Purina recalls poultry, rabbit feeds for high calcium

By Aerin Einstein-Curtis

- Last updated on GMT

© GettyImages/tadamichi
© GettyImages/tadamichi

Related tags recall calcium Poultry Fda

Purina Animal Nutrition is voluntarily collecting select lots of its feeds for turkeys, young chickens and rabbits following reports of high calcium levels.

The Missouri-based company announced Friday [February 28] that it was voluntarily recalling a selection of feeds for poultry and rabbits. Purina Animal Nutrition is a subsidiary of Land O’Lakes.

The feeds are being collected because elevated calcium levels were found in certain products, the company said.

“The recall of the Purina rabbit and turkey feed, the Country Acres Rabbit feed and the DuMOR Chick Starter/Grower feed is limited to only 15 lots of product,” ​the company told FeedNavigator in a statement. “This amounts to a very small number of bags sold.”

The recall was started “out of an abundance of caution,”​ the company said. “The health and safety of the animals we feed is our top priority.

“If you have product that matches the lot codes listed on the FDA release​, contact Purina Animal Nutrition’s Customer Service at 800-227-8941,"​ Purina added.

There have been reports from customers using the rabbit products that animals have had health issues and mortality events, Purina said. However, similar claims have not been linked to the chicken or turkey feed products being gathered.

Elevated levels of calcium carbonate can generate leg abnormalities and kidney calcification in young chickens and turkeys, the company said.

In rabbits, high levels of calcium carbonate can contribute to health issues and mortality, the company said. Continued use of the feed may produce death following feed refusal.

“Symptoms of excess calcium carbonate in rabbits may include pinkish urine and lethargy due to decreased feed intake,”​ it added.

Recall details

The feeds being recalled include multiple lots of DuMor chick starter/grower 20% (20#), Country Acres rabbit pellet 18 (50#), Purina rabbit professional (50#), Purina rabbit show (50#) and Purina rabbit complete (50#), according to company information. The collection also includes one batch of Purina Turkey Starter AMP and DuMor chick starter/grower 20% (50#).  

The affected feeds were generated from December 16 through February 3, the company said. They were sold through Tractor Supply Company in multiple states including Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Nebraska, South Dakota, Florida, Virginia, North Dakota, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, California, West Virginia, Texas, Hawaii, and Arizona.

Producers who have the feed are being instructed to return the product for an exchange or a refund, or to destroy the feed, according to company information.

Previous feed sector recalls

Purina is not the only company to have faced a recall this year. Previously, in 2020, two companies have collected feed products.

Cargill recalled a specific lot of its NutreBeef transition pellet (MH) beef feed at the start of February. The product was found to have high monensin levels and was mispackaged.

The recall followed an alert from a customer, and, at the time of the recall, eight animal deaths were potentially connected to product use.

Tuesday [February 25], Hubbard Feeds gathered select batches of several feeds after a flax ingredient included in the products was recalled by the company’s ingredient supplier. The recall covered specific batches of several Easy Feed-brand products for chickens, turkeys, swine, goats, and gamebirds.

 

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