Out of Date Feed - Would you?

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
Just pondering. My parents own a grocery shop and I've grown up on out of date produce. You hear alot about it in the news - that food takes a lot longer to go off than the label suggests. But I've just purchased a bag of Dengie Hi Fi Good Doer and the expiry date turns out to be September 2011. I'm irritated as I've opened and decanted half of it into my feed bin, and I intended for this to last me well into the winter - Flip only gets a tiny handful a day. Now I'm contemplating contacting the feed store and complaining, but is it really something to get your tights in a tangle about? If it was food for me, I'd not be bothered but its the old 'my horse can't speak for himself' debate. Am I being pathetic?!
Would you feed out of date feed to your horse? Would you use expired other products - medicines, herbal supplements like devils claw, that are out of date?
 
I think very often with stuff like animal feeds and medicines they cannot garuantee the vitamin level or medical efficiancy of remedies after a certain date, rather than it going 'off'. I personally would continue to use things for a little while unless it was something like a pain killer where it would really matter if it wasnt 100% effective. When it comes to food - if it aint right she wont eat it - simple as that! And thats despite being a huge glutton!

You do need to use some common sense obviously. My sister in law found some 'spot on' treatment in the back of a drawer and used it on her dog. Turns out it was like 3 years out of date and the vets only just saved the dog as it was effectively poisoned. Cue a several hundred pound vet bill and a lot of heart ache.

Im sure you have enough common sense to make an educated decision :D
 
If Flip is only getting a tiny handful a day as a token gesture, then you're not really feeding it for it's nutritional value, more of a "thank you for being so wonderful", yes? Therefore I would think it would be fine. Obviously if it starts to smell musty or "off", chuck it!!
 
I would if it was still fluffy and fresh:smile:

Another question then, I have a bag of kwikbeet in the garage, i opened it last year in winter but only used some of it, would you use it this year with it being opened a year?:sluggish:
 
I have to admint I have given Roxy Mollichaff that was (way) beyond its date :redface: I don't know if it was use by or sell by. It was a bit on the dry side & possible a bit stale but it wasn't mouldy or strange smelling - if it was I wouldn't have used it (obviously!) She didn't seem arsed to be honest & was quite happy to chomp on it.
 
I would if it was still fluffy and fresh:smile:

Another question then, I have a bag of kwikbeet in the garage, i opened it last year in winter but only used some of it, would you use it this year with it being opened a year?:sluggish:


I had a mad moment and bought 5 bags last year. Still got 2 sealed and 1 in the feed bin. I'm using it!
If it was molassed etc and didnt smell fresh I would chuck it.
 
Ah that's good to know, as I thought with speedi beet its dry compound and molasses free so what can go off on it as its soaked anyway... shall be using it this year!
 
I have to confess to giving our pair some Happy Hoof that was out of date, but it still smelled nice and they both gobbled it all up! As others have said, if your horse won't touch it then don't persist and ring the feed place and explain to them what's happened. Also, as somebody already said, it would probably be more the vitamin content that has diminished - or nutritional value, both of which I'm guessing you wouldn't be too worried about if you're only feeding tiny amounts as a token?

I've fed Cosequin when it's just going out of date - not sure how I felt about that though as its jolly expensive and if it isn't working then that's a bad thing!! (Didn't realise the date was so short when purchased).

I've also used Tensolvet when that's going out of date, but it still worked (least I think it did!)
 
Cheers peeps, good to know I'm not being unreasonable if I still feed it, but will definitely have a word with the feed merchant. Am wondering if they've discontinued it because its not a big seller around here - they didn't have it advertised on their menu so I had to ask...was probably buried away somewhere. Will remember to check next time.

And lol on the smell of it. I carried it around in my car all day the other day and commented to a few folk that it was the best car air freshner I'd ever come across - I love the smell of hi fi!!
 
It'd take so much more than a little bag of good doer to get my car smelling better!



Ditto the other replies. When I feed, I feed pink powder for vits and mins and the chaff is just the carrier and not needed for it's content, other than as fibre. Having 2 ponies on not a lot, feed going out of date has always been an issue for me. Especially years ago when I never fed in summer.
 
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