I opened a bag of goat feed yesterday and instead of being hit in the face with a sweet molasses smell, it was a cloud of green mold.
That’s not a pretty sight, nor is it a pretty topic to write about. However, it occurred to me that maybe I should mention it. Here in SW Florida, it’s hot and humid during the summer and humidity breeds all sorts of problems.
If you aren’t buying your feed from a high-volume store, be sure to check it carefully when you first open it. Even a well-respected feed store can have problems with feed becoming moldy in the bags if the stock isn’t turned over frequently. Feed is generally stored in an open-air warehouse or, if it’s enclosed, it’s highly unlikely that it’s climate controlled. The humidity in the air will eventually penetrate the layers of paper in the bags.
Be especially careful with the sweet feeds. They contain a lot of molasses and that seems to mold faster, although I have also found mold in my chicken feed.
Another thing to be on the lookout for is bugs. You’ll find that in the grain mixes because most grains contain various insect eggs. Normally, these eggs don’t get a chance to hatch and so there is no problem. However, in our lovely sub-tropic humidity, they tend to flourish.
If you see something resembling cobwebs in your bag of chicken feed, it’s actually bugs of some sort. If you see an unusual amount of “fines” or dust in the bag, that’s what the bugs leave behind when they’ve had a meal.
Although chickens eat and enjoy bugs every chance they get, you don’t need to pay for them. Buying feed that is buggy is like throwing away your money. The bugs eat the most nutritious parts of the corn and other grains and there is simply no way to tell if the chickens get the proper nutrients from eating those well-fed bugs. I suspect a lot of them manage to turn into adults and simply fly away when you open the bag or they escape through the small, perfectly round holes I’ve seen in a few of the bags.
Goats should absolutely NOT be fed moldy or spoiled feed. You wouldn’t eat it, so why feed it to them? Not to mention the fact that unless you have a chemistry degree and can tell for sure that the mold isn’t toxic, you run the risk of poisoning your animals if you feed it.
Be safe, be sure and be penny-wise. If you open a bag of feed that’s bad, tape it shut and return it to the store. If they refuse to make good on it, buy your feed elsewhere.
Don’t risk losing the animals you care for.
