How long until bad?

[Devi Xiao]

How long should you keep pellets and hay before they go bad? I've heard that 3 months is the general rule of thumb, but could I push it to 4 or 5?

 

[AZChins]

If you keep the pellets in a cool, dry place, they should be alright for a little over 4 months. It isn't ideal...ideally it would be best to have fresh pellets every two to four weeks.

Hay will last quite awhile longer than pellets as long as it is a cool, dry, dark place and does not mold. It will dry out over time, that doesn't make it bad to use - the chins just may not want to eat it if it isn't fresh enough for their liking.

 

[jags]

If kept cool and dry 6 months is no problem. Some vitamins and minerals will start to lose their potency over time but it takes a long time to actually go bad or lose so much as to not provide what the animal needs. Of course the fresher the better.

 

[aznmexaggie]

As long as it's stored properly in a cool dry place, feed is good up to 6 months from the mill date. Some feeds will list an expiration date one year past the mill date but I recall reading that certain vitamins will begin to degrade by around 6 months.

My feed is milled locally and I generally buy enough to last me about 2-3 months.

 

[Encantadora]

You can freeze them to