scratch grain with bugs? Powder?

[Dephora]

What exactly is a weevil? Is it harmful to chickens?

Anyways, powder/dust is completely normal. Scratch should not be fed as their primary food but as a treat. I don't know anything about bugs

A weevil is a small grain beetle that lays eggs in the heart of the grain and the weevil larva eat the center. This results in the real nutrition of the grain to be eaten, as the core is gone. Chickens can eat weevils no problem, but the real issue is that a badly infested bag will have a much lower nutritional make up, as most the grain will just be hollow shells.

Weevils are usually already in the grain before you even open the bag, having laid eggs in the feed/grain in the mill or processing factory, so if the bag sits around unused, you will still find weevils in it even though you have kept the bag sealed and safe. If you add DE to the grain when you get it, this will not hurt the larva already eating the hearts of the grain, but it will kill the adult beetles that emerge.

You may be more familar with weevils in human food, they often can be found in flour that has sat around too long or in old cereal. They aren't just a chicken grain problem.

 

[PioneerChicks]

A weevil is a small grain beetle that lays eggs in the heart of the grain and the weevil larva eat the center. This results in the real nutrition of the grain to be eaten, as the core is gone. Chickens can eat weevils no problem, but the real issue is that a badly infested bag will have a much lower nutritional make up, as most the grain will just be hollow shells.

Weevils are usually already in the grain before you even open the bag, having laid eggs in the feed/grain in the mill or processing factory, so if the bag sits around unused, you will still find weevils in it even though you have kept the bag sealed and safe. If you add DE to the grain when you get it, this will not hurt the larva already eating the hearts of the grain, but it will kill the adult beetles that emerge.

You may be more familar with weevils in human food, they often can be found in flour that has sat around too long or in old cereal. They aren't just a chicken grain problem.

That is very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to tell me!

 

[Dephora]

That is very interesting! Thanks for taking the time to tell me!

No problem! I hope I am not the only one that has gone to do some baking only to find small beetles in my flour!

 

[specklesmom]

As Dephora said the problem with weevils is that they eat the most nutritious part of the grain. I don't think there would be so much powder/dust like material in the bag if it wasn't either old or had bugs munching away. Wish I had a big chest type freezer so I'd could put the bag of scratch in there to see if that would take help stop the weevils. I always keep extra flour and corn meal in the freezer part of our refridgerator, but the scratch bag is too big. When I was a student working in a big college kitchen to help with tuition costs I saw the baker sifting weevils out of the flour with a big strainer and then using the "cleaned" flour to make rolls for the cafeteria. Makes a person want to check any "poppy seed" rolls very carefully. We do feed scratch just as a treat but I saw on the bag that each hen should only get a couple of tablespoons........Hens may go on strike because the scratch ration s going to be severely cut back.