# How do you store your grain?



## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Old chest deep freezer in the barn, served it's purpose for keeping rodents out, moisture free and secure. I have keeping grain in this freezer for over 20 years.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Big old chest freezer here, too, in the summer when we have lots of horses eating grain. Otherwise a couple 30 gallon plastic trash cans, that have never seen trash.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

We use trash cans now but once upon a time I had an old chest freezer that I used. If you have a rodent problem you need to go with the metal trash cans instead of plastic. 

For any supplements I just use either what they come in or if it comes in a bag I find some kind of a container with a lid.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

We use metal trash cans here.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Metal garbage cans with lids that are tight fitting...
I have the larger sized cans that can easily hold 150 pounds of feed ...
I have 3 cans.... not all are filled but they are their.
I always empty and dump the "old" feed before adding the "new"....no molding or rancid feed have I encountered..

Like the freezer idea but if you use a freezer do you keep the feed in the bag?:-?
How if you "dump" the feed do you get the last pieces out so no "old" feed gets left behind...freezers I think of are kind of deep to be scraping the bottom of....:think:


:runninghorse2:...


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Actually, the freezers are great for us short people, because the bottom of the inside id about 6" off the floor!


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

I use rubbermaid bins. 1 bin holds 2 bags. I have a bin for each type of feed and 1 bin for all supplements.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

jenkat86 said:


> I use rubbermaid bins. 1 bin holds 2 bags. I have a bin for each type of feed and 1 bin for all supplements.


_You don't have a problem with rodents chewing on the tub to get the feed inside?_
I have squirrels that would be in it for sure....
I have paw prints on my garbage can lids but so far they have not been able to loosen the lids_ {thank-you bungee cords!}
:runninghorse2:....
_


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## jenkat86 (May 20, 2014)

horselovinguy said:


> _You don't have a problem with rodents chewing on the tub to get the feed inside?_
> I have squirrels that would be in it for sure....
> I have paw prints on my garbage can lids but so far they have not been able to loosen the lids_ {thank-you bungee cords!}
> :runninghorse2:....
> _


I haven't had any problems yet. I started using these this summer, so we will see how it does this winter. The barn cats hang out right next to the tubs, so I think they deter a lot of rodent antics. The only rodent, besides mice that I've had to deal with is opossums on occasion. I've found that leaving a radio on in the barn at night helps keep them away.


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

Normally in trash cans.

BUT I was given a ice storage thing. The ice maker is supposed to sit on top of this thing that's about the same size a a small chest freezer. Its got a door at an angle that flips up. Cut a piece of plywood to cover where the maker once sat. PERFECT. If I could get my hands on a few more....









Our small chest freezer just died so we will be using that too.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

I store my horse's feed in my garage at home, in plastic garbage cans (30 gallons IIRC). I put the bag itself in there so it stays pretty clean and I don't have to dig around in the bottom to get the last bits (I just take out the bag and pour it out). We used to have some mice- I never saw one in there, but would occasionally see their leavings. The weatherstrip on the garage door had gaps at each end large enough for them to come in, but we replaced it and our cats have their litter box in there, so no mouse problems anymore!

I have one of SmartPak's drawers from when I tried SmartPaks (no longer use them) and I put smaller supplement containers inside of it and buckets on top.

I prepare my horse's feed in baggies at home and bring about a week's worth at a time to the barn.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

I have a 50 gallon olive barrel with lid (actually 2 of them) that I bought in 1989 for 6 $ each. Made out of heavy duty plastic, they're indestructible.
Always kept my feed in them.

Since I got hurt in January,picking up 50lb bags of feed and dumping them in the barrel has been challenging, so for the past 4 months or so, I've been keeping the feed in the back seat of my truck and scooping from there.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

Metal trash cans. I have a metal storage cabinet that I keep treats and supplements in.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I was able to get a 45 gal blue plastic barrel for $15. I fashioned a lid from a scrap of 5/8" chipboard which keeps the mice out. Others aren't an issue.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

Metal cans for the senior feed. i have a very thick plastic can, commercial grade for bran.
beet pulp goes in the metal cans usually. Supplements that I feed daily, sit on top of the feed cans. Helps keep the lid on, and is a constant reminder to add them.


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## Kay Armstrong (Jun 28, 2015)

Thank you everyone for your responses.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

Our barn uses these, one for each stall. They will hold about 75+ lbs of feed and the mice don't easily get in because of the lid. They are also stackable.


