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RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

rockin r farm — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:22:41 GMT

I use the left over feed bags I get from my chickens as trash bags and the ones from the horses as well even if they are paper.
I have also taken the plastic feed sacks we might get and turn them into tote bags for shopping, holding library books, lake supplies ect. I also use them to hold my quilting supplies and projects I want to keep together or bring to the living room to work on.

You can even take them and cut them into different size squares and sew them into small type bags to put your plants in, this way if you need to bring them inside for what ever reason you can still water them without the water leaking on your floors or tables. Also a nice way to cover up the pots.

You can even use them as a plastic liner inside totes that u want to make out of fabric material to carry wet items in.

Oh just thought of one before I logged off, for those that sew as well they can be used as baby changing mats that can go inside the diaper bags.

Make some bigger size bags, to have on your counter to put your food scraps in for the compost pile or animals. Just rinse out and reuse.
Those are some tips I have come up with to reuse your plastic type feed sacks
Deana
Rockin r farm/ rescue

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

country hick — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 08:03:27 GMT

If they are poly bags make shopping bags out of them. Backyard Poultry, Volume 6; #1 (Feb/Mar 2011) had simple plans for them. Only thing is you need a heavy duty sewing machine.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

cweick — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:33:59 GMT

Since Ruby "might" be settled, I was told to saved the string off the bags and keep in a plastic bag. The reason to save the string is to it the embical cord of the piglets.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Cowgirl Marketing — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 13:38:14 GMT

Feed Bag Re-Use Ideas:

Slit one side of a 50# bag so that the top and long sides are now open.

1.) I use bird & dog chow bags to mix potting soils by rolling the bag back and forth along the floor, then fold the long side down a couple times and pour out what is needed.
2.) The same slit bag is great for carrying barn floor sweepings out to the turkeys.
3.) A slit bag is a quick easy way to carry one flake or loose hay out to feed a horse without making a mess and beats hauling out the wheel barrow.

Buckarette Annette

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

downhome grandma — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:12:31 GMT

I have seen people make all kinds of purses or recycled shopping bags out of feed bags.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

ValerieJean — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:31:42 GMT

vanalpaca, I like the idea of cutting open the plastic bags and using them for a tarp. Or making them into totes. Did you ever find a picture of one?

As far a binder twine - yup, be rough rug but it would work - good for dirty boots.
Glad I stopped by this topic.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

vanalpaca — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 07:43:11 GMT

Plastic feed sacks can be SEWN INTO PURSES and sold in your farm store.I will see if I can find a picture of one a girl at our spinning guild makes. If you really like the pictures on the paper feed sacks, you can cut them out and craft them onto greeting cards. Growing up, we used to cut out pictures from magazines and seed catalogues, glue them onto wooden boxes, and cover the finished product with polyurethane to seal it. This was called 'mod podge'. We did our toy box at grandmas like this and it lasted for years!

Since the plastic ones are so sturdy, I have been thinking about cutting them open and sewing them together for tarping and to make some hay feeders with for my alpacas.

I hadn't thought of saving the string from the feed sacks, will have to start winding up those into a twine ball.

Also, I've been thinking that the baling twine could be used in weaving to make rugs, just cut off the knots.

I vermicompost and have given the soaked paper feed sacks to the worms to eat. Sometimes they appear to be paper but have a plastic liner inbetween the paper. The worms just eat around it and when I change their bins over, I remove the uneaten plastic.

I am always finding uses for extra tubs and buckets. I would just clean them and stack them until you figured what you needed them for. Some good ideas already on the replies.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

tracylhl — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:23:07 GMT

On another board, I saw that someone had used the cute plastic woven ones to sew reuseable grocery totes from! I love that idea! I'm saving mine now and I'm going to make some cute chicken-loving totes out of them! I have a few friends who would have their day made by one so I plan to brighten a few days that way!

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

BarrowsFarm — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 13:09:30 GMT

New use for plastic feed bags....I am currently using some of mine around my tomato plants as weed barrier. These bags are white and seem to let some of the heat go through but not enough to dry out the roots. We went 10 days here with no rain...and the temperature hovered around the 90 degree mark everyday. Things were dry all over...except for the ground under that white reused plastic feed bag! Tomatoes are doing great (cherry tomatoes) and are already turning red! Had a dozen or so for salads yesterday!

