Until I get a resolution on the permit issue, I can't put up my silos. If I had a silo, I could get the feed mill to deliver the feed to me directly, and save 3 work days a month and $10/ton on the feed bill. Every little bit adds up.
So my current system for getting feed is to ask the mill to put them into supersacks. Each of these sacks weighs 1 ton. Two of these sacks are poultry feed; that'll be the bulk of my chicken food until mid-december, when I'll get another couple of tons. The other bag is a bag of pig food, which I'll put near the farrowing pens, to save a little time when I'm feeding the sows giving birth and nursing piglets.
I move them around using a 6' length of chain and a hook that I've welded to the center of my front loader. Run the chain through all four handles and then up to the hook. With the amount of weight on it, those yellow handles on the supersacks will get cut by the bottom edge of the bucket. So when I'm rigging the chain, I'm
aiming for only the chain to be touching the bucket. So I want the handles to be an inch or two lower than the bottom edge of the bucket.
The tractor weighs 12,000lbs, and the rear tires are fluid-filled, so they weigh quite a bit as well. But even so, when you're moving a big weight around, it's safer have it be as low as you can while you're working. So I lift it a little, pull it off the trailer, and then lower it to 12" or so off the ground to carry it around.
Repeat for the other sacks.
What I have to do after positioning the sack is to manually feed the animals. I'd like to work up a system where I can touch the feed once. maybe a grain silo with an auger and a timer to deliver feed. Something.
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A lot of farmers have silos that can hold a container load of grain. That allows them to buy in bulk and cut their transportation costs.
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