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## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

35 gallon trash bins w/lids. 
Have one for each species.


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## karliejaye (Nov 19, 2011)

My mom found rolling hard plastic display storage boxes at a recycling center. My tack and feed room are small, so these work great, since they are square and only about 12"x12" but tall enough to hold 50+ lbs of feed. I have 1 for alfalfa pellets and 1 for Horse Guard. I have small metal cans for miscellaneous supplements and loose salt that sit on a rolling shelving unit. Since everything is on wheels, it makes moving them, even when full, easy to clean up spilled feed.


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## Horseychick87 (Feb 5, 2014)

I've used multiple things in the past, but could never find a old freezer that someone didn't want a fortune for.

Food grade barrels:


Metal cans:



Wood bins: Not the best thing in FL unless in a climate controlled feed/ tack room, LOL.


And even multiple five gallon buckets with lids at one time due to lack of space:


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

I keep everything in my horse trailer. I use the same type of grain for both of my horses (Omolene 200). I keep the open bag in a giant plastic garbage bin. Serves it's purpose.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Horseychick87 said:


> I've used multiple things in the past, but could never find a old freezer that someone didn't want a fortune for.
> 
> Food grade barrels:
> 
> ...


Lol, your first picture is exactly what I have. Mine were originally used to import olives. Had mine for decades, and they truly are indestructible.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## WelshieA (Nov 1, 2015)

We also used metal trash cans and they worked. The barn i keep my pony at now uses a freezer it works really well esp to keep rodents out.


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## dawnandduke2002 (Sep 28, 2015)

*Feed Storage*

Well, for the last couple years I've used big plastic tubs, but I just recently moved an old pickup box into my feed room and that's where I keep my feed now, it works quite good actually. I don't usually feed supplements, but I feed coconut oil and herbal mixes, and I keep that on a shelf.


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## KayleyS (Dec 17, 2015)

Stainless steel trash can with a lid. They are rodent and rust proof and you can get them for about $20 at farm supply stores, fleet farm, theisens, places where you can buy garage supplies.


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## Jan1975 (Sep 7, 2015)

waresbear said:


> Old chest deep freezer in the barn, served it's purpose for keeping rodents out, moisture free and secure. I have keeping grain in this freezer for over 20 years.


Wow that is a really good idea! We kept it in a barrel with a lid when I was a kid. I can't tell you how many times I stuck my hand in there when it was almost empty and felt a mouse run past my hand. :shock:


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## RedHorseRidge (Nov 3, 2012)

We keep our feed in the basement of a bank barn. We can't use metal trashcans as the humidity and temperature changes cause them to sweat (form condensation) inside. We use good plastic trash cans. We do have rats and squirrels (one squirrel chewed a 2" hole through to the top floor) but we have never had anything chew through the plastic. We have, however, had to throw out feed that was stored in metal cans when it got moldy due to the moisture. Even using metal cans to store our chicken feed on the top floor (warmer and less humid than the basement), we ended up throwing out lots of feed.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I keep all of my animal feed--horse, cat, dog and chicken, in metal cans bought new. I have a large oil can, like those used for barrel racing, that was clean and on the property with a tight lid, and I fill in that, too. The big can holds 250 pounds of horse feed, and each of the large trash cans holds 125 pounds of feed. Normally I buy 13, 50 lb bags to store at any one time. I keep them in a narrow room that was already in my barn, with a door and a hook designed to be horseproof. I cut a cat hole in the door on the bottom, so that my barn cats can get in and out and hunt.
The first cans I bought for grain were plastic, and I bought them to keep grain in at the first place that I kept my horses. In one week, the mice and rats had chewed holes in the lids. I replaced them immediately with metal, and that keeps mice out. You need thicker metal to keep out rats. I've replaced two of them because they have rusted over the years, and I have one more that will be replaced with a new one next year. The old ones still make great trash cans!
You MUST put the lids back on every time! I keep my measuring cans in one trash can for each type of animal. If, for some reason, like a rainy day and my chicken feed, that I leave a scoop outside and it gets wet, I just put it on top of the chicken feed can to dry, so I don't lost it. I am responsible for feeding all of the animals, and I HATE it when somebody else loses my measuring scoops, which they will do on occasion, because I have a routine and that messes it up.


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