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FluffyButt789 said:
I'm terrified of getting a bad bag. How do you know when it is bad, before feeding to your chickens?
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Looks, smell and feel...
Look...no obvious bugs, odd discoloration or flakes of unexpected material...
Smell... get in habit of taking a good sniff of any newly opened bag before you even look at it. You will come to recognize 'normal' and then can notice if something seems off. Moldy feed will have a musty smell or smell like a damp, mossy rock. Sometimes it can even smell sour. Basically, get used to 'normal' and be suspicious when anything is different.
Feel... is it loose and crumbly or powdery? It shouldn't be damp or clumpy. If it is then don't use it.

Any feed, from chain stores or mills, can be exposed to wet conditions. Even after you bring it home...Sometimes it is the original grain source which is the problem...but no matter what the origin of the problem the results are the same. Molding feed which can be dangerous.

Most problem bags can be detected with the 'look, smell, feel' precautions, but not always, and other contamination can go undetected until chicks are sick. So any group illness I always would be suspicious of food until proven otherwise.
 
Yeah I had that bad bag from there. I'm hoping it was just to many big chunks of corn. Still have one inside the doesn't want to walk. And the lopsided turkey. Added a little brewers yeast to food. Everyone else seems okay. Takes awhile to check 50 gullets...
 
Auroradream26 said:
I lost 3 of my meaties last night :/ I thought they were ready and turned off the heat lamp yesterday. I guess that wasn't very smart. The 3 I lost got smothered.
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Aw that stinks. How old are they now?

fisherlady said:
Even new feed bags can be bad from the store, so still check it to be sure...we got one from TSC last year which was bad from the shelf, the company replaced it with coupons sent.
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The feed companies do seem to be good that way. That reminds me, I need to get some feed today...

yoopergirl1211 said:
Ah that stinks favorite thing to do is snuggle with chicks lol
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I'll still give them a little snuggle. I'll take my chances! Someone remind me of this when I am crippled with stomach pains and can't leave the toilet. Ha! :rolleyes:
 
So for you guys that raise meat chickens. Several of my meaties have a sinus infection, puffy eye thing going on. I have tried to treat them with the Vetrx and will continue to. But if they don't get better by slaughtering time, are they still okay to eat? Most are not too bad, but the one has such a puffy eye its almost closed.

I had heard them sneezing a couple of weeks ago, but I thought it was just because they were eating the dry feed so fast.
 
I wouldn't worry about the meat with just an upper respiratory infection, though I would wait till symptoms are clear for butcher day... but any which need antibiotics or show neurological symptoms I would separate and wait till they were cleared up for a few weeks before butcher.
 
SMELL is exactly how I detected the bad bag I had gotten in the past. It smelled horrible!

fisherlady said:
Looks, smell and feel...
Look...no obvious bugs, odd discoloration or flakes of unexpected material...
Smell... get in habit of taking a good sniff of any newly opened bag before you even look at it. You will come to recognize 'normal' and then can notice if something seems off. Moldy feed will have a musty smell or smell like a damp, mossy rock. Sometimes it can even smell sour. Basically, get used to 'normal' and be suspicious when anything is different.
Feel... is it loose and crumbly or powdery? It shouldn't be damp or clumpy. If it is then don't use it.

Any feed, from chain stores or mills, can be exposed to wet conditions. Even after you bring it home...Sometimes it is the original grain source which is the problem...but no matter what the origin of the problem the results are the same. Molding feed which can be dangerous.

Most problem bags can be detected with the 'look, smell, feel' precautions, but not always, and other contamination can go undetected until chicks are sick. So any group illness I always would be suspicious of food until proven otherwise.
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Jap Quail or Button Quail are adorable! Especially when just hatched. If I'm not mistaken they mature quickly and lay already when they are 8 weeks old or so. I've had them in the past. Only thing is they are very nervous/flighty birds.

KJ6485 said:
I just got home from the local livestock auction, and I seen something I never knew existed. Button Quail. OMG. They looked like just hatched chicks but they were literally the size of a thumbnail. does anyone have these?????? I am in love. No....I didn't buy them....i don't know why.
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yoopergirl1211 said:
h when I came home from work last night I found 5 chicks dead. My hubby has been out of town and I had to work almost 24 hours between Sat and Sun so kids had to take care of them. They are very responsible but my son gave them the food I use for my adults. I always give chick grit but I don't think they had enough to handle it. Now I'm trying to massage crops after another 3 chicks died with more looking rough. I took all the food away tonight when I realized and added more grit and a little coconut oil to water. Hoping I don't loose everyone. Not sure what else to do.
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:hitSo sorry
 

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