Storing feed

[JenJudy]

Hey everyone. We live in Georgia where summers get hot. How would you store your feed?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Store in plastic bins. Metal sweats which leads to fungus and disease.
Most people recommend metal for rodents but I've been storing in plastic for over 10 years with no rodent intrusion.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Living in a temperate climate, we have cold frosty winters and hot humid summers.
I keep chicken feed in my house in a spare room near the back door, tightly closed with a bag clip. .
I have a small flock in two coops.
I keep about 4 lbs of feed in each coop in a large coffee container. .
I let the 12 and 15 lb feeders get nearly empty before adding a container of feed.
I check the feeders before adding feed. If the feed is damp or clumping, I dump it and clean and dry the feeder before refilling.
My feeders are inside the coops. , to keep them dry. My coops are rodent proof when I close the pop door. If yours is not remove and secure at night in a rodent proof container. GC

 

[NightFury06]

I keep my feed in a cupboard in the house, away from all the cats, who eat the bags. I used to keep it in our shed, but the shed leaked and almost all the food was wasted.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Metal drums and galvanized trash cans are the way most feed is stored. I have been feeding animals out of stored feed for over fifty years, never once saw any condensation inside a barrel. Condensation would mean the feed was not dried properly or that it somehow became colder INSIDE the barrel than out side the barrel if the moisture came from the air. Not going to happen.

Plastic bins or buckets will work until mice and rats find the feed. Rodents need to be chewing constantly to keep their teeth worn down, they have no problem eating through that plastic tote or bucket.

 

[igorsMistress]

I put the bags inside plastic trash cans and store in the house. When I open the bag I leave in the can open and put the lid on.

 

[Tre3hugger]

How does one achieve "rodent proofing."

My coops are rodent proof

 

[Al Gerhart]

You could try eliminating any hole over the size of a nickel and making sure there is no material that rats and mice could chew through, no wood, concrete, plastic, or chicken wire. Hardware cloth is thick enough not to get chewed through. Make sure the gates are mouse tight too.

In other words, few people actually have a rodent proof coop. Control the feed, control the problem.

 

[Tre3hugger]

This is what I was thinking. I don't have a rodent issue, but I don't leave feed in the coop. Most likely will over winter tho so just trying to think ahead.

n other words, few people actually have a rodent proof coop. Control the feed, control the problem.

 

[GC-Raptor]

How does one achieve "rodent proofing."

All ventilation holes are covered by hardware cloth, 1/4 inch over small holes and 1/2 inch over large areas like windows and pop doors. . . Both of my coops are raised so no rotten wood for critters to chew through. . GC