Our vets tell us it is best to leave the feed in the bags and feed off the bags.
This way, if there is a problem, they can trace it to that bag or batch directly easier than if the feed has been outside of it.
A way around it would be to put the whole bag in whatever containers are used, if you don’t have a rodent safe room.
We used the aluminum cans for that, until we had our current, critter proof feed rooms.
Now we just keep them in the bags.
I’m with Bluey – also because I hate picking up perfectly good bags (heavy) just to dump contents of bag into another container and then pick up container when it’s near empty and dump out leftover contents (feed and feed dust) that could mold. Too much work. KISS is my motto. But then my current feed room is critter proof, so no need for critter proof bins. Did invest in giant chip clips to keep bags closed. And my bags are lined up under high counter so there’s easy access.
When we first started that, it did feel odd, like we were not doing things right, after decades of using feed bins.
We use one empty bag for trash and stuff other sacks in that one until full, then start the next one as trash bag.
Those big clips are a neat idea, may try that, thanks.
I have all senior horses and the feed needs to be loosened as it packs in the bags, each bag is wacked on the floor about four times then dumped into the Clean metal can otherwise I can not scoop the feed
As a note none of the feed we buy is older than a week or so from date of production, the plant is only four miles away
I hate scooping out of the bag.
My feed bin is a re-purposed commercial kitchen 3-bay sink with an added hinged lid.
I dump the feed in there and use up that bag before adding a new bag. I do not mix old and new.
I keep a stack of bags for other reasons so the bag with the label is sitting right there if I need it.
Yep me too!
Decades ago, in this one stable, we had the traditional wood feed bins.
I am very short, when those got to the last foot or so, I could not reach the feed, other than balancing on my belly over the edge and diving in there with the scoop to get what I could.
Once it was almost empty, I was trying to scoop that last bit, overbalanced and fell head first in the bin.
My outstretched hand stopped me and I rebalanced and got back out of there.
Then I noticed my thumb was sticking out at an odd angle.
Yes, I dislocated it. Hand swelled up the size of a tennis ball.
Dr had a hard time keeping a straight face, it was funny looking.
Just a warning, if you use feed bins and have to reach way down in there, be careful.
@Bluey , can you describe your critter proof feed rooms? What tactics or design do you use to keep out the beasties?
@danacat , same question for you. 
i have 2 of the large ones (one for each kind of feed. I like them but OP would have to see if they would fit under the shelf and still open. They don’t slide out and re heavy when full. They hold about 200lbs each. Mine are 7 years old and in perfect condition.
I suppose it depends on the climate. We are so humid here that if you left grain sitting in a bag the bag iself would attract damp. I only have one horse and I use IKEA recycling bins but they only take one 50 lb bag. I also have to tarp the hay except in the middle of summer or it will grow surface mold (,but be fine inside). Don’t even ask what happens to a baseball cap left in the loft over a winter!
I also find that feed in my bins has never gone rancid even when it has sat for a long time. But it is all dry components, oats and beet pulp and alfalfa cubes, no damp or oily or molasses feeds. The supplement is its own thing in a plastic tub not integral to the feed.
A rodent proof feed room! What a wonderful concept! I didn’t even know that was possible, so congrats on those who’ve accomplished this!
At our family farm my dad built a critter proof feed room. He lined it with sheet metal and covered all the corners with metal too. Too and bottom are metal too. It works great, still critter proof after 15years. It also locks. It is in a corner of the hay room. Before that we had the old freezer and some wood bins but this is much better. He can store a (literal) ton of feed and still have a couple of cans, all horse proof as it is never left open. I think it is around 4 by 6 ft.
[QUOTE=danacat;n10008236]
I’m with Bluey – also because I hate picking up perfectly good bags (heavy) just to dump contents of bag into another container and then pick up container when it’s near empty and dump out leftover contents (feed and feed dust) that could mold. Too much work. KISS is my motto.
It’s much easier to scoop out of a bin than a bag, so the one time dump doesn’t really take up any time. Any “leftover contents” came out of the bag, so whether you are feeding out of the bag or out of a bin, it’s all exactly the same.
I do this with all my livestock feed - dump a bag or two (about 2 weeks worth) into the bin, feed out of the bin until amost empty, then dump what is left in the bin into a feed tub, clean the bin if necessary, and fill it again, putting the stuff in the feed tub on top of the newly dumped feed.
When I fed out of bags, I always managed to spill a bit into the bin so I had to periodically dump and clean the bin anyway. So more was wasted feeding out of the bags than feeding out of the bin. Bin there, dun that!
@Bluey and @danacat - what sorts of scoops do you use when scooping from the bags? Our big 3Qt plastic scoop is a giant pain to scoop directly from the bag.
I have no problem using a basic plastic 2 quart feed scoop. I pour a few scoops of each feed (I do a mix of different feeds) into designated 2 quart holding buckets that are lined up on my counter – like an assembly line – then use a plastic 2 cup measurer to divy out the feed into each horse’s feed bucket. The holding buckets hold enough for 4 feedings or so before I have to refill.
[quote="“Palm Beach,post:32,topic:442718”]
Bin or bag the scooping is the same for me – but since my back isn’t what it used to be, I’d rather not pick up and dump heavy bags. Getting bags from truck bed into feed room is enough lifting. Not a time factor.
[quote="“danacat,post:35,topic:442718”]
I ask them to put bags in the back of the pickup, so I can slide them to the end of the tailgate.
From there, I drop them on a dolly to wheel to the feed room.
If I have to move a sack here or there, I “walk” it, don’t pick it up, be it a feed sack in the feed room, or a concrete sack up to a hole to set a post.
I am not supposed to lift much of anything, this way I don’t, but still get things moved to where they need to go.
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Just measured our grain scoop, 6" long, 4" wide, 3" deep on the back part by the 4" handle.
You have to figure how many scoops it takes for 1 lb of each different foods, weigh them so you know how much you are feeding.
We don’t have to because we are feeding a very minimum, just enough to carry medications in.
Our main feed is alfalfa hay and a bit of grass hay to help pass the time.
I don’t measure and weigh either. My 5 horses are all very easy keepers and get ‘maintenance feed’ which doesn’t amount to a whole lot. I adjust my mix seasonally and once water is added it bulks up to form a worthwhile meal that keeps them happy. They so look forward to feed times (don’t want to deny them) + meds/supplements can be added when needed.
Whole different story if I was feeding a boarding stable full of horses with various work loads, needs and issues.
We use a metal scoop like this… It’s one quart sized. They are available in different sizes. Easy to fit into a bag. The handle position is easy on the wrist digging into caked feed.
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