Chickens Every Day
Dedicated to helping backyard chicken owners keep the happiest and healthiest flocks we can.
Chickens Every Day
Battling Grain Mites: Protecting Your Flock's Feed
This episode revolves around the issue of grain mites in chicken feed and their implications for poultry health. By sharing personal experiences and practical tips, we discuss how to identify, prevent, and manage infestations to safeguard your flock's nutrition.
• Discussion on the impact of grain mites on chicken feed
• Personal anecdote on discovering mites in purchased feed
• Explanation of how grain mites affect feed quality
• Effective measures for addressing infestations
• Importance of sourcing feed from reputable suppliers
• Recommendations for proper feed storage and cleaning practices
• Insights on using the CoopWorks feed silo for feed management
• Conclusion with key takeaways on vigilance against pests
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Speaker 2:Are we ready, Pawpaw? Hello friends and welcome to Chicken. Every Day, a podcast for you, the backyard chicken enthusiast, and mine. Your host is my Pawpaw, Gary, Gary Valerie of Senla Backyard Chickens. Here we have fun while sharing ideas and learning how to care for our foul-feathered friends. Check out our videos at Senla that's C-E-N-L-A Backyard Chickens on YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. So, without further ado, let's start today's show. How was that?
Speaker 1:Hello friends, gary, with CENLA Backyard Chickens, here with you again, and this past summer I bought two large bags of laying pellets from Tractor Supply and I bought the Purina brand laying pellets. When I got them home, opened them up. Well, I did one at a time. The first one was heavily infested with grain mites. Then the second one. I checked it. It was also heavily infested with grain mites.
Speaker 1:Grain mites Do not harm your birds, however. They eat the nutrition out of the feed. The first thing they go for is the germ, then they do the other parts and then they graduate on down. They eat what is nutritious to your animal's food. So you don't want them in there. One of the things that you can do if you suspect that you had that, you can freeze your food for a couple of weeks. But why should you have to do that whenever? It's not your issue, you didn't cause that. Another thing you can do is just, you know, put some diatomaceous earth mix in there. I do not recommend doing that because that can have some effects as well. Probably the best thing is wherever you bought that feed from, if you have that issue, take it back, tell them what you got, demand something else, better and different, or if you have a different source. Luckily for me, I have a different source up here, a local source that creates and grinds and makes their own feed, but today I bought some more from tractor supply, some more purina. The do more 16 layer pellets is what I got from them. However, it looks like that they've taken care of that problem since then, so I'm going to go ahead and give them some of this Purina that I got. After this, I'm going back to my local company.
Speaker 1:Of course, until maybe the summer again, I may have to check this out once more Is dust at the bottom of your food container instead of the pellets or the normal crumbles that you would have? You see right here, I use the Coop Works feed silo. I really like it. I use the large one. This is the 80 pound silo that they have. It is the best I've ever used. It's tough, it's durable, it's made of heavy-duty plastic, you see right here.
Speaker 1:And of course, it's time to feed my birds again. This is the feed silo itself and the way I noticed that I had feed mice. To begin with, I scooped up some from in here and what I'll do? Once a week or so I'll scoop up some and I'll ferment it. And when I scooped it up here, and what I'll do once a week or so I'll scoop up some and I'll ferment it, and when I scooped it up, poured it into my jug for fermenting. I saw all these bugs in there, ran back out here, started around. Some saw more. I looked under here and it was dusty instead of the pellets, like you see right there. Sure enough that I that I had that issue going on, which was terrible, of course. However, it looks like, uh, that they've taken care of that problem since then, so I'm gonna go ahead and give them some of this purina that I got. After this, I'm going back to my local company. Of course, until maybe the summer again, I may have to check this out once more. But, guys, by the way, if by chance, you may think you want one of these coopworks fee silos, check out one.
Speaker 1:My videos I have a video that's on this particular silo right there. Any of the products that they have over at CoopWorks. There's a link in that video where you receive a discount. I get a small portion of that discount. It's not huge, but it's something. And just the fact that you get, you know however many I think it's 10 or or 12, I don't remember what it was off of. What your neighbors pay is pretty cool thing. You will not regret it.
