Feed storage checklist: moisture, stock rotation and loss control

1. Give each lot a location and a history

FAO storage guidance stresses clear labelling and stock control. Ground ingredients can look similar; product identity and lot number should be readable without guesswork.

Create a simple store map with ingredient, batch, arrival date, quantity and release status for each location. Separate released inventory from material awaiting review. Record the lot actually issued to production rather than assuming it was the intended one.

Section sources: FAO — How should I store my feeds?

2. Interpret moisture and temperature together

Iowa State’s October 2025 grain-storage note shows why aeration decisions depend on moisture, air conditions and crop type. Accumulated fines can also make airflow uneven.

Do not copy Iowa winter-storage figures directly into a store in Fars or Tehran. Develop a local plan with the storage manager and equipment specialist instead of applying one threshold to every feed. Keep measurement trends so that developing warm areas become easier to identify.

Section sources: Iowa State University — Time to Cool and Core Storage Bins (24 October 2025)

3. Include hidden accumulation points

FAO handling guidance identifies old feed and dust accumulation as conditions that favour mould and pests. A clean visible floor is not enough; conveyors and collection points belong in the programme too.

List hatches, corners, transfer routes and potential water leaks for inspection. Clean equipment only under appropriate shutdown and safe-work procedures. Keep cleaning chemicals, pesticides and incompatible materials separate from feed.

Section sources: FAO — Storage and handling of ingredients and finished goods

4. Match inventory to actual consumption

For internal planning, calculate days of cover as usable inventory divided by average daily use. A hypothetical 30 tonnes of usable stock at 2 tonnes per day gives 15 days of cover. That number is not a permissible storage life.

Review supplier lead time, demand changes and product condition separately. If an older lot has a use restriction, align stock rotation with the technical decision; rotation does not authorize feeding unsuitable material.

5. Measure losses rather than estimating them informally

Reconcile receipts, recorded use, transfers, returns and closing stock. Check weighing errors and moisture changes before attributing every difference to spoilage. Preserve the identity and location of questionable material and keep it out of released lots until its status is resolved.