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Douggifford — Tue, 18 May 2010 20:47:48 GMT

The feed sacks I've been buying lately are great, very heavy plastic. This year I'm growing corn and sweet sorghum for my animals, and I plan to use the old feed sacks to hold my home grown grain.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

BarrowsFarm — Tue, 18 May 2010 10:22:31 GMT

We have some people here locally that purchase coal for the stoves inside their house that actually buy the coal by the tractor trailer load. Every year they buy our bags to bag up the coal and place it inside the house.

I also use them for removing litter in the barns when I am moving stuff directly into the garden. I have a friend who cut them into strips and redid her lawn chair (that would probably work with the plastic twine too). I reuse all of my old containers...coffee cans for change, compost to go outside, trash cans next to my desk, pencil containers, flower pots. I use most of my cans from canned goods too...for my container garden in the window that holds all of my herbs. I reuse the jars for potpouri and christmas lights in each room, they smell great and work as night lights. I also use the glass jars for candle decorations. Baby food jars work great for condiments at parties...a cute band of ribbon makes them festive! Old butter bowls, cottage cheese, yogurt and other plastic containers work great for odds and ends or for mixing paints, dipping easter eggs, starter pots for plants. I have used twine or sisel baling twine to wrap broken legs of chairs (then covered them with gorilla glue), decorative accents on photo albums and picture frames, and even as trellis for my vines in the garden(like my endless rows of peas).

Decorative bags could be kept in the house to collect things like empty soda cans or tin cans for recycle. Paper one's can be stuff full of newspapers to burn. Another thing you can do is to remove the image...and decopauge(or how ever you spell that) onto a slab of wood for artwork around the house.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

GardnersGardens — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 07:29:47 GMT

I use Safe Choice(Nutrena) feed for my horse and mule. Those bags are pretty too. I am going to sew them together and make saddle covers. Have also thought about making tote bags or like something like shoe organizer to hang on the wall for brushes and other grooming supplies. They could make good tarps by sewing them together if you had enough bags. You could also use duct tape to bind them together instead of sewing in a pinch for tarps. Hubby used one when he chaged the oil in the pickup.

GardnersGardens

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

little tague farm — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 11:07:45 GMT

I am new at all this butsome of you guys have some great ideals for waste. usaly the bags here get thown in the butn barral. But I be able to use them as insulation now. I dont get or go threw to many maybe a cpl bags a week or so.

With the gold fish. You have them out side in a barral? sounds like it would help to make for fertialize some. and keep the trouth cleaned.

I go to caseys and get the buckets they use in the kitchens biggest size they come in is a gallon I think then one size smaller. they work great and keep me from feeding the animales to much. they work great to catch bolts and nuts(not me).

With the sour cream and whip cream bowls they make nice ceral and soup bowls . The empty jars goes into the grage till I can get that redone to use them to hold different size of nuts and bolts.

working on a compost pile but its not getting full to much. I threw all of the poop on the garden when I cleand the barns out. It was aged for god knows how long. but now I can start adding it to my compost when I plant.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

cweick — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 11:12:39 GMT

Depending on your tub...we use ours for water trough when in a pinch. We have worm growing in some and then we chase the worms out and plant tomatoes in them. We put goldfish in some and use their water to water the plants with and add more water back if it hasn't rainned. If you get the ones with lids they make storing your feed safe from mice and the moisture. The tans ones that we buy once in a blue moon are sturdy enough to stand on when washing the vehicles. I use them around the place to catch rain water off the buildings. If you have chickens you can turn them up side down and cut a "n" in them and put hay in them for winter nesting boxes. They make good dog houses if your dog is small enough. The cat sleeps in one, too.

If the bags are plastic I send them off with my mom, who in turns gives them to my uncle and they come back with grain in them once a month.

We fill the sacks with hay and let P2 use them as target practice with his bow and arrow. If you have burr lap sacks put them on the ground and put a little corn meal under them and wet them a little to catch crickets.

