Feed for your horses needs to be efficient, well organized and easily accessible in order to make feeding time quick and easy. Whether you have 2 horses or 200, the ultimate goal is the same: ease of use, maintaining feed quality, accuracy of feeding and minimizing unnecessary footsteps.
Mare and filly in stall with central access to hay feeder bin.
Whether you have 2 horses or 200, the ultimate goal is the same: ease of use, maintaining feed quality, accuracy of feeding and minimizing unnecessary footsteps.
© 2017 by m.bonotto New window.
If you have a large barn and a lot of horses with different dietary requirements, it is especially important to prevent any mix-ups and keep everyone who has a hand in the feeding process on the same page. Keeping a tidy and organized feed room is one step towards ensuring happy and healthy horses.
If your barn does not have a separate stall or room that can be secured from the threat of a loose horse, you will need to secure your feed in storage containers that horses are unable to break into.
Since feed room space is used daily, it is very important to keep it clean, organized, and easily accessible so that feeding time runs smoothly and quickly. Below are some tips to help you set up and organize your feed room.
Setting Up and Organizing the Feed Room
Some feed rooms are designed to be part of the utility room or tack room, but it’s important to create a space where your food will not spoil and pests will not have easy access to helping themselves to a snack. The feed room should be well lit and equipped with convenience outlets. Provide 150 watts of light and at least two convenience outlets in the feed room. The entrance door to the feed room should be at least 4 feet wide and equipped with a latch so that a loose horse cannot get in to the feed.
When building a separate feed room, the size of the space will depend on the size and number of horses that need to be fed. Make sure walls and flooring are tightly fitted together to prevent unwelcome vermin from entering, and keep feed stored in sturdy containers, preferably metal containers, with tight lids.
Organize Feed Rooms Based on Frequency of Use
When setting up your feed room, make note of which items you will need on a daily basis. Scoops, buckets and feed bins should be kept where they will be easily accessible. Items that are used less frequently, like extra medications and dewormers, can be stored out of the way.
The feed room also tends to be a great place to keep a first aid kit on hand – for both horses and humans. This is something that should be easy to get to but out of the way of day-to-day activities. An easily accessible shelf is the ideal spot for first aid kits because it keeps them out of the way but also visible and easy to locate.
Label Everything in your Feed Room
Even if you do not think it needs a label, label it. Keep Sharpies in the feed room just for this task. All feed containers should have their own scoop and should be labeled with the exact name of the grain. All supplements in buckets need to be labeled with the horse’s name, dosage and the frequency of the dose.
Put Grain in Square Bins
If you are feeding a large number of horses and have multiple types of grain, consider putting the grain in large bins instead of keeping it in the original bags. This can help make your feed room look neat and tidy. Traditionally, round trash cans have been popular for grain storage in horse barns, but the round shape actually wastes a lot of valuable space in a small feed room! To organize your feed room and maximize use of your space, use square feed bins with liners that can be easily removed for fast cleaning.
Also, multiple grain bags often fit into one bin, so it can help save space. Invest in bins or containers that are sturdy and have lids to keep animals and insects out. When refilling the containers make sure that they are completely empty before adding in a new bag so the grain at the bottom does not stay there too long and go bad.
Have a Bucket in your Feed Room for Each Horse
Having a specific bucket for each horse’s daily meals will eliminate any confusion when it comes time to feed. The buckets can be labeled or color-coded; whatever system works best for you and/or your clients. With this system, every horse has a different color or variation of that color. The buckets do not change, and they should be labeled on the outside with a white piece of paper with the horse’s name as well as inside the bucket near the top. This is to ensure when looking at the buckets from above you can double check to ensure you are not giving the senior trail horse the performance grain.
Stack the buckets inside empty feed bins – or have a sealed storage area – to avoid attracting mice and other rodents. This will also reduce the risk of them being knocked over accidentally and the grain spilling. Ensuring each horse has their own bucket will also prevent the possibility of any cross-contamination of medications or allergens and keep your feed room neat and tidy.
Supplement Organization
Make serving supplements simple by adding shelves near the grain bin to hold each of the horses’ supplements organized by horse or container style to speed up feeding. Be sure to make labels clear and simple. If multiple horses are on the same supplement, consider simplifying the labels to reflect in a single word stating what they are for, i.e.… PAIN, GUT, HOOF. This will shorten up the space needed on feeding charts and allow anyone the ability to keep the feeding routine the same should you need another person to step in at feeding time.
Post a Feeding Chart
One of the most important parts of a feed room is an updated list of what grain, supplements, and medications each horse is getting. Although most barns usually have one or two people who do the feeding, it is crucial to keep a list in case they are away or not able to do the job that day. Providing horses with correct grain, supplements, and medication consistently is key, so start with a well-written feed chart or list. White boards are often useful for these types of lists because they make it easy to add, change, or remove items; however, whiteboards can make it more difficult to keep track of any changes being made. You should also include important special circumstances on this board, such as a note about a horse needing water added to their grain or if the supply of a certain item is running low.
Invest in a Whiteboard
Keeping a whiteboard and dry erase markers in your feed room is an excellent way to keep everyone on the same page regarding each horse’s feed and dietary needs.
The board can be easily changed or updated as needed. It can be in a central place where each horse has their meals and necessary medications or supplements listed in one place for easy reference. Use thin whiteboard tape and colorful whiteboard magnets to create a color-coded grid for peak feed room organization.
A white board in your feed room will allow for easy communication between horse owners and whoever has the responsibility for feeding. The board will help relay information if there have been any changes to a horse’s feed, and will avoid people having to try to memorize each horse’s meals. It can also be used to indicate whether or not a horse has received their necessary medications for the day, which will avoid the risk of them being administered twice.
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