The feed store

Rainy season. You lift a bag from the back of the store. The ground underneath is damp. The bag itself has no smell.

So you pour it into the feeders, like the others. And the problem may start there.

First trap, smell proves nothing. It can be contaminated without odour, and without visible mould.

Moulds produce poisons there, mycotoxins. Invisible in the bag, they pass into the chicken.

They damage the liver and kidneys. They weaken the defences. The batch then responds less well to its vaccinations.

And some cause the feed to be refused. The feeder remains full, and you look for the cause elsewhere.

Moulds start when the air reaches about sixty-five percent humidity. And they love heat, above twenty-five degrees.

A warm, damp, and airless store is all they like. Even without mould, heat already destroys some vitamins.

Second trap, keeping too long. For the FAO, a compound feed lasts one to two months.

A ground raw material, the same under our climate. Whole grains last three to four months.

So I advise buying at the pace of the flock. Not six months of stock sitting in the heat.

Now, the actions for the store. Bags are placed on pallets, and they never touch an outside wall.

Several small stacks are better than one large pile. Air passes between them, and each bag remains visible.

The door is locked, and the openings are screened. Neither rats nor birds can enter.

And the first bag in is the first bag out. A date on each bag, and none is forgotten.

And a silo does not protect on its own. Temperature fluctuations create moisture, and moulds follow.

A questionable bag, however, leaves the circuit. It never mixes with the good ones.

Mixed with ten good bags, it does not disappear. You simply have eleven questionable bags.

In the building, follow the appetite of the batch. If it eats less for no reason, keep the bag separate, and call your veterinarian.

And at home, what do the bags rest on? On the floor, on boards, or on pallets?

Take a photo of your store, and send it to us on WhatsApp at 05 44 83 27 79. Our farm record book is waiting for you, free of charge.

An order for chicks? Call 07 07 72 78 67. Subscribe, and we will see how to change feed later.

Our day-old chicks are sorted one by one, in Agnibilékrou. With Nextekci, every customer is a satisfied poultry farmer.