where to store my feed

[ShrekDawg]

Sorry to steal this topic, but how do I know if my feed has gone bad. I would assume scratch would put off a bad smell, but what about laying pellets or crumbles?

One time I accidentally left a bag of feed outside and it got rained on and when I brought it in and opened it, some of the feed was stuck together in clumps and it smelled bad. I hadn't tried this kind of feed yet so I wasn't sure if that was just how it smelled but it just smelled and looked weird. My mom tried to say it'd be fine or the bottom part could be saved but I didn't wanna risk it so just trashed the whole thing. Then the bag we got to replace it I left outside again or maybe this WAS the replacement bag, i forget the order, but chipmunks got in one bag too. So I wasted 2 bags and finally I brought the third one inside LOL thankfully I only have 8 hens.

But anyway, I think layer pellets definitely smell bad when bad. But that could have been cause mine got wet.

 

[Den in Penn]

Wet feed can start to rot or start to grow mold will give off a bad smell. Dry feed can age out. By that I mean the value of the nutrients has declined to a point where feeding it won't give them the proper balance diet. Over age feed can look fine, but if you can compare it's smell to a fresh bag you will notice a difference. How long it takes to reach that state depends on how it stored. An air tight container in a cool environment will take the longest to age. When I was a boy, in the age of the burlap bags, I was taught that the length of time was around six weeks from the mill date. Today with the plastic feed bag that only allows a slow air flow, some claim it is closer to six months.

A scratch feed that is only uncracked grains can last a round eighteen months, dry. Add in cracked corn or a pellet and your are back to a milled feed time frame. If it gets wet the seeds will start to sprout and then rot.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I have a six gallon galvanized can,it holds about 25# of pellets. I keep in the storage area of my coop. When empty I clean if needed and fill. The feed left in the bag stays in the house at room temperature. All the air is squeezed out and a bag clip is used to keep it closed. GC