New Bag of Country Acres Starter Smells Bad (ETA: Took It Back)

[speckledhen]

I never buy Purina because I prefer animal protein, but I have a broody with one chick and so there will be extra feed left over when the chick is rehomed. I wanted non-medicated for the adults to be able to eat the remainder so I got a bag of their budget brand (was still $15, about $3 more than I usually pay for my medicated Tucker Milling Starter/Grower I use-can't get that in non-medicated form). I opened it today and though it is not clumped and looks okay, it has a very strong medicinal smell. My DH says it smells like chlorine. I don't smell chlorine, but it's very unpleasant. I'm wondering if it's rancid or something. How would you judge this? I've never had rancid feed-my Tucker Milling is always fresh smelling, has animal protein and is never dusty. This stuff smells nasty! I'd think something with only plant protein and no meds should smell better if it was okay. Would you just return it to be safe?

 

[stoopid]

Maybe contact the manufacturer with the code on the bag to see if it's old, I think older then 3 months I would return it.

 

[elmo]

Yes, I would return it. Better safe than sorry.

 

[EweSheep]

Quote:
2x and if it smells like chlorine, it is not good. It could be giving off ammonia because the feed may be old.

 

[speckledhen]

I took it back. Country Acres 1-800 number isn't open over the weekend or I'd have had them check the bagging date. The person at the feed store (not my usual feed stop) acted like it smelled fine to them--trust me, over the past 6 years, I've opened many, many bags of chick starter of various brands, including this very brand, and nothing has ever smelled this terrible. Not a chance I was going to feed that to Nugget and her little chicklet. I think I'd rather go with my gut than find my precious Nugget and her baby dead, sorry, lady. The feed store owner probably would have been a bit less snippy about it than the weekend help.

The woman said something about putting it back on the shelf.

I hope it doesn't kill someone else's chicks. They were perfectly willing to sell me their higher priced products, no apology, nothing. No, thank you! I went back to the county co-op, where they never question my judgement, and bought a 25 lb bag of my regular medicated feed, though I could have gotten 50# for just $3 more. At least that way, there will be no huge excess to dispose of if the chick leaves with a new owner before the feed runs out.