# Black Oil Sunflower Seed?



## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Be Ye Forewarned:

I mix my own feeds for the goats and chickens and feed the wild birds year round so I use a lot of BOSS. Last Saturday DH went to Columbia and found 50# bags on sale at one of the big box stores. He bought 2 bags of BOSS and the package said "Ingredients: Black Oil Sunflower". When he got home we failed to notice a warning on the label until he had dumped both bags into one of my storage tubs. It said _Use this product only to feed wild birds. Do not eat or feed to pets or domesticated birds Wash hands after filling feeders._ The underline is mine. I also noticed a strong chemical smell on the seeds. DH went online to see if we could find any mention of the chemical smell on the manufacturer's website. He found nothing about the current year but did see a posting on the company's website about seed that had killed wild birds a couple of years back. 

UPSHOT--Don't know what I'm going to do with this junk as I don't think I can return it, I certainly won't feed it to my animals and probably won't feed it to the wild birds either. And we'll both start reading labels more closely. The sad thing is I remember that smell from other batches of BOSS that I did feed to the goats and chickens.


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## KnowOneSpecial (Sep 12, 2010)

That chemical smell is probably the seeds going rancid. If it's too bad I'd toss the seeds out. 

I think they put the label on them because if your goat dies after eating the seeds you're more likely to sue than if a wild bird died. It's a "Cover Your Angles" label. 

I've always figured that if it was that bad tasting the critters won't eat it as long as there are other things for them to eat. Just like people, when hungry they'll eat almost anything.


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## Maggie (May 12, 2002)

Wow, I was thinking of buying a bag as an extra supplement for my goats this winter. Thanks for the warning~I wonder if they all have that warning on them?


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

KnowOneSpecial, I'm familiar with the smell of rancid BOSS and the smell from those seeds definitely wasn't it. I'm aware of the CYA attitude of big companies and I figured the label was to protect them as well. It also made me very uncomfortable that handling that particular batch of BOSS would require handwashing afterward. My intent was just as Maggie said--it was a warning, a heads-up, and I thank you for your comments.

Maggie, that is the first time I've ever seen such a notice on a bag of BOSS. Most of the time I buy it from my regular feed dealer who would take it back if I asked, bless his heart. I've fed BOSS as I described for my animals for a good 20-25 years without problems.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

I feed it to my rabbits, I'll check them out before I feed any more.
I definetly would take them back.


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## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

I just checked mine. Doesn't say that anywhere on the bag. Which is good cuz I just stocked up while they were on sale.
Thanks for the heads up!


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## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

It might be capsicum powder added to the seed. It's just powdered hot peppers added to the bird seed to keep the squirrels ect, away. Bet that's it. Is there a phone# or email address on the bag. Call and ask. Capsicum powder is my hunch.

Daniel


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## CaliannG (Apr 29, 2005)

Capsicum powder wouldn't hurt goats or sheep, but you *would* have to wash your hands afterward and it does smell chemical-like. If you didn't wash your hands, you could rub it into your eyes and such, and do damage.

Won't hurt goats, though. At least, mine don't care. They will eat entire ghost pepper and ornamental pepper plants, peppers and all. And those ghost and ornamental peppers are not "food"...heck, East Indians rub those things on fences to drive elephants away!


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

I just got off the phone with a very nice customer service person re: the label on the BOSS. First he told me they didn't recommend it for domesticated animals and birds because it wasn't a complete feed and an animal in an enclosed space wouldn't receive adequate nourishment from just the BOSS. Wild birds on the other hand could balance their diets from other sources. Obviously the folks who came up with this "party line" don't know much about how livestock and poultry is fed--from a number of sources/ingredients. Whatever. When I asked about the smell, he said they didn't put anything on the seeds but he would make a note of it to give to the quality control department. Finally I asked about the handwashing. His response was concern about contaminants from other sources--my mental response was "such as..." but I didn't voice it. No mention was made of the capsicum powder and I forgot to ask about it. However it should be covered by "we don't add anything."

All in all, he was a very polite young man but then I approached him politely as well. I had a strong feeling though that he was giving me well rehearsed info from a "party line" as I mentioned before. 

The best part is that he's sending me a check for a full refund. The squeaky wheel, don'cha know.


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## DamnearaFarm (Sep 27, 2007)

I don't feed the BOSS for birds for that very reason- and all the ones at the big box store are treated with bird vitamins and such. The bags bought at feed stores, however, are critter safe.


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## NWMO (Jul 26, 2005)

and am now curious to go read the label....will only use for wild bird feeding, but just the same if the bag had that "warning" I would be wary to say the least.

