.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Oh, yikes. I didn't think of a feed shortage! So far I haven't had any problems.

 

[Cindy in PA]

I don't think Purina has an organic all flock.

 

[Opiumbrella]

What?

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.po...farmers-conservation-program-507028?_amp=true

 

[Opiumbrella]

How do we tell the difference between feed that molded in the bag versus feed made with moldy ingredients?When a bag is molded because of poor storage or a hole in the bag, there is mold growing on the feed. Usually on the top layer. But this feed had chunks of what looked like moldy/rotten pieces throughout the whole pellet instead of growing on the outside.

 

[Lazy J Farms Feed & Hay]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.politico.com/news/2021/08/29/usda-farmers-conservation-program-507028?_amp=true

The CRP program has a much diminished impact on total food production than it did 20 and 30 years ago. Additionally the criteria for enrolling land into CRP are much different and more stringent from an environmental and conservation perspective. So yes we have less farmland in production because of CRP but the impact is not huge.

A bigger impact is urban sprawl, that takes more prime farmland out of production than the CRP program.

 

[Opiumbrella]

I don't think Purina has an organic all flock.

Wilco calls it “organic” but it doesn’t actually say organic on the bag ANYWHERE. I bought one bag of it when going through the feed issues because they ONLY sell purina there, they said “it’s organic, and should be just fine” got home and read the bag and not once did the bag say organic anywhere.