How to Store Horse Feed Safely

Horses are big animals and need a lot of food to keep them healthy and happy. It is estimated that a horse consumes two percent of its body weight each day in dry matter food. This may not seem like a lot, but horses can easily weigh over 1000 pounds! Because of their large food requirements, it is necessary that horse owners have a place to store horse feed that is safe.

1. Make your feed room “horse-proof.” Just as you sometimes need to keep young children out of certain areas, you will need to prevent your horses from having access to the feed. Horses have no self-control when it comes to food and will continue eating far past the point of satiety, giving themselves colic or laminitis, which can lead to death. You may want to make your feed room in a separate building other than the barn or use a stall to store feed. A complex latch is key; horses can use their lips to open simple latches if they are given a chance to play with them.


2. Protect the feed from vermin by keeping the feed area clean and the feed in containers. Grain scattered on the ground can attract mice and rats, which then may chew through bags or plastic containers. Metal receptacles, like trash cans, work best as they are chew proof. A bungee cord looped through the lid to the handles can help deter larger pests like raccoons. Consider placing a few mouse traps around the feed room or getting a barn cat that would be more than willing to chase any mice away.


3. Shield the horse feed from the weather. Moisture can lead to mold, which can make your horse sick. Make sure to cover the feed when it is not in use and store bags of feed on pallets to allow air to circulate.


4. Use old feed first to prevent spoilage and money loss. If you are using containers that you dump the feed into, make sure to use all that is in the container before refilling it.  If not, you may have old feed at the bottom that can go bad and contaminate all of the feed in the container and make your horse ill. If you have multiple bags of feed, try to stack them in order of age or date them so you know which to use first.