Big problem with Pigeon seed..help!

[Trees Gray]

I would like to know if anyone else has a problem with bugs burrowed in their pigeon seed. I discovered the problem yesterday. The seed is full of pulvorized corn, and on close inspection there are little bugs that have eaten thru the corn and living inside it. Yuk!! The supplier who has pigeons himself isn't concerned about it!!He is feeding the seed to his birds. I am very concerned! Other people have also complained about the seed with corn.
Can anyone help, Does anyone know how harmful these bugs may be to my pigeons? Can pigeons get worms from these bugs? I threw out what was left, apparantly this mostly came out of the bottom of the bag. I spend a lot of money keeping my birds healthy, I never expected this. The other bags I bought are without the corn, and they are clean.
I do not want to buy from this supplier anymore, can anyone recommend a company where I can get good clean seed? The brand we now have is Higgins. I could continue to buy the seed without corn, but I figure the pigeons need it as part of their diet....thanks...

Treesa

[Pigeonpal2002]

Hi Treesa,

How unfortunate and how very shabby of that feed supplier to try and say that that is acceptable. There should never be insects of any kind in feed fed to pigeons or any animal. The good news is, probably nothing will come of it. And chances of them hurting your birds significantly is slim. The bad news is yes, depending on what type of bugs here, pigeons could get worms from eating them. Do you have a worming medication?...Such as Ivomec or panacur? I would DEFINITELY get a new feed supplier and then wait a bit before freaking out. If your birds do get worms, it will take a couple of weeks for the whole process. You could either take the birds to a vet to get a fecal float done or just give your birds the worming medication in two weeks to be safe. Hope this helps. Oh and if you want, you can probably buy the corn separate and just mix it into the feed yourself...that's what I do. I don't like the quality of corn that usually comes in the premixes so I buy it somewhere else.


Brad

[This message has been edited by Pigeonpal2002 (edited June 01, 2003).]

[cyro51]

Hi Teresa,

It isn't only the bugs themselves that cause a problem to the birds that eat this grain. Their precense shows that the grain was poorly stored, so you have the infectious debris from bacteria and insects as well as the problem of worms and reduced nutritional value.

You did the right thing throwing it away and worming should solve your own bords' problems, but is there a pet foods standards authority that you could report him to?

Cynthia

[turkey]

I have had this same problem. Those bugs live and hatch in the seed when the seed gets too warm (I believe). Have you ever had bugs in your flour? Same thing. They are called Weevils. I live in Florida so I keep my flour in the fridge.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to keep your seeds in the fridge, if you had room. You could just keep a bag of it out for near future use.

When I had weevils in my seed, I froze it to get rid of them, but they always came back anyway.

Julie

PS. I noticed them mostly in the wheat bags and corn bags. Some people don't give their pigeons corn, so I don't think it would be a problem to get a mix without corn. I'd guess wheat is kind of important.

[This message has been edited by turkey (edited June 01, 2003).]

[maryco]

I have this problem with sunflower and black oil sunflower seeds, and believe me it's in almost every bag I buy (Even the ones I buy for myself to eat!)

Somehow there is no bug in the seed but I can see a hole in the shell of the sunflower seed then when I open it I can see the middle eaten up.
I don't feed those to my birds.. I only feed them the good ones. They won't eat then with the shell even if they are in the mix so I don't worry and Thank God the bugs are not in any of the other stuff in the mix like corn, wheat and safflower.

Mary

[AZWhitefeather]

Treesa,
It's too late now, but I would have taken the tainted seed back to the person from whom you bought it & demand a refund. If he thinks it's 'No big deal' then he most certainly isn't one I would be doing business with & should be reported to the proper authorities. I truly feel bad for his poor birds.
For my feral flock, I feed them corn with a couple different seeds mixed in. I purchase it at a local feed store. If there were ever to be a problem, they wouldn't hesitate to refund my money.
So far I have never received a bag of seeds with undesirables inside.
Cindy

[Trees Gray]

Thank you so much for all your replies. I do intend to give them the worm medication, however I have some young birds 3 weeks old, how old do pigeons have to be when it is safe to use this medication? Also, the individual who has been our supplier has purchased the seed for everyone, as a favor. He is not making money on it. We have stopped buying the seed with the corn. I live in Fl. so, yes the heat is a real problem. I bring the seed immediately indoors when we purchase it, in air conditioning. I plan to refrigerate it now. Hopefully I will be able to purchase the corn somewhere else. I have a product called Global's Multi-Mix which is a 3 in one,for the prevention of Canker-Coccidiosis-Worms. It is supposed to be very effective. You add the medication to the water for 5 days. Has anyone here used it? Thank you for all your help...I really appreciate all the information!! Treesa

[maryco]

I can't remember how old exactly but I think it's 2 months..

[screamingeagle]

I discovered a white worm in my pigeon feed last night, but it had little legs so maybe it was a baby mealworm. Luckily that was the end of the food too! I would be concerned about worms. If it didn't have legs, it could have been a tape-worm. Those things live in grains and when eaten, live in the animal's intestines eating all the food coming down the animals throat. Definately get a d-wormer. I've heard you can use the same stuff they use for horses, but be careful to mix it right since an overdose can be deadly.

Hopefully you won't have any problems from the bad feed, and hopefully you can find a better dealer too!

Suzanne