Questions about GAMEBIRD/SHOWBIRD starter?

[chuckzoo]

I just bought a 5LB bag of gamebird feed. It came in a sealed packet, but has some lumps in it and does not look like the regualr layer crumbels. It has a very light color and an a bit of a strange smell - not moldy like, more chemical like I guess.

Does this feed normally look like this?

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

No - it should not have lumps and should be a little finer consistency than regular crumbles. Mine is a little darker than regular crumbles too and smells a little...sweet? I think that's how I'd describe it. Definitely should not have lumps though. Can you return it?

 

[chuckzoo]

Yes I probably can since I have the receipt. Some of the bags felt almost solid when I picked them up. The lumps do break up when handled but it is not crumbly and my hens don't seem to like it much. I have been mixing it with a little warm water and adding some crumbled peanut butter suet to make it more appealing.

 

[chuckzoo]

Oh and I forgot to add mine is a good bit lighter than layer crumbles kind of whitish/greyish. I guess it has a sweet kind of smell.

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Sounds like it could be old and was either affected by humidity or those pantry moths got in there. Do you see any fine webs or little worms? They will cause it to lump.

 

[chuckzoo]

Don't see any fine worms or webs but it does seem a strange colour though.

 

[BWchicken]

There's something wrong with that feed, please don't feed any more to your birds. Return it to the store asap, and if you buy any more feed there, tell them to open the feed bag and let you look at it before you buy. Sounds like they're not storing it properly and it got wet or too moist somehow. That could cause moldy feed and make your birds deathly sick.

 

[chuckzoo]

Thanks! I have stopped feeding it and am returning it in the morning. I smelt the layer crumbles and then smelt the gamebird food and there is definately something wrong with it - it smells damp, also the color is odd.

The layer crumbles do smell like grapenuts.

Thanks so much for your advice.

 

[Cindiloohoo]

The gamebird starter I get smells nutty. The clumps is probably stale moldy feed. I have never had any like that, but have some of the regular starter crumbles, no stink just kinda faint musty scent. Glad you can return it!

 

[Akane]

Smell and color can vary a lot even between the same types of feed. I've gotten layer that I though smelled a lot worse than another brand but it wasn't bad in any way. The chickens actually liked it more. However the lumps mean something is wrong. It probably got wet and any smell that seems possibly damp or moldy is bad. For that reason you should return it. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about variations in color and smell between feeds. I don't think I've bought a single brand or type of feed that wasn't different from every other.