# saving feed from insects?



## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

hello friends. my some pigeons has tapeworm segments in their poop and some didnt because my feed attracted weevils which hide in the mung beans which my pigeons eat..so i removed mung beans from my feed and started keeping garlic cloves in the feed, i thought everything will be fine. but yesterday i saw that my gola and highflyer mix female dropping also had only one large segment that means she has recently infected tapeworm. so i checked my feed and there were brown rice size insects in it, i think my pigeons ate them because they look like rape seeds..so i brought 4 kilo of new feed checked it properly and keep it in a large candy jar..i keep my feed inside the house in a dark and cool place and only take half kilo with me in a small jar for pigeons...i have added garlic cloves but i m still afraid of insects , so i want to know what you people do to save ur feed


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## CBL (May 13, 2014)

Hm I've never run into problems like that, I go thru feed so quickly. We have something called AIL or avian insect liquidator you can buy online and spray the outside of the feed bags and even in the loft with the birds for bugs. Also I hang vapona no pest strips in loft to keep mosquitos and other bugs away and they work amazing, have never seen a bug anywhere.


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Like CBL, we get through feed pretty fast. We store ours in large insect-proof plastic bins. Problem can sometimes be to the quality of the feed, in that weevil eggs may already be inside such things as corn. Pretty hard to tell visibly, and they are very resistant to both heat and cold.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

*Food grade diatomaceous earth sprinkled in the seed storage bin (sparingly) will get rid of insects in food storage bin. It is safe for the birds too, will help them get rid of parasites if they ingest it. *


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

CBL said:


> *Hm I've never run into problems like that, I go thru feed so quickly.* We have something called AIL or avian insect liquidator you can buy online and spray the outside of the feed bags and even in the loft with the birds for bugs. Also I hang vapona no pest strips in loft to keep mosquitos and other bugs away and they work amazing, have never seen a bug anywhere.


Uh-huh...???


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

sinu jan said:


> hello friends. my some pigeons has tapeworm segments in their poop and some didnt because my feed attracted weevils which hide in the mung beans which my pigeons eat..so i removed mung beans from my feed and started keeping garlic cloves in the feed, i thought everything will be fine. but yesterday i saw that my gola and highflyer mix female dropping also had only one large segment that means she has recently infected tapeworm. so i checked my feed and there were brown rice size insects in it, i think my pigeons ate them because they look like rape seeds..so i brought 4 kilo of new feed checked it properly and keep it in a large candy jar..i keep my feed inside the house in a dark and cool place and only take half kilo with me in a small jar for pigeons...i have added garlic cloves but i m still afraid of insects , so i want to know what you people do to save ur feed


In central India especially, where temp stays bug favorite for 10 months its hard to keep feedmix out of their reach.
All face this problem. So in summers I buy feed in small quantities so birds get fresh and bug free feed. I buy from cold stores in grain market so the bugs never multiply considerably until feedmix is all used up. You can do the same buy less and fresh. If you have few birds you can keep the feedmix in fridge so bugs don't develop.
You can dip the feed in water for 10 mins. All the bugs will float to the surface and die. The feed can be put in sun to dry. Then put it in a metal tub and put a glass pane over it. It will heat up the feed mix and sterile it and along with that all the remaining bugs and their eggs will be killed. Then the bugs will not invade your feedmix soon.


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## gingerpoo (Jul 31, 2008)

Good suggestions Jass.
Airtight containers, freezer, sunshine for your seeds. But try to start with the best grain you can get.
Make sure your birds don't have access to their droppings and dirt-scrape often.
Use a covered drinker so they can't poop in their water too


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## Chuck K (Jan 12, 2013)

*De*

I use the same method that SkyeKing noted. Diatomaceous earth will kill the bugs in the feed, and I have read that it also will kill the internal parasites as well although I don't know if that is true.
I have also heard of it being used on dogs for intestinal worms. I sprinkle a cup of DE to fifty pounds of feed and mix it in. If you use this product be careful not to breathe the dust some studies have linked it
to silicosis.


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Thanks for the replies. Best option for me would be buying feed in low quantity... i could buy feed very 10 days...


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Ya sinu!
But its also important from where you buy your feed! It might contain bugs already. In that case you can keep it in fridge


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

What about red ants Jass? We have numerous red ants which manage to go everywhere. Can they harm pigeons too. They even get to the feed bowl within half an hour of keeping the seeds so I started using hit chalk to line it's lower boundary so pigeons couldn't consume it anyhow but still if it's rubbed anytime even half an inch, the same red ants harass me. My concern is can they harm my pigeons through their feed if they some time consume them. My one baby is very much fond of picking the ants and dropping and in that way they die but will it harm my baby too?


