Hello everyone. This may be the wrong place, but it doesn’t really fall under care or property management either. Here it goes: Trashcans always seem to get holes in them and honestly, they don’t look very nice. Does anyone have any recommendations for alternatives to the square feed bins marketed for horse grain. Or links to places that don’t charge a fortune for shipping. Thanks so much everyone!
Try to find and old chest freezer that doesn’t work - dirt cheap on craigslist. Put partitions in it if necessary.
Or, custom build something out of plywood with a HEAVY lid, and varnish/epoxy/laquer the heck out of it so it can be wiped off.
1 Like
I use metal trash cans… they last forever. I prefer them over the large/solid/immobile bins because it’s impossible to get all of the grain out of the bottom and inevitably, you’ll end up with moldy old grain at the bottom. I put the some of my old kitchen cabinets from my kitchen reno in the feed room too to store supplements and medications.
2 Likes
Agree with @Nevada10 - my 30gal galvanized cans are going on 15yo, no holes, rodent-proof, hold 50# of feed & easily lifted to pour out the last bit of grain before I refill.
I have recycled kitchen cabinets too, but after spending a lot - ~10yrs - of Winters in the unheated barn they tend to fall apart - usually the fiberboard backing is first to go on base cabinets.
Wall-hung units last longer.
Like endlessclimb, I use an old non-working freezer chest. Works great and definitely keeps everything out!
Galvanized trash cans …
IMHO the best for grain for most barns.
- safer than old freezers because you close them and there is little chance of leaving it open and a small creature - mouse / cat climbing in and hiding and not being seen.
( just a nightmare of mine – probably never happens)
Just try one gal.can and you’ll be hooked !
2 Likes
Totally agree on the galvanized trash cans. Rodents can’t get in. Grain doesn’t mold as it could in plastic. I have had the cans I use for almost 20 yrs! I have large ones that can hold 100 lbs of grain. I keep smaller ones around to put in dirty laundry, extension cords, clean laundry and anything else I don’t want mice potentially playing in!
My feed storage is a re-purposed commercial kitchen 3-bay sink. We made a hinged lid for it, each bay has its own section.
Each bay easily holds several bags of feed. It is easy to scoop the feed out, I never have to lean over all the way to the ground.
Since it has legs and is off the floor I have storage space under it.
3 Likes
I love that idea. 
I was never a fan of galvanized cans, but I do love a really heavy duty (rubbermaid style) trashcan with a FLAT lid. I have one that is working on 35 years old. But the flat lid is key (and not easy to find), because I do love the extra space to set things down on.
Definitely the freezer chest. The advantages it has over metal cans: not nearly as noisy (empty cans being knocked over or rattled annoy me) and the chest will keep (some) moisture out, whereas the metal cans can have some condensation depending on your climate. We have always been able to find them on Craigslist or from a friend for free or very cheap (since they don’t need to work). I think they also look neater than cans, but cans may be better if you have several types of feed or you might be able to make a divider for the chest like out of plywood?
Adding to what kaya842 says, with my freezer, I have actually had three kitchen-sized rectangular plastic trash cans in my freezer to hold three different bags of feed. One bag of feed fits perfectly into one of those. So that’s my cheap and easy divider. If I only had one feed, I would just empty it. Right now I actually am down to two feeds, so I have the two kitchen trash cans in there and also about 5 bags of feed. There is a little ledge on one side where I keep treats and any supplements and/or meds I need. I only feed four horses, so this is easy for me.
1 Like
Trying this again. Found this on FB. This is an excellent idea
metal trash cans. If you are storing feed it is the only way to go. they are very long lasting and affordable. Where there is grain, there will be mice. We have tried everything from nice plastic storage bins, pretty woods bins and the mice will eat through them. They chew through plastic bins, thick plastic covers on trash cans, etc.
Our metal trash cans keep for years and we have never had a moisture problem (very humid during summer months),
I have an old wooden chest that I used to keep linen in. Now it lives in my feed shed and holds grain and/or chaff on one side, supplements on the other.
It’s heavy wood to keep the rats out and has a flat lid which is a perfect bench for when I need a sit down 
We use green bins that are made to hold compost items. Something like these. They are great. Lid is attached, they are on wheels, hold one bag each.
I use the white plastuc stackable recycling bins from IKEA. The large ones hold a 50 lb bag of feed easily. I only have one horse but I have multiple components for her mash so I needed something more compact than garbage cans.
I then put flat boards on top to have a surface.
The whole thing can come down and be cleaned out and around though that’s kind of a production.
We have mice and rats for sure but they have never nibbled my bins. Perhaps there is enough to eat without bothering?
You could browse the Around the Farm channel too. Folks with their own acreage can put a lot of thought into designing and building things!
I keep mine in galvanized and rubber trash cans. I don’t dump the bags though. I feed right out of the bags. My cans and my smart pak drawers are in a very small raised room off the hay barn. It is closed up unless I am feeding. Before I kept them in my tack room but had to deal with mice and ants and now that isn’t an issue
Barn here has big square plastic garbage bins with flat tops. BO says they are around 45 years old. They are easy to empty and clean out when rotating feed.
