7 top tips for storing chicken feed
Like 3 Dislike 0 Published on 25 Aug 2019
If you don’t store your chicken feed correctly, you could be wasting money or making your chickens sick or go off the lay. So follow these 7 tips to make sure you and your chickens are getting the best value from every pellet.
00:00 Why you should store chicken feed properly
00:36 Why not in their original bags on the floor
01:22 In a sealed container secure from rodents, insects and other pests
02:32 Keep the feed dry
03:42 Keep it cool to minimize condensation
04:19 Keep it in a well organized and well lit place
05:26 Keep it in its original bag or label it well
06:09 Don’t store it for too long – it goes off.
1. Not in bags on the floor
It might seem convenient but if it’s a concrete floor, or even worse gravel or unsealed, the moisture will wick up and make the feed damp.
2. Secure from rodents, insects, and other pests
Rats or mice will chew through that bag in no time, and a few of them can eat a lot of feed. Plus they carry diseases that can threaten your chickens. So put the feed into a sturdy, sealed container that is secure against the kind of pest animals around wherever you live. A plastic container with a tightly sealing lid is better than a metal bin with a lid that doesn’t seal completely - mice can get in.
3. Dry
If it gets wet, pellets will turn into mush and even worse go mouldy. And mouldy feed tastes bad to chickens, which means they will avoid eating it and so not get the nourishment they should. It’s actually not that uncommon for a small amount of old mouldy feed to get into your bag of feed from the feed mill itself. If you see a small chunk of spoiled feed in your bag, just fish it out and throw it away. Don’t let it infect your whole bag through humid conditions. Mould is a fungus and it can produce mycotoxins, which can poison your chickens.
4. Cool
You also want to keep your feed cool. The combination of warmth plus moisture would encourage the formation of mould. High temperatures in themselves can lead to loss of nutrients, such as vitamins, essential fatty acids, proteins and antioxidants. If your feed bin is outside exposed to the sun, as the temperature rises the container can act like a greenhouse. At night when the temperature falls, condensation can form on the inside walls and so make the feed damp.
5. Bright and tidy
You feed should be in a well-lit place – you want to be able to see any developing problems as well as what you’re doing. Keep the area clean, and sweep up any spills, otherwise they will attract pests. Of course your chicken feed must be kept secure from any possible contamination with chemicals including anything poisonous that you might have stored.
6. In its bag
Even though you are using a sealed barrel or bin, it’s still a good idea to have the feed inside its original bag, rather than pouring it loose into the bin. This helps to keep it well identified. Keeping it in its original bag is also sensible if you have a steel or galvanised bin, because the feed can react with the metal unless the bin has a food-safe lining coat.
7. Not too long
Chicken feed doesn’t last forever. The vitamin C level decreases quite quickly, and the fats in feed will eventually go rancid, causing an off taste that chickens will avoid eating. Pellets last longest – when feed is pelleted it is pressed through a blazing hot pellet die. This heat and pressure helps sterilise any contaminants, so carefully stored pellets should keep for at least three months. Broken grains such as cracked corn have the shortest shelf life. So only buy quantities of chicken feed that you know you will use up while it’s at its best. And when you’re buying, check the label – try to buy from feed stores that have a high turnover so the feed is not already old before you bring it home. And don’t just pour the fresh feed on top of the older stuff. Rotate it so you use up the older feed first - lift out the bag of older feed and put it on top of the new stuff. And if you do have feed loose in your bins or barrels, make sure you empty them completely and clean them out every few months.
If you make sure you do all of these things, you and your chickens will be getting top value from every morsel of feed.
For more fascinating facts, hints and tips about caring for your chickens, and the sheer pleasure of chickens, subscribe to my channel: Chickens in my garden - New Zealand
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