grains...

[bornthrifty]

I am preparing to stock up
almost bought very pricey grains on line, when I found out I could buy big bags of feed and save a ton of money...

ok I get that,

we have feed stores in the area,

but really what can I get that every feed store carries?
I mean I don't want to look like an idiot an ask for quick cooking oats, lol



and how do you prefer to store your great big bags of feed


thanks so much

 

[Farmfresh]

I buy whole oats and whole corn for emergency stores. That way it is actually sproutable and growable if need be. I often sprout the oats for my hens in the winter and use the oats as a green manure crop as well.

I also stock up on rice for eating purposes only. I store my stuff in 5 gallon buckets with Gamma Seal lids. I got some of those lids to try and they are expensive but so great I will never look back!!

By the way I am Celiac (gluten free) so I don't store wheat any more.

 

[freemotion]

Hmmm....if you have a grinder, then you can get whole corn. Only whole grains store really well. As soon as a grain is cracked, rolled, ground into flour, etc, it begins to go rancid. So for serious storage, you want whole grains.

In my area, I can buy whole oats, corn, and wheat in the feed store. Only the corn is anything I would use for human consumption. When I was in Maine, I could buy beautiful oats and barley right from the farmer, but that left the problem of the hulls.

Personally, I would pay the higher price and get grain that is whole and hulled. Meaning, oat groats that can be cooked whole, cracked for steel cut oats, or rolled for oatmeal. Wheat berries that can be cooked whole or ground into flour. Corn that can be cooked as hominy and then dried and ground into meal or flour (corn needs to be prepared in a certain way if it is a large part of the diet, otherwise you will have a serious niacin deficiency....google nixtamalization.) Hulled buckwheat can be cooked whole or ground into buckwheat flour. Any of these can also be sprouted and then eaten for even higher nutrition, or planted.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I have been sprouting (for my use & the animals use) whole wheat & whole oats for almost a year & feeding bits of whole corn. I just realized last night that I am almost out of the wheat.

I got them all at the feed store. The wheat was untreated seed wheat, but it was hulled. I think I've found maybe 3 berries with chaff still on them. There was next to no weed seed or trash in the bag, it really looked like wheat berries from a whole foods store. The corn & oats though did not look great to me, so we only feed that to the animals. Still whole, not moldy, but lots of bits of chaff, cob, silk & husk in the bags.
I also got the gamma lids, really handy for keeping rodents & bugs out. I used 6 gallon new paint buckets & dropped the bag & all inside.

 

[philpatton]

Tractor Supply sells whole corn in 50 pound bags. Buy the Producer's Pride double cleaned whole corn thats been aflatoxin tested.

You can pick up a bag for less than $9. It takes 2 buckets per bag if you want to keep it for LTS.

If you are going to store grain dont forget to buy a grinder so that you can make flower.

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

And don't forget to buy a roller so you can roll your own oats or bukwheat. I think mine is called a crimper. And a meat grinder while your at it.

And the grinder should be dual use. To be used with electric or by hand turning.

Fun Fun Fun

 

[TanksHill]

Food grade buckets and Gamma Seal lids!!!

 

[Farmfresh]

YEA! Gamma Seals!