Storgae Of Dry Food

[withoutatrace]

My doggie friends and I usually buy our dry food in bulk [not between us, as we use different brands] , obviously to cut back on the cost, but we are having problems with the quality of the food as it gets towards the bottom of the bags in those that buy the extra bigger bags.We have tried storing it in containers or still left in the bag, but closed off properly, yet still the last lot is a bit odd looking and the dogs are not interested in it.So, if we have to throw that quantity out then it isnt as cost effective after all.

How do others store their dry food? What are we doing wrong?

[pebbles]

Back when I had a lot of dogs I used to buy in bulk as well and found that by the time I got to the bottom of the bin it seemed to be a bit off. I kept mine in the large plastic rubbish bin and kept a spare bin and about once a week I'd tip the food into the other bin, sort of bringing the bottom stuff to the top and found this worked. Might be worth a try?

[becks]

I store in a plastic feed bin, every few days I fill up a smaller container that holds enough for a few days and is easier to measure out the food from for each meal. Never had a problem with the food going funny and the big bins are in the bathroom!! (only room I can block the dogs out of as one can get into the food bins!)

[Bjelkier]

I keep mine in plastic bins and have never had an issue with it going off before. I do mix it around though each time I get in there, maybe that helps, I dont really know.

[BrunoBella]

I keep mine in big metal container (freeby with some dog food) and it never goes off.

Is it getting humid? Are mouskes leaving mouse poo in it?

Only thing I can think of...

My food only got a little wet when we had a flash flood and the container was bobbing upside down in the backyard for a few hours.

[VJB]

My dry food is kept in a big metal bin from bunnings... around $50. Ive not yet reached the bottom of the bin as it's a recent purchase, but would be concerned if it was going stale or off.... how'd

you tell,,, did you taste it?

[withoutatrace]

No, no mice...thank God!!I hate mice, especially dead, headless ones.

No, I didnt taste it!! :eek : Doesnt look inviting in the least.

No, it just looks different to what it used to, slightly different colour and my "I will eat anything that stands still" dog, doesnt scoff it down like she used to and turns her nose up at it, only eating a small amount, istead of the whole bowl.She is still hungry as she is stalking the cats for their food.

I have left it in the bag, well closed up.

However, I wil buy a bin and maybe a smaller size bag. This was 14kg Royal Canan.

Thankyou for the replies.

[leopuppy04]

I store mine in a willow garbage bin, in the garage. Have for years and never had it go off

[Sankari]

I store mine in those blue barrels containers big enough for 40kg but i only buy a 15kg bag at a time. That is for one dog currently, and she doesnt have any problems still eats it all. This lasts her probably about a month and half maybe.

I also have them for rabbit food, woodshavings and hay. Except those ones are brown. I do find when the rabbit food gets down to the bottom the rabbits dont like to eat it much. Those ones are stored in garage and the dog food is stored inside.

[k9katz]

If using bins to store food, its always advisable to wash the bin out each time before emptying the new bag in. When you get to the bottom, there are always some crumbs that will have oils etc on them which eventually could go rancid and taint the new food. It stands to reason that if you keep topping up with new food, the old stuff could eventually ruin the whole lot. I cant understand why its going off if you are keeping it in the bag though, that is odd.

[Katdogs]

I think that when you get to the end of the bag, big or small, you get the crumbs and that makes the food 'richer' or stronger or something. Upset tummies all round. I haven't found a solution, and I think after the Orijen debacle (sorry if I'm banging on about it) I'll be buying smaller bags of a variety of foods and not having something that sits there for months. It's just for quick and easy breakfasts on weekdays, so even with two or three busy active dogs it can take quite a while to get through a bag.

[dead sheep]

The smallest bags I can buy are 6.9kgs which should last me about 8 months. I have two chihuahuas. Before Artemis and Orijen, I was feeding them Iams which I bought in an 18kg bag. This lasted just over a year and I stored it in the same bag it came in. Towards the bottom, we had no problems, discolouration, smell and they didn't turn their nose up at it. With the Artemis I am feeding now, I store it in an airtight container and mix it around each time I take some from it, just to keep it nice.

[Guest belgian.blue]

I buy the 2.something kilo bags and make sure all of the air has been expelled before sealing it up with a peg. The bag (California Natural) seems to have been made really well, double lining. So I've had no issues.

With only having one dog and one cat I don't have the need to buy large bags. One bag lasts about two/three weeks for me.

I would say having the food air tight would help keep it fresher for sure

[Guest belgian.blue]

you tell,,, did you taste it?

You couldn't pay me to eat royal canin (artifical ladin food) but I'd would eat california natural for a small amount of money I considered it the other day actually. I'm quite keen on eating herring and sweet potato.

I used to share the dry cat food when I was a youngster.