Storms and chickens

[Luvachicken]

Today I noticed hundreds of little black bugs in my sack of chicken food.

They were also inside the dustbin that I keep the food in.

Then I looked in the grub and that had them in too.

The chickens weren't too fond of them.

 

Fortunately there wasn't too much food in the sack so we have thrown it away.

We've cleaned the bin and the grub.

They have a couple of bowls of food for now.

 

What were the bugs ?

Why didn't the chickens like the bugs ?

[The Dogmother]

That sounds a bit like the weevils you can get in flour; I once imported some in a bag of flour from a supermarket since then I have been extra careful and always kept it in an airtight container. In the US, they use Diatom to get rid of weevils

[Luvachicken]

I thought they did look similar to the flour beetles.

Horrible little things.

 

My new bag is in the inner part of our garage safe from any bugs for now

[The Dogmother]

You probably already do, but I would suggest keeping it in a metal dustbin, then it will be vermin-proof and hopefully deter weevils.

[Luvachicken]

Ah, mine is in a plastic bin with the lockable handles.

[The Dogmother]

That's OK, but rats and mice would be able to chew through it - not so much of an issue in the summer, but come the cold weather, they will be looking for food.

 

If it was mine, I would use a metal bin, sprinkle the inside with some Diatom, then lower the feed, still in the sack, into that. That ought to sort out any pests - furry or weevily!

[Luvachicken]

Will do that then, thanks again

[LAB]

If this is a repeat problem, put the feed in the freezer for 24 hours. This will kill the weevil eggs. You can do the same thing with flour.

[sjp]

I didn't think a domestic freezer got cold enough to kill insect eggs

I don't see grubs or a like in the feed bin but I do get adult moths in it always the same type which I assume is the pea/bean moth either from the soya or pea meal that's in the brand I use

I have had weevils in flour in the past I found the infestation was higher in sealed plastic tubs compared with just leaving the bags out in the cupboard also found that some of the more expensive brands were more prone to weevils than the cheaper own brands

[Blackrocksrock]

I keeo my flour in the freezer. Never any weavils since. Never had in the food thankfully. Just checked keep flour in fridge lasts 2 years and in freezer indefinitely.

[Luvachicken]

I've never had the problem before and the food has been kept in the same bin for the 8 years I've had chickens.

 

The bugs that you get in flour are much smaller than these black things I have found.

 

Not sure I've got enough space in the freezer for a whole sack but I suppose I could do a little bit at a time ?

[sjp]

I've never had the problem before and the food has been kept in the same bin for the 8 years I've had chickens.

 

The bugs that you get in flour are much smaller than these black things I have found.

 

Not sure I've got enough space in the freezer for a whole sack but I suppose I could do a little bit at a time ?

I think the bag was contaminated/infested before it got to you there's a few photos here

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/cereal-and-pantry-pests

[The Dogmother]

That's usually the case

[Luvachicken]

Some good photos there, thank you

Only one black beetle in the list and I must admit I didn't pay much attention to what the ones looked like in the food, so don't know if they are the same or not.