How to Store Horse Feed Safely

Storing your horse feed may sound simple, but if you don't take certain precautions, you could wind up feeding more vermin than horses, not to mention the risk of infecting your horses with dangerous diseases that such rodents carry. Learn how to protect your horses by storing their feed safely.

Things You'll Need

  • A special location
  • Metal containers or trash cans with lids
  • Padlock
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Make a special location to hold the horse feed. It can be a separate building or a section of an existing building, but it does need to be a secured area with a door that preferably locks.

    • 2

      Purchase a metal container to store the feed in. You can purchase specific containers from your local feed store or you can use a metal trash can. Although rats and other vermin may eventually gnaw their way through anything plastic or wood, you can often use plastic trashcans in place of metal containers. Secure the lids with a bungee cord to prevent vermin from getting into the container. It may also keep horses out of the feed in the event they get out and raid the feed room.

    • 3

      Clean the feed room daily with a good sweeping. Keeping spilled feed off the floor gives rats, mice and other animals less reason to be in your feed room.

    • 4

      Put unopened feed bags on pallets. Storing them off of the ground promotes air circulation and also discourages vermin.

    • 5

      Consider placing rat and mice traps in your feed room or having a barn cat patrol the room.

    • 6

      Lock the feed room when it not in use. Make this a habit from the very beginning, and it will prevent a lot of problems, such as an escaped horse gorging himself or raccoons getting into the feed. You can prevent most of the problems with feed and minimize the damage by following these steps.