Depending on the twine you can make braclets with it.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Dana@Roscommon Acres — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 21:20:15 GMT

Are the bags anything like the plastic rice bags you get at the store? I've heard there is a growing demand for those kinds of bags to use as containers for patio gardening. You could use them as a planter, or see if someone in the city wants them for that purpose.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

ciscos mama — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 17:20:41 GMT

Being new to having a hobby farm with horses, I was wondering what to do with all that bale string. I didn't want to just toss it. I really like the braiding idea. I really like this post, I hope others will add their ideas

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

MrsKK — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 05:18:51 GMT

We used to be able to take our bags back to the feed mill (no deposit money back on them, though) then someone decided that the practice had a potential for spreading disease from farm to farm and they banned it.

Like they think we dumb farmers drag our feed sacks through the manure or something, I guess!

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

medowbrook — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 08:09:14 GMT

Wow.
But I live in Poverty Central. It's another mile stone of the times.. here we never changed and Bet you someone will "discover" this concept of take'n feed bags back for reuse. Probly write a book all about it. and get rich.

Actually I'm starting to think I should just rebuild the Grain Bins and use them. I'm running threw a few 100 lbs of grain a day, getting 14 bags every saturday is a pain in the neck, and think of the plastic bags I would not have to keep.

The Chicken Coop is built around the grain bin, any spillage piles up on the Coop floor and the birds get it. Those old timers didn't waste nothing.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Half Caper Farm — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:24:59 GMT

medowbrook (3/4/2009)

we take our plastic feed bags back to the mill for the dep. Paper bags are eather filled W/burnable trash or used to keep down the weeds. Paper is then plowed under.

I asked my feed mill if they would take the bags back - sadly, no. I figure once my manure pile is really well composted, I'll start selling it by the (feed) bag and that will use them up! Sometimes, I cut them up and flatten them out, then use them to block drafts in the barn - as long as the goats can't get to them, and pull them off.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

medowbrook — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 06:31:58 GMT

We can't use pre-used strings for much. Once they are outside for a month, our strings rot to nothing, keeping them from wraping round tires ect.

Read your post to a friend who said..shucks, when I'm done with my bibs..you can't even use them for floss. It's funny cuz it's true.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

jhuebner — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 10:44:38 GMT

We used to braid the twine strings into rugs. Just like a rag (your old bibs) rugs.

They were great for the mud room, or anywhere else you needed a hearty rug.

That was after we'd fixed all the fences, tied up license plates, pull rope for hitch pin.

I have the same ideas' with feed sacks. Paper ones are recycled w/ other plain paper. I've assumed the woven are plastic. My feed provider "Manna Pro" keeps changing between the two.

The paper ones do make great fire starters.

Good Luck!

have fun

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

sunshine — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 08:39:35 GMT

if building a corral wad feed sacks up and shove them in some square fencing. poor concrete ontop to seal them off. handy tip!

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

medowbrook — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 13:51:44 GMT

we take our plastic feed bags back to the mill for the dep. Paper bags are eather filled W/burnable trash or used to keep down the weeds. Paper is then plowed under.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Cathleen — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:37:52 GMT

Sue, I love the idea about using the feed bags as trashcan liners! I usually toss mine in the recycling can that goes to the curb.

We are very limited on space here. So most things go in the recycling bin. The buckets could get put up at Freecycle or craigslist for people who need them. I have gotten many things off of craigslist by simpling posting an ISO message (In Search Of) for materials to fix a pen for one of the kids 4-H projects. I even mentioned needing materials to build a turkey coop once, and a nice couple whose children used to raise chickens for 4-H offered us an entire chicken coop. It was a really, really nice coop! By then we had already constructed the turkey coop. I can imagine art teachers in schools would love to get their hands on some stuff. I know a teacher picked up a quarter bale of straw that we had leftover from the 4-H animals. I was worried it would mold before the next year. I think those are great resources.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

sunshine — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:56:16 GMT

well if you really like the bags you could put the picture in a scrap book. or you could hang them up on a barn wall after filling them with something unsuable like dog hair or something like that (if you dont put trimmings in the compost) it's like a little insulation plus wall paper im really dorky i know but i am a picture freak and i know that alot of the bags that i dont use for trash bags get cut up and put in a scrap book. they mak good back grounds

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Siegmund Leicesters — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:25:32 GMT

Baling twine makes great lamb, kid, and calf pullers.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

MrsKK — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 03:56:57 GMT

My understanding is that the "plastic" woven feed bags are actually made from rice. I've used them under mulch in the garden to help combat weeds while allowing rain to drain through. They work pretty good.