Speaker 1:They have three different ways that you can mount them. Right now this is mounted. I'll show you that. Right there is a plate. It's got four vertical pieces sticking out in different directions. It's mounted on that. Sometimes I have it mounted on this stake where it just sits in the ground like that and it is staked up and then you can also mount it on four different legs. That is one of the leg holders and these just extend down like that and you can mount it on the legs and you can also adjust the height to. It Holds a lot of feed. The reason I like the mount that I'm using right now because it's pretty much mouse and rat proof.
Speaker 1:You know I used to say that there's no way a mouse could get inside my pen because I have hardware cloth all the way around. I have hardware cloth buried at the bottoms. You see where the girls are standing. Right there there's hardware cloth and the grass is going over. I said no way something that a mouse is going to get in here One day I was in here changing out that dust bath that you see right there. When I pulled it out, three little baby mice took off running. They didn't take off for long because the girls were there and they took care of them, so you're not going to keep mice out. You know, no matter how tight you think that you have it in here, of course, course I have my doors open. You know for them to go back and forth. So I've got mice.
Speaker 1:But guys, check out this Coopworks feed silo. They're not cheap. This one, I think, was close to 200 bucks. But when you think it is probably going to last 30 years, I don't know. It's going to last an extremely long time. There's nothing to rust, nothing to rot. The stakes and what have you are aluminum. Aluminum doesn't rust, so moisture on the ground is not going to hurt it. They are really, really a quality product. Check out my video that I have had on there. Have online ScentLock Backyard. Check it on YouTube and TikTok. Go to that link. You'll get your discount. No-transcript.
Speaker 1:Some more information that I found on these grain mites, and this is according to the Cornell Cooperative Extension. Grain mites are very small arachnids, in other words, spiders that live in processed grains such as cracked corn, ground wheat and finished feed, pellets, crumbs or mash. They live in very large populations, with females laying upwards of 800 eggs over their lifetime, or 30 eggs per day. They eat the most nutritious part of the grain and seeds, the germ, etc. And decrease the feed's quality of nutrients, as well as release disagreeable odors that may discourage feed consumption and are easily transmitted by insects, the wind and people to other feed storage areas. The mites themselves are not harmful. However, the results decrease nutrition of the feed. With a heavy infestation, their excrement or feces may be harmful to the digestive system and, in extreme cases, allergic reactions in some animals.
Speaker 1:Don't fall into the trap, guys, that this is just another form of protein. The protein content of the mites doesn't offset the nutrition they've stolen from this expensive feed that you're paying for. So what do you do if you find them First off? Doesn't offset the nutrition they've stolen from this expensive feed that you're paying for. So what do you do if you find them First off? To feed clean storage or feed bins with soap and water and use a multicide? You know I talked earlier about my CoopWorks feed silo. This thing, being made out of heavy-duty plastic really made cleaning these things a lot easier because of that.
Speaker 1:If the grain is going to be stored for more than a few months, consider treating the area with an arachnicide. Inspect new bags if infestation is fairly light. Freeze the bags for two weeks to kill the mites. If not, throw them away or return them to your store Store in a cool, dry environment in sealed containers. If your chickens spill feed on the ground, sprinkle some DE or diatomaceous earth on the ground. Just don't do it too heavily.
Speaker 1:There is a shred of good news here, however. These mites need specific temperature and humidity ranges to flourish. They thrive in conditions with high temperatures and high humidity of 55% and more. Under optimal conditions, the mites can complete their life cycle in 9 to 11 days, infesting a feed storage quickly. Research indicates that their life cycle is completed in 16 days at 71 degrees Fahrenheit and 28 days at 50 to 60 degrees. Their life cycle is completed in 16 days at 71 degrees Fahrenheit and 28 days at 50 to 60 degrees and 45 degrees, unless the research I found says they're not going to be there Now, if you have a warm room and it's 45 degrees outside, that doesn't count. They can grow in that. So wintertime, you know, should be a lot better, but if you guys end up getting these feed mites, grain mites, don't ignore the issue. Make sure you take care of it. Thanks and see you soon. Bye-bye.
Speaker 2:That's all we have time for today. I really hope you enjoyed listening to the podcast. Be sure to watch our videos. So, on behalf of my Papa, gary, and me, sylvie, thanks for listening.
