Presently in the designing stage of building a personal barn. I don’t plan to ever have boarders.
Talk to me about your feeds rooms. What do you like? What do you hate? What are your wishes?
10 horses on this property.
Mice proof grain storage? What do you use?
I use galvanized trash cans for feed. Decidedly not fancy. My feed room is also my tack room in my tiny barn, so I would love ideas on how to make it more attractive. I hope people with nice set ups will post pictures.
I also use galvanized trash cans and just ordered dollies for them so I can roll them around as needed. I might put in a standing height counter, and then the cans could go underneath it and be pulled out as needed.
There are some construction photos on https://www.flickr.com/photos/wsmoak/albums/72157625046062425 – we did spray foam insulation and then… the name of the siding escapes me, I asked here and got a recommendation.
Finally, I’m no longer losing hay to mold! (It is so damp and humid here, hay can’t be stored outside.) One day I will repeat that process in a separate building for the hay, but this works for now, I’m only feeding a few.
The next thing to do is a shelf up top where the siding panels meet. Then containers can go up there.
Like @stb my tack room is my feed room too. It is the “sixth stall” in the barn as far as dimensions go --10x13. Years ago daughters and I insulated it and drywalled, installed shelving saddle hooks, bridle hooks, carpet and flooring. It is quite pretty. It is set up for convenience with most often used items closest to the door: helmets right inside, then feed (plastic trash cans). Meds are in a cabinet along with first aide and big refills of fly spray and such. Then a “bookcase” that holds brush boxes, spray bottles, spurs, gloves, and on top occasional use coolers. next is the saddle racks farthest from the door --three English, one western. beside that coming around the corner, is where I hang my horse bow, arrow tube, quiver, and gear bag (summer use only). A second bookcase holds “show” products used now and then --hoof gloss, face gloss, mane gel, clippers, tack cleaner, etc. On the last wall are the myrid bridles (four horses, two disciplines).
There is flooring in 1/4 where the major traffic is --feed and buckets --the rest has a low pile carpet (saved from a kitchen remodel) In the summer I run a fan and dehumidifyer in there to keep mold at bay. It works.
If I could do anything differently, I would make it dust proof (don’t know if that’s possible) as now I clean, wash shelves about twice a year and vacuum then too. If I had a bucket of money, I’d add a bathroom and washer and dryer. It is just me here, so I’m good with what I have. My hay is stored in a mow. Again, works for me but were I to start over, I’d have a separate building for it.
With Ten head you really might want to consider at least two feed rooms if tack is going to be stored there also. (There is Never enough storage)
Metal trash cans is what we use also.
The best parts about my tack/feed room are:
1 - It is insulated. So we’ve added an air conditioner in the window and I run an oil heater in the winter to control the humidity and temperature. Better for my tack and all the various things I keep in the tack room, and has given me a place to rehab barn cats when necessary. We actually bought the air conditioner when I needed to keep my barn cat contained in the heat of a Virginia summer. And she LOVES staying in a relatively warm tack room at night in the winter.
2 - I have a stainless steel counter and sink. The vets love it. I love it. And it is SO useful.
3 - Water heater. Nuff said.
What I’d change is that I have an odd mish-mash of cabinetry. Currently I have some cheap cabinets hung around the room where they fit, and a free standing garage cabinet where I store things like saddle pads, boots, helmet, etc. I’d love to replace all the cabinetry with stuff that matches better and is a little more functional. Mr. epoancelt has promised to help me build what I want, but I need to design it first!
I’d love a separate feed room, but sadly mine shares with my tack room too.
However, we have a decent system. We have a large utility sink in the corner. I use that for mixing water with grain/beat pulp or for medicines. Next to the sink to the left is a big plastic trash can with tight-fitting lid that can hold 3x bags of grain. Along the wall I have a washer and dryer, with a shelf on top that I use to store Smartpak boxes with supplements and medicines. I keep an electric pill grinder there too, and cabinets overhead store any drugs not in daily use. The floor is tiled so easy to clean up and not damaged by water spills or leaks. The walls are insulated and dry-walled, and we have HVAC, so the space stays very cozy and comfortable. There’s a half bath in the corner.
Here’s a photo of the feed half of the feed/tack room. The feed bin usually is in front of the sink from this angle. The bin to the right of the sink is for trash. Usually when the tack cleaning hook isn’t in use, it hooks to the wall so it’s not in the way.
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We have a feed room/tack room combo. We have 7 horses here. We use two large old freezers for the grain. In one we can fit 4 bags sitting up and the other for all my horses, they all get the same feed so I dump the grain in, I can fit 6 bags in there.
I had the freezers across from each other but moved them beside each other and close to the door and it’s much easier now to feed and walk back and forth. I love shelving either above or beside the freezers for supplements etc.
We don’t have a sink but its planned for the future. A sink would be an amazing addition. An area where you can place wet buckets is also great. Boot trays can work well for under them.
We also have a beer fridge (a must) and a coffee machine and a microwave which will be our savoir in the Canadian winter!
We have a feed room/tack room combo also. Our feed is kept in galvanized trash cans, which are in a wooden rack that keeps them at a convenient angle for me to reach all the way in – the rack is simply built out of 2 x 4 lumber. This rack is one of my favorite things in the room, as it makes my life easier.
