Small bag sweet feed for couple goats? Mold issues

[feathernfiber]

I've had my two ND does for 4 1/2 months now, and when I got them I boughr my first bag of goat sweet feed in a 50 lb bag. I keep the grain inside the kaibdrybroom in an "airtight" insect-resistaby container. It's Purina Noble Goat feed & it has molasses in it. They go through about 5 lbs a month during this past summer, with all the browse & alfalfa hay they eat.
I opened the "airtight" container today, and there was brown mold right in the middle of the top grain. So.... first, I need a different container. Second, I didn't k ow ot would take a year to go through that bag, but I sure know now. Third, I may not have needed grain this past summer, but my second-year doe will be bred this autumn. I'll need grain for her this winter. Any suggestions on where to get a smaller bag of grain to begin with? The feed stores here only sell 50 lbs, but we have a TSC near us.

 

[elevan]

Do you have a local feed mill in your area? You can generally buy smaller quantities there, though it would be their mix.

Feed molds easily in humidity of summer.

 

[bonbean01]

If you can't get a smaller amount...you may have to do what we do for sheep pellets...keep them in the house...have ours in the computer room/dog room...if we didn't have this, we'd use the guest room and move it when we had guests. Not too convenient I admit...but it gets costly to throw it out!!! We bought those big plastic tubs with lids from Walmart and each hold a 50 pound bag. They are not air tight, but being in the house that is heated in winter and cooled in summer means no mold or bugs. The plus is that you never have to worry about your critters ever being able to knock them over and eat enough to bloat. The molasses smell is also kind of nice to our way of thinking

 

[jodief100]

I would switch to a non-sweet feed. Without the molasses it won't mold as easily. They don't need molasses, it is just sugar. Dry pellets without molasses will store for a much longer period of time.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Ditto Jodie.