Grain storage

[Alan]

I'm trying to cut the feed cost for our livestock. I'm looking and buying bulk grain.

Any tips on an inexpensive grain storage unit that will hold a minimum of 3 ton? Does not have to be a silo, but we do have to be able to get all the grain out of it. Also our winter a very wet so it need to be water tight to keep the grain from molding.

Any help will be nice,
Aaln

 

[Outrigger2]

a grain bin with an auger. they come in all sizes. some feeds will auger out better than others.

 

[cowwrangler]

a bagger will work,grain will come out in the same shape it was put in

 

[Beef11]

OK Alan I've got it figured out for you. Go to one of the old closed down turkey farms in your area (i know of 2 close to you) The have a couple small gravity fed bin next to each barn. You have them filled and can fill your sack under them anytime you want. THe turkey farms are shut down so i would guess you could talk them out of them.

 

[Brandonm2]

The Alabama Cattlemen's Magazine has a picture of a on the ground bulk storage building that the AL Soil Conservation Service will give us a low interest loan to build. I can't find a link to the Alabama story; but this smallest coverall building is something similar though not as long. (The pic in the bottom row, far left side).

http://www.coverall.net/agriculture/gra ... llery.html

The Alabama barn had a concrete floor, concrete block divider walls and a solid back wall. If you have three sections (for example) you could have four tons of corn on one side, four tons of whole cottonseed in one section, and whole oats on the third side (or range cubes).

You could just drive in there with a loader and get a bucket full of each and mix it in any feed mixer with hay and minerals. IF you don't have a feed mixer or a feed mixer wagon (and we never did) you could use 5 gallon buckets to pour it into an electric concrete mixer. They are cheap and work a whole lot better mixing grain than they do mixing concrete. I have also seen recently a 3 point hitch concrete mixer I was coveting. With THAT you could actually put the feed in the mixer, mix it, and pour it into the troughs. With our electric mixer we toted it out to the field in the front end loader bucket (a hassle when you are feeding hay and have to swap attachments) or carried it out there in the five gallon buckets.

 

[shorty]

I got a gravity wagon body without the running gear from a friend , he used it for fertilizer and didn't clean it like he should have and it rusted out in spots. I got it free and patched it and set it up on blocks inside my shed . it's high enough that I can set buckets under the chute. I holds about 5 ton.

 

[Brandonm2]

I got a gravity wagon body without the running gear from a friend , he used it for fertilizer and didn't clean it like he should have and it rusted out in spots. I got it free and patched it and set it up on blocks inside my shed . it's high enough that I can set buckets under the chute. I holds about 5 ton.

I don't recommend doing this but........once after I got through selling all the culls and market calves in the fall I parked my livestock trailer at a remote pasture with no barn (we had two places then and I also had some pasture pigs there) with two tons of #2 yellow corn in it (I had put rubber stall mats on the floor to prevent corn from falling out the cracks). I had a big snow shovel in it and when I cam out I would just shovel the corn into a line of troughs I had nearby.

 

[alabama]

I got a gravity wagon body without the running gear from a friend , he used it for fertilizer and didn't clean it like he should have and it rusted out in spots. I got it free and patched it and set it up on blocks inside my shed . it's high enough that I can set buckets under the chute. I holds about 5 ton.

I also use a gravity wagon but mine has the running gear. It comes in handy for a lot of stuff.

 

[ALX.]

The gravity box is a great idea, brother in law has one that he uses just to store grain for jersey calf feeders.

But getting one of those turkey farm vertical bins for free would do as well.

Just remember moisture is your main concern with storage, we are assuming you are talking dry feed.

 

[KNERSIE]

I use an old mobile grain tank that used to be on a truck, mine holds 3 tonnes. Over here these types are outdated because its too small for modern standards, i got mine from a neighbour for helping him dehorn calves.

 

[CKC1586]

I have a neighbor that uses the gravity box, works good for him. Tarps the top.