Mold spores

[Michael Apple]

I am motivated to post this since I found a large clump of moldy pellets in a bag of high quality feed I use. I have been treating my flock due to a number of sick birds this last week, and I suspect the feed to be the reason. Many people post about respiratory or intestinal problems they may be experiencing in their flock. Often they are concerned about the problem being viral, and they may have to cull their whole flock. Mold spores have been a problem for poultry keepers for many years since all spores have to do is be ingested by a bird to cause illness. The fungus multiplies in the trachea or crop and excess fluids are secreted by the bird to fight the infection. Wheezing, sneezing, irritated crop, regurgitation, laziness, diarrhea can all happen as a result.

Keep your coops dry and free of mold. Keep pasture grass cut, so the sun dries the earth in range areas. By all means inspect your feed, and let the manufacturer, as well as the feed store manager from which it was purchased, know if the feed smells or appears moldy or rancid. Try to always buy feed from sellers who have rapid turn around and keep a clean storage environment. The manufacturer and feed store owner have yet to hear from me. With the possibility of compromising the health of our birds, in addition to the high cost of feed, we should accept nothing but fresh, top quality feed rations..

 

[dawg53]

x2. I make it a point to have an employee open the feed sack I'm purchasing and I check it out after a recent bad experience. If it's really bad you can see and smell the mold/fungus not only in the feed, but also growing on the insides of the bag itself and flap when it's first opened. Another telltale sign is seeing clumps of feed stuck together, no matter how big or small. That means the feed had moisture in it, and it dried prior to the sale, not good.
Sometimes feed store employees dont rotate feed, that happens more often than not, and not necessarily a manufacturer problem.

 

[Eggcessive]

A few times I have found mold in scratch grains from different companies in the summer months. Since regular chicken feed looks more dusty it is hard to see it in that sometimes. Don't be afraid to take it back, and don't be tempted to feed it. Aspergillis mold can be very dangerous to chickens. Thanks for posting this Michael.

 

[Michael Apple]

I've always been vigilant about keeping waterers and troughs clean, in addition to responsible yard and coop management. The quickest way to lose my business is selling me old/mishandled feed. I don't care whether it is the company or the distributor. I took it back and told them I'm now treating sick birds and have to toss 10 days worth of eggs during withdrawal. They refunded money but will take my business elsewhere to a place that has a clean stock room and rapid turnover. Like I said, 16 miles away is worth it for quality.