Where/how do you store your feed?

[mandelyn]

We store ours in garbage cans, with 4" PVC ports in the bottom, where they can serve themselves. We do this in the 4 big pens. In the smaller pens we have wall mounted PVC tubes, with a garbage can for storing the feed nearby.

We let them eat the cans down to empty, so that we can check the bottom for any clumps/bugs/mold before refilling it. So far, so good! The cans have saved us a lot of steps, it used to be a lot of back and forth filling the wall mounted feeders every other day.

 

[AllenK RGV]

We store ours in garbage cans, with 4" PVC ports in the bottom, where they can serve themselves. We do this in the 4 big pens. In the smaller pens we have wall mounted PVC tubes, with a garbage can for storing the feed nearby.

We let them eat the cans down to empty, so that we can check the bottom for any clumps/bugs/mold before refilling it. So far, so good! The cans have saved us a lot of steps, it used to be a lot of back and forth filling the wall mounted feeders every other day.

View attachment 1975759

That wouldn't work for me I would have rats everywhere and we already have enough as it is to keep the cat busy. We pretty much lift all food at night and secure it save 1 chicken feeder and we leave our cats cat food out. Those little buggers are attracted to his food/ambush zone.

 

[Ladies-Eight]

I keep all my feed and chicken supplies in a deck box near the coop.

I have a deck box almost like yours on my screen room. My chickens are very close to this area. I keep my food in metal buckets with locking pail handle. My treats are kept there also, in glass jars. Works quite well.

 

[Lesjr883]

I keep mine in 5 gallon buckets in the garage. I take what I need to the pens and leave one in the pen to fill feeders with. I also keep corn and scratch in 5 gallon buckets. The lids screw on and keep all bugs, rain and pest out. I guess I have around 10 buckets that rotate from the garage to the pen.

 

[Acre4Me]

Metal cans, in the barn. Each bag goes into one can, we leave feed in the bags to make cleanup easier. We fill feeders in the am, pick them up at night to bring inside the barn. Coop is behind the barn. The barn cat food goes into a smaller metal can with lid. In the winter, during especially cold weather, we do put feed in the coop so they can maximize their feed intake to help keep themselves warm. We have found that if the feed is left out in the run in the hanging feeders it picks up a lot more moisture and begins to smell off quicker.

if you put food outdoors in a storage container, just be aware it should be kept out of the sun bc warmth followed by cooling can cause condensation, which can degrade the feed quicker.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

I use a tin garbage can. I put it in the garage, really handy when you have 2 hungry muscovies and they start eating it from the bag.View attachment 1975699 They look like this, the store I go to sells them for about $5-10 at most

This is exactly what I do. I got big ones for $25 that hold 3 bags each (if you're careful) and I buy bags in quantities because our feed store's far away (enough for 3 or so months). I keep them in their bags in these in our garage with some reusable silica dehydrator sachets in the bottom to keep them fresher despite humidity and temp changes.

I would not leave these outside. They would likely rust and fall apart. But out of the rain they're bound to last decades. They're a one time purchase.

I only feed out what my animals eat in a few hours and the rest stays secure. Forget mice, rats haven't even been able to get into these.

 

[Throbak]

I lucked out and got a large 4ftx2ftx2ft metal locking Job box It’s perfect latches Down Rodent proof and only $25.00 holds 10 40# bags easily keep in barn..and will fill a 6gal swim pool chlorine bucket with a screw on lid close in coop after opening 40# bag fill feeder and store bucket in coop works for me

 

[Duck_life]

This is exactly what I do. I got big ones for $25 that hold 3 bags each (if you're careful) and I buy bags in quantities because our feed store's far away (enough for 3 or so months). I keep them in their bags in these in our garage with some reusable silica dehydrator sachets in the bottom to keep them fresher despite humidity and temp changes.

I would not leave these outside. They would likely rust and fall apart. But out of the rain they're bound to last decades. They're a one time purchase.

I only feed out what my animals eat in a few hours and the rest stays secure. Forget mice, rats haven't even been able to get into these.

Agreed, I don't leave feed out for the chckens 24/7. We found a dead rat in the coop. Also squirrels and chipmunks will steal it.

 

[hmarg06]

I use an old freezer that no longer works. It can hold 4- 50lb bags worth of feed dumped out of the bag, still has the gasket on the lid so I feel like it keeps it fairly fresh, and there's no way rats can chew into it... they've tried. I know not everyone has the place to keep a freezer, but if you get the even longer chest freezer you could store the bags still shut in it. Mine only allows for 2 bags with feed in them to sit upright in it since it's the smaller, more square size chest freezer. I love that I can haul down way more than I need at once, and just scoop out as I need it.

The best part about these it you can usually get them free. People are always trying to give away non working freezers.

 

[Henry&Friends]

Mines in a plastic tote on the back porch. Two bags in the tote, layer crumbles and chick starter, normally scratch. Cooler with bread, mealworms or whatever chicken snacks on top. If I accidentally leave bread out (I did the other night ) raccoons take it, but if everything is put in the tote or cooler, nothing touches it.