Vacuum sealing feed?

[Lil TexHens]

Hey y’all,

Anyone use a vacuum sealer to store their chicken feed? I live in Austin, Texas and it’s extremely hot, with high humidity, most of the time. In the summertime, it is common to get insects in your feed, so I keep my feed inside my house. Because of the snowstorm earlier this year and Covid caused shortages, I’m trying to keep extra feed on hand. I opened a new bag today and it had some insects in it. So now I’m thinking that I might vacuum seal some feed to keep the pests out. Has anyone tried this? TIA

 

[kerbotx]

I would argue that it is NOT common to get bugs in the feed - sounds like a problem with your storage at home, the store's storage where you buy feed, or perhaps even at the mill it comes from -- and that you're maybe not buying the freshest product out there. If I opened up a brand new bag of feed and found it to have bugs right at the get-go, I'd take it right back where I bought it & demand a refund/replacement. Sorry I can't answer your question directly, no experience with vacuum sealing.

 

[Lil TexHens]

I would argue that it is NOT common to get bugs in the feed - sounds like a problem with your storage at home, the store's storage where you buy feed, or perhaps even at the mill it comes from -- and that you're maybe not buying the freshest product out there. If I opened up a brand new bag of feed and found it to have bugs right at the get-go, I'd take it right back where I bought it & demand a refund/replacement. Sorry I can't answer your question directly, no experience with vacuum sealing.

Thank you for your reply, kerbotx! I have no idea if there is a problem at the mill. It is a smaller feed brand so that may or may not be an issue?!

As for the store, it is not climate controlled, so it’s just as hot and humid inside the store as outside. And yes, if a bag of feed has bugs at purchase, I absolutely return it to the feed store. Unfortunately, I’m finding that all the feed stores that carry my choice of feed, Texas Natural Feeds, are not climate controlled as well.

For my feed storage, it inside the house in plastic containers meant for dog food. I store one unopened bag of feed in a tall storage container and then pour an open bag into a smaller container. The unopened bag sits for 3 to 4 weeks before being opened. It should be okay for that amount of time. But then to your point, it may be old already by the time I purchase it. So that is why I’m storing it inside with air conditioning, hoping to avoid bugs.

Anyway, thanks for your time!

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you have a chest freezer that's another option to help keep feed fresh and away from pests longer.

 

[Lil TexHens]

If you have a chest freezer that's another option to help keep feed fresh and away from pests longer.

Appreciate the reply, rosemarythyme! I know some people use a non-working chest freezer to store feed, but I, unfortunately, don’t have the room for one. Thank you, though!

 

[landgirl1775]

Wow I was hoping to find wisdom on vacuum sealing feed on this thread! It seems the size is the issue - most vacuum sealers I’ve seen wouldn’t fit even a 40lb bag of feed. Breaking it up into many smaller portions to seal seems wasteful.

 

[Kiki]

Remember feed shouldn't be stored for a long time.
I wouldn't feed feed that is a few months old.

Fresh feed is best.

 

[RoyalChick]

I routinely find weevils and moths in human food like flour so I tend to store it all in sealed containers - like Tupperware - in the freezer.
This summer I decanted the chicken feed into containers and put it in the freezer instead.
I never thought of vacuum sealing but I think it would work. I don't have one so I will stick with my freezing it approach until the heat and humidity go down.

 

[RoyalChick]

Remember feed shouldn't be stored for a long time.
I wouldn't feed feed that is a few months old.

Fresh feed is best.

I agree with that, but even within the couple of months that it takes to use a 50lb bag I see a risk of mold and bugs during the summer - so it gave me some peace of mind to freeze it.
My newest bag was milled only 6 days before I bought it (so happy!) but I am still going to decant a good portion of it into freezer containers as it is so humid I am portioning it out to the chickens with only a couple of days supply at a time.

 

[Lil TexHens]

I routinely find weevils and moths in human food like flour so I tend to store it all in sealed containers - like Tupperware - in the freezer.
This summer I decanted the chicken feed into containers and put it in the freezer instead.
I never thought of vacuum sealing but I think it would work. I don't have one so I will stick with my freezing it approach until the heat and humidity go down.

I was sooooo tired of buying brand new bags of feed only to find bugs the same day as purchased. I gave up on those local feed as they were all being delivered by the same distributor. I tried my local TSC and found bags to be 2-3 months old sitting on the shelf. I’m now getting feed shipped. I’m paying an arm and a leg but no longer get brand new bags of feed infested with bugs.

Also, I bought a second upright freezer to store chicken feed bags and containers for a newly open bag. Besides the horrible location of the second upright freezer, currently located right next to the front door, I’m very happy with freezing my feed. I will be relocating the 2nd freezer next to the 1st freezer once the electrician puts in a dedicated outlet.
ETA: I forgot to mention that I store frozen water bottles in the freezer as well. I add them to chickens’ waterers to keep them cool go through about 12 bottles a day.