Moldy scraps: this is the Car Talk "save our marriage" call!

[cherig22]

Quote:
from the Mayo Clinic (note the italics)

Definition
By Mayo Clinic staff

Aspergillosis is a group of illnesses caused by mold. The mold that triggers the illnesses, aspergillus, includes more than 150 types of mold that occur widely in the indoor and outdoor environment. Although most of the molds are harmless, a few can cause serious illnesses in people with a weakened immune system, underlying lung disease or asthma. These illnesses, collectively called aspergillosis, range from allergic responses to severe and sometimes fatal infections.

Aspergillosis begins when susceptible people inhale mold spores into their lungs. In some people, the spores trigger an allergic reaction.

It is amazing chickens survived so long as they did, as someone else pointed out.

If you have weak or sesceptible chickens, aspergillosis is probably way down on the list of what will kill them. I am not saying rush out and find moldy food, but I am sure mine eat a lot of stuff I don't know about, being pasture rangers.

Knock on wood, only one chicken has ever died, and it was one that is penned up all the time.

Cheri​

 

[cherig22]

Quote:
I was about to look up the dictionary term, but you phrased it well. We are all adults, please do not read anything into what folks write, except if they are being mean and nasty. So far, I have only seen a few folks who are pretty much consistent in being negative.

Everyone here is trying to help, and to put in their opinion. Do not put your thoughts on their words.

Peace, Cheri

 

[Akane]

Feed is generally corn based and a very common mold on corn and sometimes other grains gives off very strong toxins. Search up moldy corn poisoning, aflatoxins, or mycotoxins. In larger livestock it causes encephalitis leading to similar symptoms as rabies. Big trouble when your trying to diagnose it and may lead to people having to have rabies shots until it's confirmed one way or the other. I'm not sure how it effects chickens but I am sure it would do bad things. Possibly very bad things. That is why moldy feed is never fed.

Molds on fruits and vegetables tend to be less dangerous than those on grains but they still can give off toxins. It would be risking the health of your animals to purposely feed anything growing obvious mold even if they generally are fine. While I'm not going to freak out if mine get a hold of moldy items I'm not going to opt to actually give it to them. It's a stupid risk in my opinion even for animals that are not pets. Feeding a bit of moldy vegetation is not going to cut down on your feed bill that much but it does have the possible chance of cutting your egg production should any get sick or even die.

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

My DH and I both refuse to feed our chickens spoiled food. If it's not good for us or the dogs or cats, it's not good for them. They aren't my garbage disposals. If I have leftovers a couple of days old that no one is going to eat and that are not moldy they will go to the chooks, but moldy, slimey things? No way. Trash.

Then again, we also raise chickens as a suplimental income, and our meat birds are Kosher, etc. We do not feed them anything that came from an animal either.

 

[flakey chick]

I had to treat a hen for sour crop. I don't know what she got ahold of that caused it, but I'd rather compost rotten food out of their reach than have to treat sour crop again. It's just not worth it.

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

moldy feed is a no-no
as for the other stuff
I never wanted my eggs made out of bad food
to each his own

give it a try and let us know the individual amts and definite out come
your chickens can be the guinea pigs

most proplr don't give 2nd thought to if chickens should be fed good clean feed???

I always cleaned up the left over vegies I fed them after a few hrs as I didn't want to lose any from spoiled feed

 

[Big Fred]

How about old bread from the day old store? Will it hurt the chickens. I know my Grandma fed all sorts of things to her chickens. She kept a bucket on her sink and took it to the birds every day.

Big Fred
Keno Oregon

 

[thechickenchick]

I keep a "chicken bucket" by my sink too. It goes to the birds every morning. Day old bread won't hurt them either.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Mushy yes.............moldy or slimy no.

I feed mine old bread too, but not moldy bread.

 

[Georgia Rose]

Quote:
Isn't Aspergillosis a mold/fungus found outside in the environment? Which would be another reason to wear a dust mask when out stirring up dust of any kind, including the compost pile. I think this is another often misdiagnosed illness that will eventually go to your brain.