How long can you store feed?

It is very common to see feed for sale on shelves that is a lot older than that. That is why most feed companies do not put a date of manufacture on their label but instead use a form of coding. It probably won’t kill your animals (except for young poultry) but the vitamins are likely in short supply.

The physical form of the feed makes a difference and the storage conditions make a difference. The vitamins’ age when they go into the feed and how the feed is manufactured in terms of heat and moisture all make a difference. Ground and chopped grains deteriorate quickly just by coming into contact with oxygen in the air, so mash and ground feeds don’t last long at all. Whole grains last a long time. Properly made pellets mimic the natural seed coat and keep ground feed materials from contact with the air and deterioration. Keeping your feed dry and keeping out rodents and dust and mold will prolong its life, but there is still the vitamin issue.

I like to emphasize the importance of fresh vitamins. (This is the kind of milling insider information that I enjoy sharing.)  In the process of manufacturing feed, when the vitamin sources make physical contact with the feed materials and especially with the minerals, the vitamins begin to deteriorate. There’s a physical chemical and electrical reaction between the vitamins, the minerals, and the other ingredients that degrades the vitamins right away, and it continues to damage them until they are useless. So old feed might look okay, but you can bet that the vitamins are no good.

There’s a 20% loss right at the point of manufacture under the best conditions. I deal with that here at Union Point by formulating to 120% of the fresh vitamins I want in the final feed, so we end up at 100% of the vitamins’ value when the feed goes into the bag. After that, a good rule of thumb to use is that the vitamins go away at the rate of about 10% per month. The minerals are stable. So our fresh feed is at 100%, one-month-old feed is 90%, two-month-old feed is at 80%, and by 6 months the vitamins are half gone. Some places may manufacture with a 6-month-old vitamin premix, lose 20% right off, and continue losing at that 10% rate till the feed moves through the distribution chain and ends up in the animal. There’s a better way.

As I say, the industry standard is 6 months from when you buy it, but how long did a bag of feed sit in the manufacturer’s warehouse, on the feed store shelf, and in the barn before it was used? I wouldn’t throw it out necessarily, but I wouldn’t count on it to provide vitamins, that’s for sure. Lots of feed stores will discount old feed; just remember, the vitamins are probably long gone.

We like to see folks use fresh feed, so we do all we can to encourage that. We want our feed to be extra fresh from the day we make it till the day you feed it.

Getting a shipment of new baby chicks can be very exciting. But one of the things that many new chicken owners often times over look is how they’re going to store the chicken feed.

In this article, I’m going to go over the ins and outs on how to properly store chicken feed, both for long term and short term. The idea is to give you a few things to consider when it comes to storing chicken feed.

How To Store Chicken Feed

Keep It Dry

The most important thing about storing chicken feed is making sure that you’re able to keep it dry. Moisture is the enemy. That’s because once moisture is introduced, you can count on that chicken feed molding fairly quickly.

I recommend storing your chicken feed in a metal bin that has a lid just like these 10 gallon galvanized steel bins which hold up to a 50 lb bag of chicken feed.

Protect It From Rodents

Another important thing to consider is to protect your chicken feed from rodents. If you store chicken feed in paper or plastic bags, rats and mice will have easy access to the feed. You’ll need to make sure you store it in such a way that these pests will not be able to access it.

The same galvanized bins mentioned above do an excellent job at keeping rodents at bay.

Keep The Storage Bins Clean

Once you decide on a proper storage bin to keep the chicken feed in, you’ll want to make sure that you routinely clean them out before filling them again.

The reason you do this is because there are little pesky mites that like to make their home in the feed that’s left behind. If these mites are left behind and the bin is filled with new feed the mites can contaminate the new feed.

All that’s required is a quick vacuuming of the chicken feed bin with a shop vac. But if you decide to take a step farther and wash out the bin, be sure to a soap or detergent that is safe to use and make sure you wash all of the soap residue out when washing it.

Be sure to dry the storage bin completely before filling it back up with chicken feed. Otherwise introducing moisture can lead to mold.

How Much Chicken Feed Can You Safely Store?

The idea of going out and stocking up on chicken feed in order to reduce the number of times you have to go to the feed store is appealing. But keep in mind that chicken feed doesn’t last forever, even when stored properly.

Of course it all depends on how many chickens you have and how fast you go through the feed, but typically, don’t store more than 4 weeks worth of food. This is the rule I go by and it’s always seemed to work out for me. I’ve never had a mold or pest problem since I go through the feed fast enough.

Yet I’ve found that 4 weeks is enough time between trips to the store that it doesn’t feel like I’m going all that often.

How Long Does Chicken Feed Last In Storage?

When stored properly, sealed in a cool, dry environment, chicken feed will last up to 4 to 6 months. However, it’s not recommended that you try and store it that long.

In the winter months, you’ll find that chicken feed will last much longer and stay fresher than it does during the summer months when the heat and humidity can turn the feed much faster.

The Best Chicken Feed Bin

Behrens FBA High Grade 10 Gal Galvanized Steel Dry Storage Can With Locking Lid

• 10 Gallon
• Holds up to a 50 lb bag of dry food or seed
• Durable…the strength of steel
• Ideal for pet food, bird seed, grass seed
• Dry storage only
• Locking lid to keep pests out

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There’s a few options when it comes to storing chicken feed at your place. I’ve seen plastic bins that seal very nicely. However, they’re still plastic and could potentially be chewed through by a very determined pest.

That’s why I’ve always used galvanized chicken feed storage bins, like these Galvanized Steel Dry Storage Bins from Behrens.

Of course it depends on how many birds are in your flock and how much feed you plan on storing, but for those of us with a smaller sized flock, having a couple of these bins on hand to store feed in has been key.

Each bin holds 10 gallons, which equates to a 50 lb bag of feed. And with the locking lid, the feed will stay dry for as long as you have to store it. Plus, rodents and other pests will find it impossible to get to the feed inside.

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