How long can you store feed for?

[PhantomSlayer]

Does brand affect shelf life. One average how many months could you store food in the original bag. ETC.

We buy Country Spirit brand. I believe their all 40 pound bags.

Layer Pellets, Cracked corn, Hatch to hen and duck and geese Pellets.

I would assume 6 months max but I would like to know from people who perhaps buy food and store it for long term. Last year we bought a 10 pound bag of Kalmbach? crumble as we hatched goslings and even opened and forgotten 8 months later it seemed fine and eventually it got included into the hens feed when some of our girls had a really tough molt.

Location a walk out basement.

 

[Kiki]

I wouldn't store feed for more than a month or two at most.

What does the date on your bags say?

 

[21hens-incharge]

The feed should have a julian date on the tag or the sewn seam.
That is the date if manufacture.

After about 3 months it has degraded in nutrition. I say "about" since storage conditions greatly affect shelf life.

It is best to always buy the freshest possible and use within a month.

 

[AGeese]

I haven't paid too close attention because my birds work through their feed at a fairly steady pace. I also get 40 or 50 lbs bags of seed, crumble, and pellet, recently cracked corn as well, and keep them in 4 metal trash cans.

During the summer I keep the trash cans with the feed in my basement where it's cool, and I run a dehumidifier. Now for winter I moved the cans out to the garage.

I haven't had any issues, with feed so far thankfully with around a dozen birds give or take over the last 3 years (now 18) chickens and geese together.

 

[Squawkers]

How would you know if the food was “old”?

 

[igorsMistress]

I remember reading somewhere that whole grains store for quite some time, but that the processed feed doesn’t. Once it has been ground it begins to oxidize and lose nutritional value. The general consensus was max two months from manufacture date which you’ll find on the tag attached to the bag. Whole grains can be stored for extensive periods if kept dry, cool and away from air.

@Squawkers you can get the manufacture date from the tag on the bag. Also, you can often smell the difference.

 

[AGeese]

How would you know if the food was “old”?

a sniff and a glance.

 

[Squawkers]

a sniff and a glance.

This might be hard to answer, but how would you describe the smell of old feed? I haven’t had the best sense of smell since my sinus surgeries, but I think it is good enough to detect a fairly obvious odor.

 

[AGeese]

This might be hard to answer, but how would you describe the smell of old feed? I haven’t had the best sense of smell since my sinus surgeries, but I think it is good enough to detect a fairly obvious odor.

Oh I'm with you there, had surgey too! and still have allergies, but I haven't smelled anything foul other than one time on a purchase of a bag of Purina Flock Raiser crumbles. It had an extra sweet aroma that put me off. I told the guy, and he said they have a no questions asked policy of return on feed. So I exhanged for another bag that wasn't so pungent. Turned out ok as the birds made it through it.

 

[Squawkers]

Oh I'm with you there, had surgey too! and still have allergies, but I haven't smelled anything foul other than one time on a purchase of a bag of Purina Flock Raiser crumbles. It had an extra sweet aroma that put me off. I told the guy, and he said they have a no questions asked policy of return on feed. So I exhanged for another bag that wasn't so pungent. Turned out ok as the birds made it through it.

Has your sense of smell been impacted from it? My structural issues are gone and I am so much better, other than the seasonal allergies. Thanks! That makes sense. I have never noticed sweet smells from feed before.