Preparing For Your Livestock....

[freemotion]

Freemotion Sez....
"Whole grains can be stored for longer without rancidity or nutrient loss. And you can plant them and sprout them. And grind them into flour for your own use."

Yep, i think you hit the nail on the head Freemotion. I've been experimenting eating "Livestock corn and soft red wheat" and it taste fine, i ground some of both and made cornbread. What you said along with dried grasses,foo scrapes and free ranging mentioned by others, seems the most reasonable way to get away from laying pellet/mash and preparing in the event they are not obtainable.I've been learning what grains are availble locally grown.Corn and rye see to be two biggest grain crops here.I'm going to meet a local rye farmer this week to see if i can make a deal and find out what other farmers are growing , grain wise..
How do you store your grains Freemotion ?
I wonder if small silos or grain elevators are availble for smaller scale use. I think grain elevatorsare really big though...lol...A mini corn or grain silo, is their such a thing..? What is the most praticle why to store a ton of grain, without mylar bags, buckets and oxygen absorbers..? I'm getting good grain connections, but need a way to store bulk grains for longer term without spending a fortune doing it..!

I have a growing collection of barrels with lids and can store a bit more than half a ton now. I prefer the galvanized trash cans and have four of them in my garage. I used a furniture dolly, put some boards across it, and put two barrels on top of that, so I can move them around in our tightly packed garage. The rest are in plastic trash cans and plastic drums with homemade lids (circle cut from scrap T1-11 siding, wood handle, and a few board scraps underneath to keep it from sliding off the barrel) and I make sure to empty the ones most vulnerable to vermin first and save the galvanized ones for last.

It is also a good idea to keep the barrels/trash cans where temp fluctuation won't be too great, like not where the sun will hit it part of the day. This can create condensation inside the container and spoilage.

 

[DuppyDo]

Freemotion, i like the galvanized trash can idea and actually have a few in the basement.They are filled with mylar bags of grains.I was thinking the same thing when i bought them, mice won't chew through galvanized cans.

I'm thinking of just dumping the bags of grain/corn in the galvanized trash cans, mixing in some food grade DE, an duct taping the lid closed.I would store it in the dark, cooler basement. Do you think that would work okay..? My only concern would be moisture, i use a dehumidifier to keep my basement pretty dry. I think that DE also helps wick moisture as well as kill soft bodied insects.I think by duct taping the lid tightly,it would keep most mositure out...Some of the grain/corn i want for long term storage(years),some would be used as needed, for me and hens..
One more thing, could there be any negative effect of the grain being in contact with the galivanized metal while being stored, if i store the grains loose..?

 

[freemotion]

I only store grain for the year at most. I wouldn't store any grain in a damp basement...moldy grain cannot be fed, ever! I haven't done any long-term storage, nor am I likely to, so I cannot answer that question for you....sorry!

In the event of some disaster that leaves me without outside resources (I'm not one who worries about this, btw), I would more likely reduce my animals and plant some of my grains the following spring. The animals could survive the spring/summer/fall without grain if need be...they'd be less productive, but they'd survive, with a little help from me in foraging beyond their fence for them.

 

[DuppyDo]

Freemotion,i understand your point of view,keeping enough grain so that you would be able to plant and raise some if not availble from outside sources.
I was reading in the news today how 16 states are suffering droughts now, mostly southen states.I'm thinking what if their is widespread crop failure, and it became very difficult to get seed, because the demand was so great after,lets say 2 yrs of harsh drought or whatever, resulting in
massive crop failures.I relize that new england has much less drought weather than out west or down south, still it something to think about, i know i do.I feel better knowing that the grains i store can last for yrs in properly stored mylar bags.I sure can't store enough to keep a flock of 30=40 hens fed for very long, but would have seed as you mentioned for a nice sized crop.I probably have about 1000 lb of wheat alone,and 500lb corn now in mylar..working on oats and rye now...
Oh well, i guess people have different ideas and ways of seeing things...lol I know some in my family think i'm nuts, stashing my grains!...lol