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Ok jass i will keep feed in fridge...hope that will help!!
ANd kiddy you have to follow ants and find their home and then attact it with hit chalk. eating ants can also give pigeons tapeworms. but most pigeons dont even try to peck at ants as they always keep moving


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

kiddy said:


> What about red ants Jass? We have numerous red ants which manage to go everywhere. Can they harm pigeons too. They even get to the feed bowl within half an hour of keeping the seeds so I started using hit chalk to line it's lower boundary so pigeons couldn't consume it anyhow but still if it's rubbed anytime even half an inch, the same red ants harass me. My concern is can they harm my pigeons through their feed if they some time consume them. My one baby is very much fond of picking the ants and dropping and in that way they die but will it harm my baby too?


Yes ants can also give tapeworms to pigeons if swallowed. Ants are also known to kill squabs. And those big ants I don't know what they're called locally there, here they're called makodas, they kill squabs and bother parents too. They're as big as half the size of your index finger and are very ferocious. They don't let go even when they're pulled off with q-tip, they rather break in half but don't go of their fangs I used to run insecticide course every month. Now they're gone, thankfully.
Ants keep bugs away if their population keeps under control unless they start to bother us and birds then I find their burrow and I have to use insecticide. Culturally where I live killing ants is considered as bad as genocide but...


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

*urgent help!!*

Hii jass today again when i checked my feed i found not only those brown thin insects but also weevil sized black bugs in my 4-5 kilo of feed which has only wheat bajra jowar rice chaana dal and rape seeds
So i took some feed and and kept it in 1 gallon bucket with water ,immediately all insects started floating on the top..i removed them and then flitered and removed feed and placed it in a tray to dry. I did this in evening so i couldnt dry it in the sun hope till tommorrow feed will be dried.
My most of the pigeons are getting tapeworms and i couldnt find praziquantel. Vets are recommending albendazol and as i heard here its risky to use it. So i decided better not deworm them. Recently my two cute fledging have weaned i pray to god that they should have not ingested those insects...
So jass can i do this procedure of washing half kilo feed very week will that help??? I dont have glass panel to heat feed and theres not much space in fridge to keep my feed. And i also read somewhere that we should not feed pigeons the feed that was wet even after drying it??? Help !!!


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## kiddy (Feb 5, 2015)

Jass SamOplay said:


> Yes ants can also give tapeworms to pigeons if swallowed. Ants are also known to kill squabs. And those big ants I don't know what they're called locally there, here they're called makodas, they kill squabs and bother parents too. They're as big as half the size of your index finger and are very ferocious. They don't let go even when they're pulled off with q-tip, they rather break in half but don't go of their fangs I used to run insecticide course every month. Now they're gone, thankfully.
> Ants keep bugs away if their population keeps under control unless they start to bother us and birds then I find their burrow and I have to use insecticide. Culturally where I live killing ants is considered as bad as genocide but...


I have been saving ants since i was a kid so I can't kill them. I love the way they are. Such a hard workers, take care of colonies, well disciplined creatures of God so better I would take a preventive measure more frequently to save my feed from them but I won't be able to ruin their nest, those are their homes actually and everyone should live in their homes safely. It is my opinion. 
Thankfully we don't have those large ants here called makoda


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Hey jass check my pervious post too!! Thanks


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

sinu jan said:


> Hii jass today again when i checked my feed i found not only those brown thin insects but also weevil sized black bugs in my 4-5 kilo of feed which has only wheat bajra jowar rice chaana dal and rape seeds
> So i took some feed and and kept it in 1 gallon bucket with water ,immediately all insects started floating on the top..i removed them and then flitered and removed feed and placed it in a tray to dry. I did this in evening so i couldnt dry it in the sun hope till tommorrow feed will be dried.
> My most of the pigeons are getting tapeworms and i couldnt find praziquantel. Vets are recommending albendazol and as i heard here its risky to use it. So i decided better not deworm them. Recently my two cute fledging have weaned i pray to god that they should have not ingested those insects...
> So jass can i do this procedure of washing half kilo feed very week will that help??? I dont have glass panel to heat feed and theres not much space in fridge to keep my feed. And i also read somewhere that we should not feed pigeons the feed that was wet even after drying it??? Help !!!


Its actually the opposite. We in the region never give feedmix to our birds until we wash it ourselves. Since companies don't supply feedmixes we have to prepare it ourselves. We buy from different places in case of unavailability of a specific grain. So we have to wash it and sun dry it to sterile it.

