Need Help with Pecking...Missing feathers

[Mattiejill]

About the feed I bought 3 50 lb bags and my feed store said that it should be good for up to 6 mo.....I will be sure and check this out more carefully next time.....thanks for everyone's input

 

[chickens really]

About the feed I bought 3 50 lb bags and my feed store said that it should be good for up to 6 mo.....I will be sure and check this out more carefully next time.....thanks for everyone's input

Never worry.....Just feed it....I never look at dates....You will be fine....

 

[aart]

About the feed I bought 3 50 lb bags and my feed store said that it should be good for up to 6 mo.....I will be sure and check this out more carefully next time.....thanks for everyone's input

Well...dates can matter.
The older the feed, the more the nutrients may have degraded,
so it is best to buy the freshest feed you can find.
It can be hard to decipher the bagging dates that can be on the sew tape that closes the bags, or some put it on the nutrient tags.
Different MFG's use different techniques...some use Julian, some use month/date.

This last late winter/early spring I found myself having to (deciding to) buy older feed.
The formulation I wanted to use just didn't sell well,
and so the stock available was 4-6 months old
Had various problems, weak shells, feather picking, low production.
Once I got some fresher feed and things promptly improved.
Convinced me to buy as fresh as possible, even if it means more frequent trips to the feed store...but am running into the same problem again as summer winds down, the formula I want is not selling, think I'm the only one buying it.

Sometimes bags just delivered to the mill have older dates,
they've probably been stock piled in a warehouse somewhere.
So it can matter, but you can't always control it.

 

[lazy gardener]

I feed my expired feed...Not expired really it just has a Date on it.....

Lol....I can do math...No expiry date is on bags...Like bottled water even has an expiry date because it's needed ..Not because it's rotten....

Contradictory much???? And, yes, even bottled water needs an expiration date. Ever tried old bottled water? It tastes just like plastic. And why would it be sensible that chicken feed does not need an expiration date???????

About the feed I bought 3 50 lb bags and my feed store said that it should be good for up to 6 mo.....I will be sure and check this out more carefully next time.....thanks for everyone's input

Yes, the feed store employees often quote that mantra.... 6 months, blah, blah, blah. However, I quote page 158 in this book:

/www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Poultry-Flock-All-Natural-Approach/dp/1603582908

Jeff Mattocks strongly cautions about feeding stale feeds: "Feeds are at the optimum levels for up to 14 days, and are satisfactory up to 45 days after grinding or milling.
After 45 days the feed is generally so stale or oxidized that poultry appetite will be severely depressed. Oxidation starts immediately after the grinding or cracking of the grain."

Do a google search on Jeff Mattocks, and then decide who's best interests are being served when store employees tell you that the nutrition in chicken feed is perfectly fine for 6 months. Then, start to ask the following question: While expiration dates are required on pet food, why are they not required on chicken feed????

 

[chickens really]

If the feed is really old, then yes it loses its nutrition...I meant if you purchase feed and don't use it all before the bag expires it's not a big deal...All my feed is locally made so I never run into old feed...I should of explained myself better.....

 

[lazy gardener]

Thanks. Good that you can get locally produced feed. But that is not an option for many folks. There does not even exist a feed mill in my entire state. And, I often walk out of a local big box national chain store in disgust without buying anything b/c the most recent bag on the shelf is 2 months old... or even older. Many folks are having that issue. IMO, this is simply not acceptable.

But, I do consider it to be an issue when feed is not used up before it passes it's 6 week old date. And when folks are being misled by store employees, and stockpiling multiple bags of feed, b/c they've been told: "It's fine for 6 months". That is a huge issue IMO.

 

[chickens really]

Thanks. Good that you can get locally produced feed. But that is not an option for many folks. There does not even exist a feed mill in my entire state. And, I often walk out of a local big box national chain store in disgust without buying anything b/c the most recent bag on the shelf is 2 months old... or even older. Many folks are having that issue. IMO, this is simply not acceptable.

That would be upsetting....Yes, we have Chicken feed at big chain stores...I do not ever purchase from them or those brands they carry..I never knew in the US it was so hard to get feed for Chickens and Ducks....Here in farming country I am lucky...My feed is made 15 minutes away....Apologies...

 

[lazy gardener]

No apology necessary. Just good that we can understand where each of us is coming from. I often think that everyone is functioning within the same situation I am facing. It's good to see that what affects me does not affect you, and what works for you may not work for me, simply based on the "things we have available to us." Oh how I wish there was a mill near me! It would make "getting fresh feed" a non issue. And, the box stores that are often the ONLY option for many of us here in the states can be absolutely pathetic. The small locally owned stores, that also only carry "chain" feeds can have feed that is way old, covered with dust, and insect ridden sitting on their shelves.

 

[chickens really]

No apology necessary. Just good that we can understand where each of us is coming from. I often think that everyone is functioning within the same situation I am facing. It's good to see that what affects me does not affect you, and what works for you may not work for me, simply based on the "things we have available to us." Oh how I wish there was a mill near me! It would make "getting fresh feed" a non issue. And, the box stores that are often the ONLY option for many of us here in the states can be absolutely pathetic. The small locally owned stores, that also only carry "chain" feeds can have feed that is way old, covered with dust, and insect ridden sitting on their shelves.

Wow...I had no idea...Best wishes.....

 

[aart]

Oh how I wish there was a mill near me! It would make "getting fresh feed" a non issue.

Weeelll...maybe.

Grains may be fresh cracked, and may be local(woohoo),
but nutrient levels of those grains aren't tested.
Premix added to grains may be 'old', know this from experience(inside job).
Packaging date on tag/bag may be accurate as usually they crack/mix/bag same day.
Nutrient levels on tags are not necessarily accurate,
but a rote recipe that's tweaked and juggled depending on grains available,
and is not reflected accurately on tags.

Holds out both hands, moving them up and down.
6 of one, half dozen of the other.