# feed bins



## Nigilover (Oct 29, 2007)

Happy New Year all!

I have done a search & not found what I need so forgive me if this is repetitious.

We use several large metal trash cans for livestock feed. However, I haul about 900lbs/month at 1 time and cannot fit all the bags into the trash cans. We keep the feed away from the livestock and lay poison blocks in the feed room on the floor.... the bags are stacked off the floor on a large shelf waist high. I am so tired of my bags being broken into by mice and other critters..... do I have to buy 20 more trash cans? Seems like a silly thing to do. What are all of you storing your grain in? Thanks so much.


----------



## MF-Alpines (Mar 29, 2010)

I've seen people store it in old chest freezers.


----------



## Nigilover (Oct 29, 2007)

That's a good tip!


----------



## KJFarm (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep, we've used chest freezers for years and they work wonderfully. Just make sure the gaskets are still good.


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

My 500 lbs fits in three trash cans. I'm not sure how many gallons. They are pretty large. I got them at Lowes. They are plastic not metal with locking lids. I know rats can chew through plastic, but I haven't had a problem. I have a metal can that only holds 125 lbs of chicken feed. I knew if I was going to store 500 lbs, I couldn't use those. I can't leave feed out for even one night here. I caught my fourth or fifth rat last night. I'm hoping he is that last one. I haven't seen one in a couple weeks, but I knew I had one hiding out that I hadn't caught.


----------



## todog (Dec 10, 2011)

yep the chest freezer is the answer if you keeping it in the bags. i use a metal trash can for the open grain. not sure i would want to open 900# of grain to store in a container.


----------



## Nigilover (Oct 29, 2007)

When we searched feed bins on the net they were either too big or too small or not metal. Chest freezers are the perfect answer. Storing the bags there & then dumping into the trash container is such a great idea. Thank you all so much!


----------



## funnyfarmtexas.com (Oct 3, 2012)

I have used these for three years. they sit outside in the weather and we have never had a problem with leaking or animal. They are worth every penny. I can fit 300 lbs in each.

http://www.texasbarrelsupply.com/55-gal-open-top-barrel.shtml


----------



## Guest (Jan 1, 2013)

The blue barrels are great, we can get them here in Michigan for 5.00 each at a local used store.. molasses and other food stuff came in them orginally...
Barb


----------



## dragonlair (Mar 24, 2009)

I love the freezers for storage, but they are worth their weight in gold up here, people sell them as scrap metal as a way of life, so they are hard to find.

The blue barrels up here are used a lot for spring water. There is a place down state that sells them-20.00 each. One of these days I need to go get a few, they are great for a variety of uses.


----------



## swgoats (May 21, 2010)

todog said:


> not sure i would want to open 900# of grain to store in a container.


No me neither. I was thinking bulk grain like I get. It is bagged in reusable bags and tied with twine, so not so good for storage. I dumped them in my cans the day I get it, and I'm done lugging grain for the month. I put my bags in the truck so I can turn them in when I go back next month.


----------



## Nigilover (Oct 29, 2007)

I like those blue barrels too. Have to see what the shipping cost is to Ohio or try to figure out who might be using/selling these around here. Thanks so much for the tip!


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

I use a gravity box for my whole corn, which I pick up in bulk (the gravity box, though old and very ugly :biggrin can be pulled by our pick-up truck). My bagged feed (I get whole oats and a 16% goat feed in 50 lbs bag) I keep in an old horse tack box and our old, large 4 H show box. The first holds about 6 bags of feed, the second 8 or 9. It works very well, but the 4H box is wood and mice do get in. Now I need another box for the old bread I pick up to feed to my dry does :lol

Marion


----------



## Polopony (Dec 24, 2011)

I use an old freezer and put a lock on it to keep out the Boer goats who seem to get into everything. I love mine.


----------



## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

I like these 
http://www.lowes.com/pd_94614-63872...=1&currentURL=?Ntt=metal+trash+can&facetInfo=

Goats like corn? Anyone tried growing their own corn to create feed? I just got 300 kernels from the US Germplasm and was thinking or testing it out - first batch will likely use to reseed - 300 being so few kernels.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

I am on DH's computer, but I have a picture of what I use, they are used by all the grain companies around here, big huge metal boxes, called bean boxes. If you do a search here, you might find a post where I had pictures of it before-I think I've put pictures up at some point. They hold around a ton of grain.


----------



## jdavenport (Jul 19, 2012)

Ray- I grew some Ohio Blue Clarage corn for cornmeal for us people, but I also saved some (stalks too) for the goats. The goats are still young and not milking, so they each get a full stalk but only an ounce of corn grain a day. When I build my new grain bin, I'll just cover it in the leftover metal from building the barn.


----------



## Trysta (Apr 5, 2011)

Yes, goats do eat corn, Whole corn is the main energy source I use in my goats' diet. Many goat mixes and calf starters/growers have either whole, cracked or rolled corn as an ingredient. 

I think the 'bean boxes' are the same or at least very much like what we call a gravity box. Very handy if you feed enough, If you have several types of animals, you can use the gravity box for the type of grain you use the most. I have mine parked in the barn, but you can also tarp off the top to keep the grain dry.


----------



## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

Makes sense they would like corn since it is technically just a grass with really large seeds.

For the handy types who like to build stuff here is a site which shows a bunch of feeders this link shows the specs like a blueprint for making one.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151223429512104&set=a.10151223428432104.446836.84113562103&type=1&theater


----------



## farm wife (Mar 22, 2012)

Trysta,
do you really feed your goats bread? we have thought about it but didn't think they would eat it well.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

http://www.dairygoatinfo.com/index.php?topic=21207.msg225473#msg225473

Here is that thread with the bean boxes. I don't think gravity boxes are quite the same-these have a lid on them, and no hole in the bottom as I am picturing what a gravity box would look like from the name.


----------



## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Guess I am the lazy one. I leave my feed in the bags it comes in and I have a barn cat hence no rodents to bother it. At one time we tried storing the feed in containers and it was more work for us so we are back to leaving it in the sacks stacked on the floor of a metal building which the cat has access to.


----------



## informative (Aug 24, 2012)

yeah cats work pretty well for birds as well. We have one six year old tabicco that is super athletic - every time I let her out the birds go nuts with alarm calls. Finally figured out why when I saw her do an odd maneuver around the outside of the 6 foot privacy fence so she could leap single jump to the top of the fence and be within pouncing range of the birds in the tree from the fence top. Cats are sneaky and seem to enjoy the strategy of a good stalk be it mouse bird or even bugs sometimes.


----------



## fmg (Jul 4, 2011)

There are lots of cats here, but we still have mice even though they do a lot of hunting...


----------



## adillenal (Feb 6, 2009)

Those bean boxes bring back memories. I used to be the QC director of a company that packaged dried beans. We never used lids though. Ours stacked but the same principle. 

Our barn cat is super duper. You can go out the back door and there she is. You can go out the front door and there she is. I can go to my soap kitchen and there she is. I can go to the barn and there she is. Maybe I have a dozen yellow cats and don't even know it.


----------