I think you should wash all your feed once and remove all the bugs from it. Cuz the bugs will keep multiplying and wouldn't leave your feed good and nutritious for birds. Do you know what's "Parad Tikri"? Have you tried it?


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Jass SamOplay said:


> Its actually the opposite. We in the region never give feedmix to our birds until we wash it ourselves. Since companies don't supply feedmixes we have to prepare it ourselves. We buy from different places in case of unavailability of a specific grain. So we have to wash it and sun dry it to sterile it.
> 
> I think you should wash all your feed once and remove all the bugs from it. Cuz the bugs will keep multiplying and wouldn't leave your feed good and nutritious for birds. Do you know what's "Parad Tikri"? Have you tried it?


Kk jass i will wash my feed and next time i will buy in less quantity. For how many days should i dry it in sun?? 
What is parad tikri, never heard of it


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

K so today i washed feed removed all insects and placed wet feed in tray but as its monsoon weather is mostly cloudy...sunlight was around only for 2 hours but even in that feed almost dried. now after 6 hours after being wet feed looks totally dry, now feed is in shed but in open air..but when should i put feed in airtight container???
And also plz inform about parad tikri? Thanks !!


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

In summers feed dry well in 2-3 days as sun is very hot. You can chew few grains to check if the feedmix has dried well. It feels chrunchy and hard to chew dry grains. Then you can store it in air tight container.
Parad tikri are tablets made from mercury. Mercury is a potent poison. Parad tabs come in small packings easily available in market. You can put these tablets in your air tight container in feedmix and it helps in controlling the bugs in feed greatly.


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Even in summers 2-3 days?? I kept it in air tight container within 8 hours as i thought they were totally dry...i will remove feed immeadiately ....thanks


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Ok i removed feed and again kept it in tray....but jass is there a way to remove eggs of those bugs from feed???


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

And jass what about keep neem leaves or turmeric powder in seeds, reading about neem from childhood seems like it should work???


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

To keep the eggs from hatching either we have to put the feed in freezer or keep the feed in sun in a metal container covered with glass.

I've tried neem leaves and turmeric. Yes these work but only if feedmix is less and kept in an air tight container. These keep feed good for a couple of months then you have to add leaves to it again.


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Kk i will try making a solar cooker...
i finsh my 4 kg feed in just 1 month so neem and turmeric are best for me. i personally like turmeric ...so i would first try that . Here i get it packed .i read on internet, amount is 40 gm turmeric in 1kg of feed that means about 2 tablespoons in 1 kilo
So jass is it okay if they consume turmeric, when i give cipcal 500, vitamin supplement , and garlic water?? Or should i shift to neem??


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

I think turmeric not so good idea. Pigeons are not liking its smell and it make everything yellow... better to go with neem leaves. Easily available here!! Jass can you please advice me, how to use neem to protect feed??


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

got to know many methods about using neem, but just adding leaves to feed would be simple, if leaves will be good for atleast 1 month, it will work good for me...how many leaves should i add to each kilogram


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

Kk today i washed my whole feed and kept it for drying ...but todays weather is cloudy but feed is drying due to wind...did you said to soak feed for 30 minutes but i m just washing it which i think took only 5 minutes. so i think it should dry fine in 2-3 days without sun..
I also brought some fresh neem leaves....jass can you please advice me on how to use them to protect feed??


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

it has been two days since i washed feed, but feed still seems to be a very little soft when chewed...when should i put it in air tight container with neem leaves???


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

Sorry I'm busy these days.
The feedmix should be dry before we put it into an air tight container. Mix neem leaves in it when its dry. Because moisture is already there in leaves.

Turmeric is a natural product so its doesn't hurt using it with other products.


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

yah its okay jass...we also have a person life.
in these days, i had done a lot of reasearch on storing grains with neem..many methods would take lot of time to do but neem would last long..anyway i will replace neem every month. thanks jass, by tommorrow i think feed as well as neem would be dried


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## sinu jan (May 24, 2014)

hi jass, neem is woking great. insects are not infecting it again...but today i saw a dead insect in feed [i check feed before giving it to them] , maybe it hatched from the eggs, in the feed?? does neem also kill the bugs?? there comes a strong smell when i open the seeds jars!


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## Jass SamOplay (May 29, 2012)

sinu jan said:


> hi jass, neem is woking great. insects are not infecting it again...but today i saw a dead insect in feed [i check feed before giving it to them] , maybe it hatched from the eggs, in the feed?? does neem also kill the bugs?? there comes a strong smell when i open the seeds jars!


Good to hear neem is working for you. Not sure if it effectively kills bugs but yes it does help to repel them


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