Purina chicken feed.

[Rammy]

Why are you mixing it water? I just give it to mine dry in a separate bowl from thier water dish. Are they bantys?

 

[Henriettamom919]

Those dark spots almost look like flour weevil eggs I just threw out a ton of human cornmeal and rice because of those little devils. There would be no or very little smell with that, as well.

Can you take the starter back where you bought it, show them and explain and ask them to check/open another bag for you to compare?

 

[Kota Mitera]

I also use the Purina Layena (pellets) and I use 1/4 cup per girl, and add water with a little ACV. My DIL gave me a vitamin supplement to add to the water. I looked it over a d gave it back after checking the label on the layena. It is a nutritionally adequate feed. Would I like to use New Country Organics out of Waynesboro, Virginia but the shipping from there to me costs more than the feed itself... so I go to our local Kittrell's in Corapeake, NC and buy the Purina. Still, pertinent to the subject ... I have yet to see anything thing worrisome in the feed. I ferment sometimes also.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

I imagine the specks are likely an ingredient. Unless I could see the guaranteed analysis tag and ingredient list, I can't point to what the dark spots are.
Feed companies change ingredients from time to time so they can provide the essential nutrients at the lowest cost.
Do you still have the feed tag from the bag?

 

[Timothy Menezes]

Kinda looks like a dark brown brewers grain (barley that was used to make beer) to me. Most feeds use brewers grains as they are somewhat more concentrated and have higher protein levels.

Most brewers grains are light golden in color and come from making the more common, lighter colored beers. However, when the brewers make a batch of dark beer, the barley is roasted to a dark brown or even black color.

I haven’t made beer in awhile, but when I do my chickens go crazy for the leftover grains

 

[Symi77]

Thank you all for your concern . I took the Purina back to our Tractor Supply and the lady that works there said it looked like mold and courteously refund my money. They only had 1 bag of Purina Start & Grow Medicated Feed Crumbles, 25 Pound so I decided to instead buy Nutrena NatureWise Chick Starter/Grower, 18% Crumbles, 50 lb.

 

[Timothy Menezes]

That's my favorite starter, seemed allot less dusty than the Purina brand starter. Also smelled better when I opened it.

As a side not, one of the other members here contacted Nutrena, and was told there is 185 mg of Niacin per kg of feed, which is more than enough for ducks.

 

[so lucky]

A few years ago, I would buy Layena for my girls. It smelled good, like molasses. And fresh. And then eventually it didn't smell like that when I opened a new bag. Must have been an error at the plant. Smelled too good to feed to chickens, lol.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A few years ago, I would buy Layena for my girls. It smelled good, like molasses. And fresh. And then eventually it didn't smell like that when I opened a new bag. Must have been an error at the plant. Smelled too good to feed to chickens, lol.

Do you check the mill date when you buy a bag of feed? Just because it is a new bag from the feed store doesn't mean it hasn't sat there for a year or more.

 

[trumpeting_angel]

Folks should feel free to contact the manufacturer! There's probably an 800 number on the feed bag, and they could likely give you an email to send the photos to them.

It looked to me like a grain, actually part of the feed. Think of corn - we imagine it yellow, but if there was some Indian corn in with it, there would be dark red and some almost blue bits. Barley comes in white and black, as well.

When they go outside your chicks will eat dirt all the time! Of course, it if was mold, that would probably not be good for them.