Short answer: keep feed dry, cool, off the floor, away from the walls, safe from rats and birds, and use the oldest bags first. Damp is the main enemy, because mould grows in wet, warm feed. At Vital Feeds (Private) Limited, our mill team often finds that a “feed problem” on a farm is really a storage problem. The same rules answer how to store cattle feed and vanda: bags on pallets, a gap from the wall, and the oldest bags used first.
Feed is the biggest cost on most poultry, dairy and fish farms. A store that lets in damp or rats can waste a part of every delivery without anyone noticing, until animals stop growing or start refusing feed. Good storage means the feed reaches the animal the way it was made.
Why does stored feed go bad?
Three things spoil feed: moisture, heat and pests. Moisture lets moulds grow. According to Manitoba Agriculture, mould can develop in storage especially when feed moisture goes above 15 to 16% and temperatures are warm, and it advises storing grain below 15% moisture. Heat speeds up spoilage. Rats, birds and insects eat feed, tear bags and leave droppings behind. The eight rules below deal with all three.
1. Keep it dry
Damp feed cakes, loses quality and grows mould. Store feed under a roof that does not leak, away from water tanks, drinkers and washing areas. In the monsoon, check the store after every heavy rain, and fix leaks before the rains start, not after.
2. Off the floor, away from the walls
Floors and walls pull damp into the bags. Stack bags on pallets or wooden planks, and leave a gap between the stack and the wall so air can move and you can walk around to check for rats. Do not stack so high that bags at the bottom are crushed or split.
3. Keep it cool and shaded
Heat speeds up spoilage. Do not leave bags in direct sun, on a tin-roofed veranda in summer, or next to heaters and engines. A shaded, airy room with some cross-ventilation is best.
4. First in, first out
Use the oldest bags first. Put new deliveries behind or under the old stock, not in front of it. Writing the delivery date on each stack with a marker makes this easy for every worker.
5. Buy what you will use
Large stocks look like savings, but feed that sits for a long time in a hot, damp store loses value. Order in amounts you will use in the next few weeks, and plan deliveries around your crop or herd size. Smaller, regular deliveries keep the store fresh. When a delivery arrives, run these seven quick feed quality checks before the truck leaves.
6. Stop rats, birds and insects
Rats eat feed, tear bags, and leave droppings that can spread disease. Close holes and gaps, keep the area around the store clean of spilled feed, and use safe rodent control kept away from the feed itself. Keep wild birds out with netting on openings. Sweep up spilled feed every day, because it draws pests to the whole store.
7. Close opened bags
Fold and tie opened bags, or tip them into a clean bin with a lid. An open bag pulls in damp, dust and insects. Never mix old leftover feed into a new bag, and clean feed bins between batches.
8. Keep chemicals away
Never store feed in the same room as fertiliser, pesticides, diesel or medicines. Smells and spills can contaminate feed, and animals may refuse it.
Why is the monsoon the riskiest time?
Hot, humid weather is when mould grows fastest. A 2020 study of milk and feed samples across Punjab found that 95% of the farm feed samples were above the US FDA aflatoxin limit, that humidity was linked to aflatoxin in feed, and that the most contaminated samples came in the months when stored ingredients such as maize and cottonseed cake were being used. Ingredients harvested in hot, wet weather and then stored badly are a big part of the risk. For dairy farmers who keep loose cottonseed cake, maize or bran, the same rules apply: dry, covered, off the floor and used in order. Bagged concentrate such as dairy vanda needs the same care.
How do I store fish feed and loose feed?
- Fish feed: keep bags in a dry shed, not on the pond bank where damp and splashing water reach them. Take only the day’s feed to the pond.
- Loose ingredients: keep them in covered bins or bags on raised platforms, never in heaps on the floor.
- Mixing on the farm: mix only what you will feed in a short time, so mixed feed does not sit and sweat.
How do I spot feed that has gone bad?
- A musty, sour or mouldy smell.
- Lumps or caking that do not break easily.
- Green, grey or black spots of mould.
- Warm patches inside the bag.
- Insects or webbing.
- Animals or fish eating less than usual.
If you see these signs, do not feed it. Some moulds make toxins (mycotoxins). Manitoba Agriculture lists reduced feed intake, production losses and breeding problems, and links aflatoxins to abortions and poor immunity. Young animals are more at risk. Set the bags aside, contact your supplier, and ask your vet if animals show signs of illness.
Why does this matter for your results?
Well-stored feed is the base for good broiler FCR, a steady layer feeding schedule, steady buffalo milk yield and healthy fish growth. A few simple habits in the store protect every bag you buy.
Written by Waqas Rafiq, CEO, Vital Feeds (Private) Limited.
See our poultry feed, cattle and dairy feed and fish feed, or message the mill on WhatsApp (UAN 0311 1555136) to plan delivery sizes that suit your farm.