The Best Livestock Feed Storage Ideas for Your Homestead Jenny Graham, June 6, 2024June 6, 2024 As your homestead starts to grow you may find that you need a few livestock feed storage ideas. Let’s take a look at some of the best ideas to store animal feed on the homestead. Livestock Feed Storage Ideas From repurposed items, metal bins, and plastic containers, there are plenty of great ideas for proper storage for animal feed. Getting that feed out of those feed bags and into a water proof, air-tight container with secure lids will keep the feed quality at it’s best, keeping all those feathered and hooved friends happy and healthy. Old Chest Freezers Old chest freezers or old refrigerators that are no longer working are a great option to store a bulk of livestock feed. You can store multiple types of feed, left in bags or a bulk of one particular type of feed by emptying the feed bags out into the freezer. Old chest freezers have the ability to hold a bunch of feed. Since they are insulated and have a sealed lid they are one of the best, and often free, livestock feed storage ideas. They are extremely heavy once filled though. For this reason, we keep our old chest freezers on heavy-duty castor wheels, just in case we need to move things around the feed room. Large Food-grade Plastic Drum When it comes to livestock feed storage ideas, large food-grade plastic drums are at the top of my list. These plastic containers usually hold five or six 50 pound bags of feed, depending on the feed. The screw top lids are heavy duty and are completely water proof. When raising broilers, I like to store my bulk meat chicken feed in these 55 gallon plastic drums. Large Flip-Top Garbage Cans Flip-top garbage cans can also work well for storing animal feed. They aren’t quite as heavy duty as the food grade plastic drums but can still work well. The tops are flip top, making them easy to get into, which can be convenient but also could cause trouble. Not only can you easily access the feed but the critters can as well. Securing the lid with bungee cords is a good idea. 55-gallon Metal Drum Metal drums can also be used for livestock feed storage. They usually have a nice metal band to secure the lid, making them air-tight and water proof. Just be sure to investigate what was in the metal drum before using it to store feed. They are a popular choice for storing things like oil as well. Metal Trash Cans Metal trash bins are another great option for livestock feed storage ideas. They hold a pretty fair amount of animal feed, depending on the size, about two 50 pound bags of livestock feed. They have a nice tight fitting, secure lid to keep critters out. Large Plastic Containers or Totes If you need livestock feed storage ideas for only a couple of bags at a time, large plastic containers, or totes, may be a good choice. These often have well fitting, air tight lids that will keep feed fresh and dry. They usually have nice handles on the lids, making them easy to move. As a bonus, most plastic totes are also stackable, saving you floor space in the feed room. Food-grade Plastic 5 Gallon Buckets With Lids Storing smaller amounts of feed or minerals for your livestock can easily be handled with a five gallon bucket. Just be sure to get one with a well fitting lid to keep things fresh. DIY Feed Bins: One of the Best Livestock Feed Storage Ideas Making your own gravity fed DIY feed bin is easy. Having a gravity fed feed storage container, will help ensure that all of the oldest feed at the bottom of the container gets fed first and not wasted. You can make your own bins out of a plastic trash can or for larger bulk storage, out of an IBC tote. To learn more, check out this video on making a gravity fed storage container. Where to Find Your Animal Feed Storage Containers Local Feed and Hardware Stores Internet: Marketplace, Craigslist, or bulk utility supply companies. Things to Consider When Thinking of Livestock Feed Storage Ideas: Are You Buying Multiple Different Feeds? When having to buy different feeds, you’ll need multiple containers for each type of feed. Alternatively, a large chest freezer will also safely store different types of bagged feed, all in one container. How Many Animals (and What Type of Animals) You Will Be Feeding? Big numbers and big animals require big storage. Whereas, feeding smaller animals, like rabbits, may not require such large containers. Are You Buying in Bulk? Buying and storing bulk feed saves you time and money. We purchase all of our livestock feed from a local feed mill, where they bag their store brand feed right on site. Even though it is a further drive than the chain store, it’s worth the trip. I can purchase a 50 pound bag of chicken feed for about $13, compared to about $20 at the local chain store. Anytime I make the trip, I’m sure to get a truck load. How Big of a Container Do You Need? 55 Gallon Drum (Metal or Plastic)- Holds about five to six 50 pound bags of feed, depending on the feed. Old Chest Freezer- Depending on the size, between five and twelve 50 pound bags of feed. Large Plastic Garbage Can- About three to five 50 pound bags, depending on size. Metal Trash Can- Depending on the size, between one to three 50 pound bags. Proper Feed Storage & Livestock Feed Storage Ideas Storing your livestock feed properly on the homestead will maximize the shelf life of your feed. Keeping it stored properly will also preserve the nutritional value of the feed. Equally important is the fact that proper storage will prevent your feed from deteriorating due to mold, going stale, insect infestation, and from rodents. After all, feed is expensive. Using the best feed storage practices will ensure the quality of the feed stays high and save you money in the long run! Livestock Feed Storage Ideas & Best Practices Store Feed in a Dry, Covered Area: Dry feed storage areas should be moisture free, out of direct sunlight, with feed stored in an airtight container. Moisture control is extremely important. Protect Animal Feed From Pests: Keeping the feed room clean and animal feed stored properly will keep unwanted visitors at bay. Use baits or traps for pest management. Use Appropriate Livestock Feed Containers: Feed storage containers should be in good condition, be airtight, heavy duty, and made out of food grade materials, like plastic or metal. Label Your Containers: If you have multiple feeds and containers, labels are helpful. Label them with the type of feed, and date. Rotate Livestock Feed Regularly: Always be sure to use the oldest feed first. Following the rule of first in, first out will help keep feed fresh. Completely Empty Storage Containers: Before you refill with new feed, be sure to empty out your old feed. Mixing old and new will spoil the new feed quickly. Check Your Animal Feed Often: Keep an eye out for any signs of trouble, like growth of mold, moisture, spoilage, or unwanted pests. Keep Storage Containers and Feed Room Clean: Keeping things clean can prevent problems. If you discover any problems, throw away the effected feed and clean the storage containers. Grain-Based feeds should always be stored in a cool, dry place so they won’t spoil. Hay needs to be stored in a dry location, protected from the weather so it doesn’t loose nutrients and get moldy. How Do You Know if Livestock Feed is Spoiled? When livestock feed is spoiled it’s quite obvious. If the feed is still in it’s original bag and is spoiled, the bag will often be hot and have a moldy smell to it. Livestock Feed Storage Ideas for Your Homestead Now that we have sorted through the best livestock feed storage ideas, I hope you have a better idea on how you want to store your animal feed. Again, remember to keep your feed storage bins clean, waterproof, air-tight, and out of direct sunlight to keep spoilage down and the nutritional value of the feed high for optimal animal health. Happy Homesteading, Jenny @ The GrahamStead Family Farm Jenny and her family have been homesteading for over 20 years. They are currently farming on their 10 acre Florida farm, that they built from the ground up, 8 years ago, growing 100% of their meat and a lot of their vegetables. From their small herd of Aberdeen Angus Cattle, Pastured Poultry, Sheep, and seasonal pigs, they are able to raise enough meat for the family while selling extra to the community. All the while, striving to butcher at home, as much as possible, and use the bits and pieces of their harvest by preserving food, making bone broth, and (Jenny’s favorite) tanning all kinds of hides! Homesteading Livestock