Ways to use empty feed sacks

[JoAnn_WI_4-H_Mom]

How do you re-use empty feed sacks?

The sacks my feed comes in seem to look a lot like tarp material. We shelter young birds in hoop-house/tarp sliding shelters in the summer. Has anyone developed a method for asembling the feed sacks into larger sheets for use as tarps? It seems the feed sack is sewn on the ends, but the long vertical seam is heated/melted together.

 

[al6517]

I use my empty ones for trash bags around the farm, I always fold them and save them for all sorts of things, very handy. Most of my feed bags are heavy paper but some are the plastic ones you speak of. I once saw on this board that someone made them into purses and carry bags for the grocery store. Let your imagination run wild on this one.

AL

 

[ducks4you]

Quote:
Me, TOO!! ANY time I have to throw away stuff that would break through a regular garbage bag I toss it in one of these, which is inside a garbage can lined with a bag, for easy clean-up. This INCLUDES chicken wire, and fencing wire and any leftover barbed wire from the old horse fencing. BTW, I keep a bag in every can in EVERY outbuilding and in the trash can in the basement. Otherwise, I just end up tossing a useful item. In addition, I've bagged up aged manure (stored in an outside building, of course) to use for indoor plant starts. You can fold up and store up to 6 empty grain bags inside one, to save space.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Here's what I did/do with the plastic woven type

Farmer Kitty sold me some reusable shopping bags with my own logo on some that she had. I don't think they would do very well as a tarp.. they definitely leak and would make for a leaky roof.

The paper kind, I use for insulation, wind blocks, floor liners, trash bags, hay storage and the list goes on. There is even one in the kitty litter closet which holds our smaller bags of cat box cleanings. When it's half full we take it off to the dump. I have some stapled to the ceiling in a coop with clear roof to provide shade, others are stapled to the side of our bantam coop for a wind block, etc...

Also.. my Flock Raiser bags are quite pretty... so last year and this year we used them to wrap a few presents... and the brown paper liner makes great box packing materials and kraft paper replacement... again for wrapping or decor.

 

[Soccer Mom]

I've always used them for trash bags, but some ARE quite pretty. I like the idea of using them for wrapping paper1 Sounds perfect for the 4H Christmas party! Thanks for the idea.

 

[dappertophatter]

Well, we use them to hold the MASSIVE amounts of paper that go out for recycling. Our garbagemen were like "What the hey?", but then they heard our crazy rooster crowing his head off at the big gigantic scary truck, and just nodded.

I also just made a kite out of a Chick Starter bag!

My feed bags are made out of paper, however- this might not work quite so well with tarp-like feed bags.
And no, haven't tested it yet- WAYYYY to cold.

Of course, this dosen't really help your how-to-sew-everything-together-into-one-big-tarp dilemma, but maybe you could just slice the seams off, then sew them into one continous sheet? Doesn't sound very waterproof, however. Oh well- good luck!

 

[dappertophatter]

Well, we use them to hold the MASSIVE amounts of paper that go out for recycling. Our garbagemen were like "What the hey?", but then they heard our crazy rooster crowing his head off at the big gigantic scary truck, and just nodded.

I also just made a kite out of a Chick Starter bag!

My feed bags are made out of paper, however- this might not work quite so well with tarp-like feed bags.
And no, haven't tested it yet- WAYYYY to cold.

Of course, this dosen't really help your how-to-sew-everything-together-into-one-big-tarp dilemma, but maybe you could just slice the seams off, then sew them into one continous sheet? Doesn't sound very waterproof, however. Oh well- good luck!

 

[MakNat]

I take the tarp looking ones back to the feed store for them to reuse! They appreciate it and the earth appreciates it too!!!

 

[Plain Old Dee]

We don't get the plastic weave ones very often, but I've had a few. My favorite use for them is to go fishing for catfish down on the river. I put the catfish in the bag - in the water but tied so that it won't drift away. When we're ready to go home, we throw the bad of fish in the back of the truck. Home is just a few minutes away, and we pull out the ones we are going to eat and throw them in the stock tank for a few days - to get the muddy taste out of them. The rest are hauled down to the pond and thrown in. (Game ranger gave us the idea for that - we needed more catfish in our pond - the bass were eating them faster than they could reproduce - and we didn't want to have to buy fingerlings that would just wind up bass food).

We don't have time to go fishing very often...

 

[PineappleMama]

Surely you remember the Sack Dress episode...