CntryBoy777 - The Lazy A** Acres Adventures

[CntryBoy777]

I got all the feed moved today from the trlr....I was waiting on getting some metal cans to put it in....out in the garage.... ....ya know....they sure don't make em like they used to, but will certainly do the job. I will eventually get them up off the floor, but they should be fine for now. This will eliminate a few trips to the trlr each day and the up and down stairs and hills in both directions. My knee will be very appreciative..........I was told today that the grandsons will be here in about another week, so have to get in "Prep Mode"......PawPaw has to live up to his word and take them fishing.....

 

[Bruce]

Good plan making your life easier Any reason they need to be off the floor?

I have one can like that for the alpaca feed, it was originally for Merlin's food. I have 10 gallon ones with bail handles that lock the lid on for the chicken feed, scratch and BOSS. They fit 50 pounds of feed or scratch but only about 40 pounds of BOSS. I find the easiest way to fill the 10 gallon cans is to take the tear strip off the bag, put the can over the open bag then shove it over on its side. Easy to then tilt the can on its bottom and pull the bag off the contents which "magically" all end up in the can. Doesn't always work out that way when I try to pour it in the can though the chickens don't mind cleaning up after me .

 

[CntryBoy777]

Since they are kept in the garage on concrete floor, there are times the floor "sweats" and if waterflow gets severe it can seep into the garage. Plus, it makes it less rodent freindly. I just leave it in the bags inside the can. That way the dust and crushed pellets aren't hanging in the can and if there is a weevil hatch it is much easier to control and get rid of without cross contamination and spreading them to other feed. These are 30gal cans and will hold 2 50# bags of pellets.

 

[AClark]

My feed shed floods when it rains heavy, through the door. DH got some of those plastic pallets and we lined the floor. I keep my saddles in there and can't deal with those getting wet, and last time I had some bags of alfalfa cubes on the floor that got wet and had to be fed out ASAP before they molded.
We went with plastic trash cans, the big ones on top of the pallets. I can fit 80-100 lbs in each, and have the extra stacked in a corner. I've found it's pretty easy to just lift the bag up and lay it across the other cans (there's 4) to pour in, no mess or spilling.

What works great if you have a lot of the same type of feed is an old deep freezer. My parents have one that worked when I was a kid, but when the compressor went out, they started pouring horse pellets in it. Keeps everything dry and sealed from the weather. It is an old one with the metal handle that locks and you can't unlock from the inside, but it keeps out everything.

 

[Bruce]

I can see not wanting the can bottoms being wet/damp for extended periods. Good way to make a can without a bottom Only 100# in a 30 gal can? Your feed must be like the BOSS I get, more volume per pound.

@AClark - no rodents? I've read about people losing feed in plastic trash cans to rats. I would think a bag on the floor would be even more vulnerable. I stopped keeping an "extra" on the floor when I found mice or rats were chewing into the bottom of the bag. Now I wait to get feed until I'm down to the last bit in the can or I buy only one bag if I have one can empty. Of course I'm not feeding nearly as many animals as you are!

I imagine my "issues" with pouring the 50# bag into the 10 gallon can has a lot to do with the diameter of the can (no bigger than the open bag top) and height of the cans. The chickens can help themselves if I take the lid off and the can is full. It would be easier to dump the bag into a taller can with a larger diameter.

 

[CntryBoy777]

I don't have many animals either, so I never buy more than a bag at a time....except for Layena, I get 2 of those. I keep the scratch grains with the oyster shells in one can, and when the goats pellets get low I get a bag and put it in with the partial. I've never used Boss so I don't know anything about it. The poultry pellet use will decrease when I get them out of their pens, but still have to work on the garden fence and the gates....I'll be whittling at it the next couple of wks.

Here are some pics I took this morning of our dew.... .....the sun doesn't get to this spot until between 10-11am, so it is after noon before it dries enough to cut....just in time for the "Heat of the Day", so I cut in the evening from 5-7pm........

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I never buy more than a bag at a time

Oh man, I wish I only had to buy that much...bought 12 bags yesterday and going back for more today cuz I just didn't feel like unloading it all at once... I really needa sell some critters! Pigs, goats, and chickens for sale - cheap!

 

[CntryBoy777]

If I ever make it down there I will certainly talk "Business" with ya....but, it will be fall before I would get out and about, but would have to rent a uhaul to make the trip....

 

[Mike CHS]

It is sure easy to get overwhelmed. Our sheep are fairly easy to care for but there is enough other 'stuff' going on that we deferred getting any goats until next year at the earliest. So right now we have 4 hens and 1 rooster in the would be goat pen. They eat very little commercial food since their pen was the dry lot.

 

[Baymule]

I have Delawares now and I am not impressed. At all. They will hit the soup pot next summer, after I order and grow out the next batch of chicks. Thinking about Australorps and Speckled Sussex, they are both beautiful, meaty and good layers.....or at least the hatcheries say so.

I have had both red and black sex links and liked them both. That is interesting about the black sex links and then breeding them to a NH or Plymouth rooster @farmerjan . I did like the black sex links better than the red ones. In fact, I still have one of the original black sex links, she has a red breast and we named her Robin. I took our oldest grand daughter to the feed store when she was 3 years old and we got 6 chicks. She carefully cupped them in her hands, played with them and loved them. Any way, Robin is now 6 1/2 years old, the matriarch with a bad attitude, she no longer lays, but she can stay until she kicks the chicken bucket.

Fred, you have a job ahead of you. Do a little at a time, I know what clean up in this heat means and I am in good health. You take care of yourself. You are our friend, we love you and want you to hang out here with us for a long time.