Moldy Food

[roosterlover101]

I purchased a large bag of feed and divided it into ziplock gallon bags and put them in my kitchen cabinet. I do this so that I can make sure all the food is good with no clumps or anything. And I thought the ziplock bags would keep moisture out. I have already fed about 5 of the gallon bags to m chickens and tonight I noticed that the bag I am on had clumps in it so I threw it away and looked at the few remaining bags I had and saw mold on on the food. I threw those away and fed the chickens food from my kitchen instead.
Will my chickens be ok? They seem fine right now.
I guess I will go back to buying the smaller bags. Should/can I keep the small bag in my refrigerator?
Can Food just not sit around that long? I only have three chickens. Or was the food defective to begin with?

 

[micstrachan]

How long have you had it? I suspect it got damp before it was bagged up. Good job getting rid of it!

 

[rosemarythyme]

They should be fine since it sounds like you caught it quickly and didn't keep feeding it to them. It may have spoiled somewhere between manufacturing and the store, or due to climate conditions in your area/home, etc.

If you have freezer space, you can freeze feed to keep it from spoiling, or with just 3 chickens, you may want to buy smaller bags just to ensure you can use it up in a timely manner.

 

[roosterlover101]

How long have you had it? I suspect it got damp before it was bagged up. Good job getting rid of it!

I think I have had it around two months.

 

[micstrachan]

Do you know what the mill date was? If your birds seem fine, I’m thinking uou caught it before they ingested mold.

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I purchased a large bag of feed and divided it into ziplock gallon bags and put them in my kitchen cabinet. I do this so that I can make sure all the food is good with no clumps or anything. And I thought the ziplock bags would keep moisture out. I have already fed about 5 of the gallon bags to m chickens and tonight I noticed that the bag I am on had clumps in it so I threw it away and looked at the few remaining bags I had and saw mold on on the food. I threw those away and fed the chickens food from my kitchen instead.
Will my chickens be ok? They seem fine right now.
I guess I will go back to buying the smaller bags. Should/can I keep the small bag in my refrigerator?
Can Food just not sit around that long? I only have three chickens. Or was the food defective to begin with?

I don’t think you should put it in the Ziploc bags and store it in your kitchen. Your kitchen gets warm from cooking temps etc. and I have had other types of food spoil in my own pantry in like situations. You are better off buying a small plastic bin that clamps down right and storing it in a cool dark location that does not get impacted by humidity very much. Your coop is the best location most likely. I store my chicken feed in our coop. If I have an excessive amount like I actually do right now and the weather is still cold and under 55 degrees or more in the shade I am able to store it on my back porch because one member of my family is at home almost all of the time to monitor it and make sure nothing bothers it or disturbs it. I got my tubs at the Tractor Supply Company. They are very reasonable in price.

 

[dawg53]

Most likely the feed sack you opened up already had clumps in it and you didnt notice it. Take it back to the store where you bought it and exchange it or get a refund and go buy chicken feed elsewhere.
Clumps of any size means that the feed was once damp, moist or wet and it dried out.

 

[roosterlover101]

Most likely the feed sack you opened up already had clumps in it and you didnt notice it. Take it back to the store where you bought it and exchange it or get a refund and go buy chicken feed elsewhere.
Clumps of any size means that the feed was once damp, moist or wet and it dried out.

It didn't have clumps in it when I emptied it into the ziplocks. That is why I did put it in the ziplocks, to inspect the food and put it in what I thought was a better storage option. But I wonder if the feed could have still had undetectable moisture in it? The feed in the first five ziplocks I went through was fine. Even the clumped food and and the moldy food still smelled fine... I seem to have trouble with the large bags of feed vs the small bags. The material the large bags is made of is different and there are thread holes on the tops and bottoms of the large bags for the closure strips. Seems to me moisture can seep in those and I don't know why they make them that way then. I've never had a problem with a small bag except the price. I think I am done with the large bags for good. Unfortunately I threw it away so I won't be able to take it back. And I wonder if my storage solution was the problem this time.

 

[roosterlover101]

Do you know what the mill date was? If your birds seem fine, I’m thinking uou caught it before they ingested mold.

Unfortunately I no longer have that info. I threw the original bag away. I should have taken a snapshot at least.

 

[roosterlover101]

I don’t think you should put it in the Ziploc bags and store it in your kitchen. Your kitchen gets warm from cooking temps etc. and I have had other types of food spoil in my own pantry in like situations. You are better off buying a small plastic bin that clamps down right and storing it in a cool dark location that does not get impacted by humidity very much. Your coop is the best location most likely. I store my chicken feed in our coop. If I have an excessive amount like I actually do right now and the weather is still cold and under 55 degrees or more in the shade I am able to store it on my back porch because one member of my family is at home almost all of the time to monitor it and make sure nothing bothers it or disturbs it. I got my tubs at the Tractor Supply Company. They are very reasonable in price.

I feel like you are right. I now realize the cabinets where I had the feed are on wall that on the other side is the south facing front of the house and it is in full sun as long as it is day. It is also just off to the side above the kitchen sink. Now I will not want to store anything there that can spoil.