Storing grain in 55 gallon drums

[Andy Carson]

I have started storing grain in 55 gallon drums, which are recycled food oil containers. It’s not really my idea (so can’t claim it) but it sure works well. My only concern is that I have it in my mind that grain bins need some sort of ventilation. Maybe this isn’t important for such a small (relatively) container, but I wonder… Does anyone else store grain in 55 gallon drums? Do they seal them up tight, or provide some sort of vent?

[Rivendell Farm]

If the grain is dry enough, lack of ventilation shouldn’t be a problem. You could add a very small amount of diatomacious earth to prevent weevils from infesting it. Bob

[Andy Carson]

Thanks Bob. I think I was overcomplicating it. One advantage of using an airtight container is that I can fumigate with dry ice.

[Scott G]

Andy,
55 gal drums or garbage cans are what I’ve always stored grain in. Ventilation/mold has never been an issue but then again we don’t have the humidity issues out here that you folks do.

[drafthorsey]

what a great idea. never thought of barrels . I had a guy sell me a gravity feed bin on legs and the sun just cooks what’s in it over time. I ‘ve got a guy who has those blue plastic barrels I’ll bet he’ll sell me. Would that work or do you think there has to be some air? afterall, even the Quaker Oat meal container is made of cardboard and that breathes. Surely lack of air wouldn’t hurt stored feed … would it?

[mink]

i keep my grain in a blue plastic barrel. just be sure to use a cover to keep the mice out . i cut a circle out of plywood for the top of mine.

[Michel Boulay]

Same here been keeping my oats in a blue plastic barrel for the last three years with no issue. If you cut your barrel right at the top where it sort of curves in then you can use the top up side down and it will fit as a cover, worked fine for me. I have a white plastic barrel but the top isn’t made the same way so the top doesn’t fit as well.
Mike

[Tim Harrigan]

I think the only way you might have some problems is if the grain is a little moist going in and seasonal temperature swings cause some condensation on the sides of the barrel. If you store for a long time, even if the grain is dry it will seek an equilibrium moisture with the ambient air which means it will tend to pick up moisture. You might not get side condensation, but you could easily get condensation and spoilage at the bottom if the barrel is stored on cool ground. So I would store them up on a pallet if possible if you are going to store over winter into next spring.

[Ronnie Tucker]

if you use the feed in a timely manner you will have no problem.i did lose some seed corn in a barrel once.the mice did not bother it but mold did. ronnie tucker

[Andy Carson]

An update on this technique. Almost done with the wheat now. The barrels worked well for most of the year. I lost 20 lbs or so at the bottom of the last barrel to mold. The grain seems fine in the barrels when they are sealed up tight, but once the seal is cracked, you need to get through the grain fast or come up with some way to keep it ventilated and dry or you will likely end up with problems like those Tim described. From my one experiment, this doesn’t seem to be a problem in the winter (dry air and temps that inhibit mold growth), but starts to be a problem in the spring with the moist air and temperature fluctuations. I am thinking about building some sort of feed mixer where I can mix a whole 55 gallon drum with the other adds in I like to make my chicken feed and keep it free from mold until it’s fed out, which might take a couple months. I imagine wood construction will help with the condensation issue, and I am thinking about adding a fan of some sort that I can run periodically to keep the grain dry. Any thoughts on other features to add? Surely there were traditional techniques to store small amounts of grain without spoilage, but I am only familiar with the big structures…

[Tim Harrigan]

Andy, I think as long as the grain if relatively dry the main thing you want to avoid is moisture gradients which will be related to temperature. Under the conditions you describe it seems like they would develop slowly. It seems to me that if you had 55 gallons drums you could avoid any problems by periodically mixing, or just dumping the grain from one drum to another to provide inversion and mixing. If you try to ventilate then you need inlet and outlet vents, uniform distribution etc. Even with ventilation you can get hot spots that could cause problems under certain conditions. Best to keep it simple in this case.

[Andy Carson]

Hmmm… I do like to keep it simple. The grain was dry when put in the drums, but once I open them in the spring, i had condensation issues which led to sweating on the inside of the drums. I think the water dripped down the sides of the drum causing fungal spoilage on the bottom. Not a problem in the sealed drums that were exposed to teh same conditions (moist air couldn’t get in and/or fungus had no oxygen). I think you make a good point about the ventilation, Tim, and I think I will forgo any sort of active ventilation. I am still attracted to making an elevated plywood container once the seal is cracked, however. It avoids the sweating issue, and gives me a big open container where I can easily mix grain. Mixing isn’t very easy with the grain in the barrels. I have tried this some when adding in my sunflowers and other “add ins” to make my chicken feed. Hand tools are good for the top one foot or so, but don’t penetrate very deep. If the barrel is half empty or less, you can tip it over and roll it around, to good effect. This technique doesnt work very well if the barrel is full or close to full though, as what’s on bottom tends to stay on bottom.

[Tim Harrigan]

You could put the drum on a frame like a concrete mixer with some fins inside and give it a turn once in a while, and also use it for mixing your feed.

[Kevin Cunningham]

I used to store a lot of grain in barrels because I got them cheap(free) from the creamery where they make ice cream. Like Tim said the only issue I had was when it was stored flat on cement then the bottom condenses. Stack on pallets and problem solved. I then moved up to the large poly totes, that hold a ton of feed. These were great because they are larger and I was quickly running out of barrels but they don’t keep the grain as good, more bugs than barrels. Last year I built a bunch of wooden bins with ply wood and I am very please with the quality of the grain in storage. Wood is the perfect container form grain because it has a drying effect on it. I have even heard of sinking a wooden post in a large metal silo to regulate moisture. My ideal grain bin is made from tongue and groove cedar, has a latching lid, and can be moved with a forklift. Someday I’ll have the cash for those bins but simple ply and 2×4 bins work great. Andy I can post pictures if you want.

[Marshall]

Just keep in mind the old grainys were made of wood. The old timers never seemed to have much trouble with storage. I store most of my grain in wagons and it keeps ok. I want to build an oat bin in the barn and it will be wood. I am curious to see what you come up with for a bin.

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