Moldy feed?

[KansasKate]

SO...I'm a newbie and have had my chickens (4 5-mo old pullets: 2 Barred Rock, 2 Americauna) for two weeks. I bought some Purina Flock Raiser from a certain chain. I've never seen chicken crumbles before so I didn't know what they were supposed to look or smell like. I've been feeding them on this--plus letting them forage in their chicken tractor, and giving them treats--for the whole time. I managed to dump all of the bag in my metal trash can, only to discover that the clumps in the bottom were attached to the side of the bag and the sides of the bag near the bottom had a little black on them.

Mildew. darn. Those chunks weren't normal. I don't think my girls ate the moldy chunks; and I just got some new feed today. I have cleaned and bleached their feeder. I know, however, that there was likely some mold in the feed, though, even if they didn't eat the chunks.

I've seen no signs of illness, but then, what do I know?

SO....have I done them irreparable harm? Is there a home treatment to catch any problems that might arise? How would I know if they were sick?

Also....having looked around, does anyone have a recommendation of metal v plastic cans for feed? I assumed galvanized metal was better (esp. for rodent prevention) but I've heard people say they "sweat." That wasn't the problem here, since the feed (grrr) came out of the bag that way.

 

[csummer8882]

Sorry I don't have an answer but here is a bump to get it back up to be seen! Good luck!

 

[KansasKate]

Thank you! Hoping someone has some input....

 

[Lollipop]

Mouldy feed is a killer! Hopefully you won`t see any results from it and all will be well. You did good to buy new feed andclean their feeder. Sometimes it`s impossible to know what is in the bottom of the bag, but it sounds like you caught it in time. Good job..........Pop

 

[KansasKate]

Thanks!...that makes me feel a little better. They all seem fine still, and the new feed is fresh as a daisy. I think I know what happened to get the feed bag wet, too (my fault), but it hadn't been wet for terribly long, so I'm hoping that the tendrils of the mildew didn't get a chance to go far.

I heard someone in another post say something about "molasses cleanse" but I have no idea what that is.

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Molasses is a natural laxative for birds. It`s used as a treatment for pasty butt, which is constipation, believe it or not. If your birds were acting sick from the mould, it could help, but if they act fine, don`t bother. Have a great day.......Pop