Above the wooden rack with trash cans, there is a set of those wide wire shelves on legs, designed to be placed over a washer/dryer set. Works great for feed pans, supplement containers, bags of treats, etc., and was reasonably priced.
There is a utility sink in the corner, next to two sets of drawer units (https://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=347&ProductCategory=244§ion=6; ours are a different color), which are a good height to use as a work surface. It’s been very helpful to have a sink in the room, and the counter created by the drawer unit tops is also quite useful.
Next to the drawer units, there is a tall, deep set of shelves, similar to this https://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=196&ProductCategory=241§ion=1. On a short side, I’ve added sets of hooks to the outer edge of a couple of the shelves.
Across from the feed cans, there is a cabinet (https://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=195&ProductCategory=242§ion=1; ours is a different color). Next to that is a wall-mounted, multiple saddle, heavy-duty saddle rack.
Opposite the drawer units/utility sink are bridle racks, a whip rack, and hooks, along with a large tack trunk (under the various racks), and a wall-mounted blanket rack with several arms to hold blankets.
Although I originally wanted separate tack and feed rooms, this set-up has worked very well for up to five horses for many years. For ten horses, I’d definitely want a separate feed room.
I have this and love it. The feed cans are under a tall wide table, I use the table for mixing the buckets of feed. Supplements are at the back on top of the table.
My biggest tip is, you will need more horizontal space than you think you do. For prepping meals or such. There just never seems to be enough horizontal space.
True, but consider if you have tall and short people, that your storage space is not so high and deep shorties can’t reach, or so low tall people have to struggle to pick up stuff below.
For us that works best as medium height and not too deep tables or shelving.
Just more to consider when building or remodeling.
I have two of these bins and shelving above (wish I had cabinets…). I like them because 1. they have details inside so I could divide them in half; in fact one is divided into three internal spaces, using plywood cut to fit; 2. they have an almost flat top so I can put buckets on one while serving from the other (I have cubes and a forage based feed in one, and grain/equalizer/pellets in the other…) Right next to them is an antique enamel topped table holds the smartpak bins and other supplements (whatever is in regular rotation at the time.)I like the enamel top because I use a Camalina oil and… jug pumps… ; ( https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/horsemens-pride-feed-bin-15066?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=nb_shopping_barn_dsk_3p&utm_campaign=&utm_term=2109780205&gclid=Cj0KCQjwreT8BRDTARIsAJLI0KLw5IL_fryuiNViXFHNYweyS-WfJsltlru1CN98WIMJ0ujMoXJX8wsaAoRJEALw_wcB
Mine is also combined feed/tack, and it is 20’x26’ which provide plenty of space for both with my preferred max of 8 horses. I do store round bales in it too, but not square bales
I love that it’s concrete floor.
Water heater with utility sink - absolute musts.
I have a mini-fridge right now, am remodeling my house’s kitchen (all new appliances included) at Thanksgiving and will put the full-size fridge/freezer in the barn (yayyy) after it’s done. I’m in Florida, so being able to store water-bottles in a fridge for easier barn access is pretty crucial in the summer.
I use galvanized trash cans for feed storage and a large chest freezer (just about every horse here is on it’s own grain :lol:).
I have a mish-mash of storage shelving I’ve amassed the last four years. Haven’t been concerned about getting nice matchy-matchy stuff in it’s current state. It’s just a garage right now, as it’s the bare concrete floor and sheet metal walls with visible studs. I would really love to have it completely finished some day - drywall, sparkly epoxy floor coating, etc. The ceiling did have drywall and insulation when I bought the farm, but last year I had it removed. The brilliant people that put it up didn’t bother actually enclosing the outside part too, so it was rat/squirrel/critter nesting haven. Disgusting.
Planning on having a counter-height workbench that the bins are stored under. One thing I’m lacking now that would be helpful is flat workspace.
It has a pretty big window that I don’t like, and will cover up with the “finished” plan.
The garbage cans on dolly’s sound like a great idea! Easy to tuck away under a work surface.
Stainless steel counter top is on my list, I didn’t think of a sink!
I’ve been back and fourth between combining tack and feed, but I am worried about the dust. Barn will be heated and AC so not really concerned about moldy tack.
I have a small feed room with a big, dead chest freezer. I will never store grain in anything else. Moisture, bug, critter and horse proof.
I have a fan for exhaust during the warm months that’s easily put up when it gets cool again. Plastic 5-shelf rack for buckets etc. Insulated.
It’s not fancy but it is functional.
for those of you who use the big chest freezers or built in bins to store grains, how do you clean? I’m careful to regularly dump out the last traces and remnants of grain that get stuck in the edges/corners of my trash can. Otherwise old grain can get moldy or rancid. But if you can’t remove the bin/freezer and turn it upside down, how are you cleaning it? Or you don’t, but it hasn’t been a problem?
every once in a while i shop-vac them.
My bins are not as deep (since I can not reach the bottom of a chest freezer easily), my grain bins are a repurposed 3-bay sink (each bay easily holds two bags of grain) with homemade hinged lids. I just scoop out every last crumb I can with a scoop (which really does get 98% of the content) and then I do like said above, take a shop vac to it.
Oh yeah I have a big ceiling fan that I love too.
@ElementFarm same as the others said.
Never dump new grain on top of old, I always scoop it out into buckets, pour in new bags, and put the old grain on top. If there’s a lot of dust I can’t get out with the scoop, I take a shop vac to it.
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