Dear Neighbor,
Sick of squirrels chewing through your feed buckets? Tired of fighting off raccoons and their clever little hands opening your storage containers? Or have you given up and allowed the mice to eat their portion? I have a solution we have used for years: chest freezers.
Old chest freezers are the best grain or feed storage containers for your homestead critter feed. Bugs can’t get in them. Animals cannot chew or lift the lids. They can’t knock them over, either. Freezers are too heavy for even a goat, cow or horse to knock over. Heat doesn’t affect what’s inside unless you keep it out in the sun. They are moisture proof, as well.
You can use an old freezer for your pantry storage, as well. Wheat berries, sprouting seeds, lentils, rice and pasta can be zipped up tight for years in an old freezer, as long as you keep it in a cool place.
Freezers are not as good a place to store important possessions as once thought. It depends on the strength of the disaster. A long and hot fire will not burn the metal freezer but the contents inside will bake, as if in a oven. You may find your papers turned to ashes, inside. It can take the hit of a tree but will it stay put in a tornado? If tornadoes can lift a car, your freezer is not immune. Bottom line, put your papers in a safety deposit box.
Using a cast off chest freezer is the perfect way to save them from landfills and put them to a new use on your homestead. This big storage bin will save you a lot of frustration and money on lost grains and feed and the fear of a mouse jumping out, as you scoop your feed. If you want one, just put it out on Facebook or talk to your friends. An appliance repair person may know where a dead freezer is. They might have one or know of someone who has one and they will likely be so glad to give it to you because they cost a lot to dump in the landfill.
Happy Homesteading, S
Please make sure they cant lock a child inside. The newer ones generally cant, but some can and older models esp can. Just mention the precaution.
Good point! Ours is in a tack room where a child cannot go alone so I never thought of it. Thank you for bringing up.