Bulk Feed Storage

[popcornchicken]

Hey Everybody, I'm in need of some BYC help.

We've wasted SOOO much feed due to mice, its driving me crazy. (can you say LAZY barn cats, ugh)

We've been looking for a "small" bin of some sort to store our feed in for sometime now and have been unsuccessful. I'm looking for something that will hold 1000-2000lbs of feed, something just tall enough that we can back the truck up to it, dump the bags in and put a 5gal bucket underneath and open a door/slide and go to town.

I see them when we're out driving around, but I've been unable to locate a local dealer or what I'd really like is a used one. We've done the craigslist thing and auctions and I've even walked up onto a couple farms that I've seen them on, no luck.

We're in NE IN, and as most of us, on a budget so any help/leads would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wsufans]

sorry I'm not of much help; we put our open bags in a large garbage can with lid. We only have 10 hens so we probably don't need as large of a storage as you do...

 

[centrarchid]

I am guessing what you are looking for is similar to shown in link.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=feed+hopper+bins&FORM=HDRSC2


We had two connected to our old fish lab. They were filled from truck using an auger. Odds are you can find one very reasonable price at a small hog operation that went out of business. We still have one but no one around here has use for such.

 

[The Lazy L]

You could add to the top of this: <Click Here> to get additional storage.

 

[gjensen]

I want to make one. Plywood with laminate on the interior. Open from the bottom. The link that centrachid shared shows some similar to what I am thinking about. Mine will be for whole grains, and I am wondering about humidity.

 

[centrarchid]

I want to make one. Plywood with laminate on the interior. Open from the bottom. The link that centrachid shared shows some similar to what I am thinking about. Mine will be for whole grains, and I am wondering about humidity.

If shelf life a problem, then humidity / temperature maintenance; otherwise get lesser volumes so it can be used quicker. I like to keep only a months worth of feed on hand at most to control feed quality loss.

 

[gjensen]

If shelf life a problem, then humidity / temperature maintenance; otherwise get lesser volumes so it can be used quicker. I like to keep only a months worth of feed on hand at most to control feed quality loss.

I want mine to store whole corn, wheat, etc. I would not store processed feed like this.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Centrachid beat me to the idea of a defunct feeder pig operation. But don't forget that what flows down has to flow up as well, so you will likely need or want a power auger to fill your bin. Also look at defunct broiler operations. You can use the PTO on a small farm tractor to power an auger to fill a small bin, but some thought should also be given to a LP dryer just in case the weather turns rotten. Good luck and good feed bin hunting. BTW, check in with the county agent in whichever county your hunting in, he should know all the pig and broiler farmers, past as well as present. You may need to look for a slightly larger feed bin say starting at 3,000 to 5,000 pounds. you'll find that this size is more common.

ie. a 55 gallon used food grade steel drum with a sealable lid cost about $20 each and holds 450 to 500 pounds of feed. Don't hold my feet to the fire on this because I have slept since I looked at it the last time. At 3 feet tall most steel drums are about as tall as the tailgate of a pickup truck or if you can get a bargain on loose feed, load up your empty drums and buy your feed in bulk, fill up the drums at the feed store or mill, seal up the lid and when you get home roll the drums off the tailgate of your pickup truck and onto a stack of old tires. It's just a thought, but it works for me. Six 55 gallon drums fit almost perfectly in the bed of a swb narrow bed truck (4X6 feet) My K1500 Z71 Chevy. Just scoop the feed out until the last few feedings and then pour the last of the feed into your 5 gallon bucket.

 

[centrarchid]

I want mine to store whole corn, wheat, etc. I would not store processed feed like this.

You must watch storage duration even for intact grains if temperature and / or humidity are excessive. Confer with your local mill operator about conditions are optimal for grain storage. If you cannot realize proper storages conditions then smaller allotments for storage may still be your best bet. Bad feed can cause serious problems fast and even low quality feed can hamper health and productivity of your birds.

 

[centrarchid]

I want mine to store whole corn, wheat, etc. I would not store processed feed like this.

Darn kindle!