I was very impressed with the price, thus the purchase.....what does a 50lb bag go for in your neck of the woods? I got these for just under 8.00 a bag....usually feel like 12 -14 is a decent price usually.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

NWMO, I'm in Callaway County and usually buy my feed at a family owned store. The last time I bought from them was just a few weeks ago and a 50# bag was $13.50. Orscheln's in Fulton had 20# bags in the sales flyer that arrived today for $8.99. I used to buy up to ten 50# bags in their fall sale but the last couple of years their sale price has been much higher than the folks in Calwood. We also have a TSC store but their BOSS is in a fancy package for birds. It may have been the same brand I'm questioning. I'll have to look next time I go there but I didn't pay much attention when I saw the price was higher than anywhere else. 

If you got yours for $8/50#, you did very well. I saw the seed we bought in Columbia the weekend before Thanksgiving priced at $15.99. During their Black Friday sale it was $9.99 and this last weekend it was $11.98. 

At any rate, I am supposed to get a refund. You better bet I'll look for a warning on every bag I buy in the future regardless of its source.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Deleted don't know what happened with all those extra posts!


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

can you tell I'm not the most computer savvy person on this forum?


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

You never did tell us the brand name of the seeds you're questioning.

I get 40# bags at TSC for $9-10 regular price. Big Acre has 50# sacks for the same price. Comes from S.D., I think.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

suitcase_sally, I never planned to mention the brand name publicly due to the manufacturer's having deeper pockets than DH and I have, if you get my drift. My goal from the outset was share my experience and to encourage everybody to check the labels on the bags they buy just in case.


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## crispin (Jun 30, 2010)

MOgal said:


> suitcase_sally, I never planned to mention the brand name publicly due to the manufacturer's having deeper pockets than DH and I have, if you get my drift. My goal from the outset was share my experience and to encourage everybody to check the labels on the bags they buy just in case.


A consumer reviewing a product is not slander - if manufacturers went after consumers for reviewing their products on the internet sites like eopinions.cm and 100's of others wouldn't exist. 

The Internet is for sharing information - share away


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## Pouncer (Oct 28, 2006)

It is my understanding that "wild bird seed" may (note *may*) have vitamins applied to them specific for wild birds. I asked about this years ago and that's what I was told. Not every company does this, but some do.

I don't buy my BOSS with a "bird seed' on the label, I buy at the feed store, uncleaned, 100 percent BOSS. That's what I give to my horses and chickens.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Pouncer, Pennington's advertised the addition of vitamins and such to their bird products but I haven't seen that brand in years. Some of the bags I have gotten from the feed store have bird seed labels with the image of a cardinal but it's never had a "don't feed/wash hands" warning nor did it have that smell. I'm going to look for plain labels in the future and I'm happy you get a good product in your neck of the woods.

Sorry, Crispin. I repeat "My goal from the outset was share my experience and to encourage everybody to check the labels on the bags they buy just in case."


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

MOgal said:


> KnowOneSpecial, I'm familiar with the smell of rancid BOSS and the smell from those seeds definitely wasn't it. I'm aware of the CYA attitude of big companies and I figured the label was to protect them as well. It also made me very uncomfortable that handling that particular batch of BOSS would require handwashing afterward. My intent was just as Maggie said--it was a warning, a heads-up, and I thank you for your comments.
> 
> Maggie, that is the first time I've ever seen such a notice on a bag of BOSS. Most of the time I buy it from my regular feed dealer who would take it back if I asked, bless his heart. I've fed BOSS as I described for my animals for a good 20-25 years without problems.


I was going to buy some catfish at ******, The woman working the counter refuse to belive me that I could smell chemicals on the fish. She went in the cooler and got another box -same smell. Been eating fish all my life-it dosen't smell like that, and it really erks ya, when they think yer nuts.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Continued exposure to an odor will definitely make it less noticable and with a smoker it's even worse. Your coming to the counter with a "fresh" nose would pick it up quickly. If a clerk wants to think I'm nuts, I don't have a problem at all. I don't have to spend my dollars on a product that I think is contaminated or otherwise off. There is a grocery store in Fulton that I seldom enter because it smells bad to me. It has a reputation as having the best meats in town. I wouldn't know. When we first moved here, I checked it out and found produce for sale that looked worse than what I put in my compost pile! 

I'm taking my own thread off topic in a way but we all are responsible for our purchases and can vote for a store with our money.


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## MOgal (Jul 27, 2002)

Final chapter--The refund check arrived in the mail today along with a letter from their consumer services specialist thanking me for "sharing your experience with us." While I wouldn't buy their product again, I have a much kinder feeling towards them now.

Now that all is said and done, the seed was under the "Morning Song" label which is a subsidiary of The Scotts Company. They also produce Miracle Gro, Ortho and Roundup products. 

Still, read labels. We looked at some at a two farm and home stores in town and both said the seed was not for human consumption. I wasn't going to eat it anyway.


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