Old Fridge for feed storage - good or bad idea?

[wyoDreamer]

We recently had our refrigerator die and had to buy a new one. The old one was in great shape, but the compressor went out so it had to be replaced.


I also discovered that the local feed store will custom grind feed at a much lower price than buying at the store, BUT the minimum order is 250 pounds. That will work well for the broilers that I am currently raising. 250 pounds of feed is about what I need to feed them out to freezer camp. But this is Wisconsin, we do have humidity during the summer and although the feed would only be sitting around for about a month and 1/2, I still worry about it going bad by the time I get it used up. Plus the mouse factor of having bags of feed sitting around in the barn.

My brain works in mysterious ways and told me to use the refrigerator to store the feed in.
1.) It's mouse proof.
2.) It's sealed storage.
3.) The bags will be at a level that is easy for me to reach.



I put a moisture absorber in there to help keep the feed dry so humidity doesn't build up and cause spoilage.

What do you think? Good idea or Bad Idea?

 

[N F C]

Looks like a good idea to me. I like that it's critter proof and the bags are at a handy level.

 

[Mellowmalt]

I keep mine in a sealed container so a sealed fridge should be ok, the humidity traps are a good idea as humidity would be the only concern with a fridge.

I like how the bag just fits perfectly

 

[Rosebud25]

I use an old chest freezer to store my feed. Works great !

 

[poultryprofessor]

We use dead chest freezers for mouse-proof feed storage. You'll still want to pay attention to the temperatures in the area you are storing feed. Heat denatures some of the nutrients (especially vitamins) in feed. Humidity can also be an issue. Make sure the feed is dry when you put it in storage.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I typically only buy 2 bags of feed at a time, so the feed is not stored for very long.

That said, with 20 broilers to raise, I purchased bulk feed from the local feed mill. The smallest order they will mix and grind is 250 pounds. I ordered 300 pounds of feed and picked up 6 bags at 50 pounds each. The fridge worked great - even though the bags were tied instead of sewn so they didn't lay flat. The height was good for me to dish out the food twice a day without straining my back with it being on the ground or struggling to reach into a garbage can.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Love the idea . I always see old fridges on farms great way to store feed, sweet treats for horses, even seen it used for ( non refrigerated ) medication for horses .

 

[wyoDreamer]

I have put the Sevin dust canister's inside the fridge also. I have been worried about the barn cats getting it on themselves and getting sick. Those silly cats have to check out everything that I do in their barn don't you know. If I touch it, they must rub up on it, lol.

 

[Krugerrand]

Always great to hear the follow up on these sort of things. Thanks!

 

[Gizabelle]

Great post! I've been looking into this myself right now. Down here in Florida the humidity is a nightmare, and I've been trying to come up with a way to get the feed out of my mudroom and into the barn where it belongs without ruining it.
Is there anything that needs to be foamed or sealed on a non-working freezer before use?
(Planning on using some reusable dehumidifier gel tins also)