Our friend raises about 1,000 chickens a year and we give her the paper sacks, as she uses them to line her brooders.

We keep twine from hay bales, as there's always a use for it. Quick lead line for an animal that's gotten loose, quick fix for fencing, tying up the pigs water bucket - again! - attaching the horses flat-backed buckets to the fence.

I even keep some of the cotton twine from the tops of the feed sacks - it is a nice twine for using in the kitchen. I use it to hang my ricotta from a cabinet knob while it is draining, and for tying turkey and chicken legs together when roasting a whole bird. I have also used it in basket weaving. Baling twine could be used for baskets, as well, adding interest to plain reed baskets.

Smaller supplement tubs make good feed scoops (as do cottage cheese containers) and I like the big tote-style supplement containers that have lids on them to hold salt and minerals that typically come in paper sacks, but need to be kept dry.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Half Caper Farm — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:57:23 GMT

Paper feed sacks go into the wood furnace - make great fire starters. Plastic feed sacks can be used as garbage bags (don't remember the last time I bought garbage bags), or, this year, I'm hoping to sell composted manure - by the bag! Sisal twine can be burned, plastic twine gets thrown out, or used to tie things together. I'm trying to figure out a use for the bale netting - maybe in the garden as a trellis or bird barrier?

Plastic tubs - worth their weight in gold! Small ones get used for feeding goats, watering chickens and ducks, carrying feed to the horses. Big ones get used for water buckets, nesting boxes, totes - the list is endless.

We always check out the curb on garbage days - find some good stuff now and then, even if it's only scrap wood for the furnace.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

JamieLynn — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:13:07 GMT

I use the tubs that supplements come in for gardening. They make great pots for either flowers or vegetables.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Sue Weaver — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:21:17 GMT

Oh, I LOVE supplement tubs! We use the big ones that cattle licks come in (we buy them for a few bucks, used, from the farm store) for water troughs for the sheep, goats, and in areas housing just a few head of horses. The smaller goat, sheep, and horse lick tubs make great grain feeders. My favorite small grain bucket came packed with loose herbal supplement. Why buy feeders and water troughs when you can reuse?

I also flat braid baling twine (six strands, using two strands each) to use as ropes to secure gates.

We carry our recyclables to the recycling center in empty feed bags, then recycle the bags. I also line our waste baskets with used feed sacks instead of plastic.

I love reusing things! I've been an unabashed junk recycler all my life. It rubbed off on my only offspring, too, who often talked about boosting her daughter, Moriah, into the recycling totes at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany to retrieve lots of great goodies pitched by Army and Air Force personnel returning stateside.

They also participated in "junking day", a German tradition whereby anyone who wanted to get rid of something still useful placed it curbside on junking day. Anyone who wanted it, could take it. She left her stuff with a German friend and harvested some amazing things out 'junking'.

Sue :o)

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

sleboers — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:36:20 GMT

Two of my feed bags is the woven plasticy stuff that you are talking about, and the rest are paper.

RE: What to do w/ extra "garbage".

Cherie Langlois — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 13:05:19 GMT

[quote]sleboers (9/1/2008)

I just switched to a new feed and I really love the bags. They have pretty goats and they just look really nice. i don't want to throw them away, but I have no other use other than stuffing other bags in them and throwing them out. While thinking about this, I also though what I could do w/ used spray bottles, twine, supplement tubs, etc. I already use twine to make a temporary fence fixer or to tie a gate shut while I look for the the chain or gate latch. What all do you guys do w/ all of the "waste".

Hobby farms should either write an article about this or make a book *hint hint*.[/quote]

Hi,

What are the bags made out of? Most of my feed comes in paper bags, so I just toss them in the recycle bin with my other paper stuff when they're empty. I know a lot of feed bags are made from some kind of woven plastic stuff -- maybe they would work as a weed barrier in the garden that lets water through? A gardener friend turned me on to burlap coffee sacks as a great ground cloth to smother weeds. I use them around my blueberries, apple trees, and in the veggie garden. I haven't tried plastic, but it might work.

I like to keep the heavy-duty plastic tubs that vitamins come in as containers for the grain I take out for my horses and poultry, since they usually come with handles.

Cherie

What to do w/ extra "garbage".

sleboers — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 11:31:01 GMT

Hobby farms should either write an article about this or make a book *hint hint*.