Hay Storage

[AGRIMAN]

I'm quite a bit farther north then you or agriman so blowing snow is always a concern and hence why i tried to keep as much of the hay covered as possible.

Our average snow fall here is about 4 or 5 flakes every 7 years. I guess this could also be part of the reason why you have condensation issues and I don't.

 

[Farmer495]

I tried pallets one winter. Kept the hay fine BUT they froze to the ground and I spent more time gathering up boards, splinters and nails than I did anything else. Had to pry frozen boards complete with nails sticking up out from under the stack as I used it. I basically lost 3/4 of the pallets first winter.

 

[vsteel]

Square bales we would stack in a pyramid shape but always have the bottom row turned on its side so the strings were not on the ground and rotting. We normally would feed them the next year though because while the hay inside the outer layer of bales was good the sisal (sp?) strings would rot and make it harder to throw into the pickup.

Round bales we always turn the bottom ones on end as well and then lay another row on top of them horizontal. They last a good couple of years no problem.

Best long term storage though was always loose. The bigger the stack you can put up the better. I have pulled hay out of a 5 year old loose stack and looked as good as the day we put it up. We used an old farmhand so the height of the stack is in the 17 foot range and even with trying to pack it in would setting down to about 12 feet. It forms a crust on the outside and seals it up.

We have WAY to much hay to put in a barn or put tarps on.

 

[JimRB]

I found three plastic pallets. I like much better than wood pallets because they do not rot. I believe they are made heavy and light duty. I saw some plastic pallets in a dumpster but decided they were not worthy (heavy duty) enough to dive for.

 

[Creamer]

I tried pallets one winter. Kept the hay fine BUT they froze to the ground and I spent more time gathering up boards, splinters and nails than I did anything else. Had to pry frozen boards complete with nails sticking up out from under the stack as I used it. I basically lost 3/4 of the pallets first winter.

I don't think OP is going to have the same problem - freezing is not a big thing in his area.

Vsteeel - while putting the bales on edge is good for keeping strings from rotting you have dryer ground than the OP. In the eastern half of the country you need to have the hay up off the ground or the moisture will wick through the ground right into the hay and you will lose a lot off of the bottom.

OP - remember condensation is caused by warmer moist air rising against a cooler - below dewpoint - surface (read tarp). You need to have enough air flow to make sure the air as it rises moves out from under the tarp.

 

[Jerry/MT]

How are you guys storing your hay?

Currently mine just sits outside unprotected but I'm looking into getting some tarps and covering some of it. Might take a couple of years to get it all covered. I only string tie, no net wrap option.

What type of bale?

Small squares- First layer straw then stack so the bales interlock and tie stack together. On top lay a row of bales in the center of the stack and put the tarp on and secure it snugly. That allows the top to shed water and snow. If you live in windy areas, invest in a real hay tarp because a blue tarp won't cut it.

Rounds with twine tie - Stack the first one vertically and then the next row horizontally. I've seen people go two vertical and then one horizontal. I don't.

Rounds with net wrap- stack on the ground butted together with each row separated by thee feet. The first year I had net wrap I stacked them like I do twine and the water ran off the net wrap into the lower bale and I had frozen moldy hay in verticle stripes on each side of the bottom bale. Never did that again! My theory is the net wrap allows water running off the top bale to stay attached to the top bale beyond the mid line of the horizontal bale and then drip into the bottom bale. On a twine bale, the rough outside lets very little water beyond the mid line.

 

[farmer2009]

What type of bale?

Small squares- First layer straw then stack so the bales interlock and tie stack together. On top lay a row of bales in the center of the stack and put the tarp on and secure it snugly. That allows the top to shed water and snow. If you live in windy areas, invest in a real hay tarp because a blue tarp won't cut it.

Rounds with twine tie - Stack the first one vertically and then the next row horizontally. I've seen people go two vertical and then one horizontal. I don't.

Rounds with net wrap- stack on the ground butted together with each row separated by thee feet. The first year I had net wrap I stacked them like I do twine and the water ran off the net wrap into the lower bale and I had frozen moldy hay in verticle stripes on each side of the bottom bale. Never did that again! My theory is the net wrap allows water running off the top bale to stay attached to the top bale beyond the mid line of the horizontal bale and then drip into the bottom bale. On a twine bale, the rough outside lets very little water beyond the mid line.

4x5 twine tied round bales.

 

[farmer2009]

I don't think OP is going to have the same problem - freezing is not a big thing in his area.

Vsteeel - while putting the bales on edge is good for keeping strings from rotting you have dryer ground than the OP. In the eastern half of the country you need to have the hay up off the ground or the moisture will wick through the ground right into the hay and you will lose a lot off of the bottom.

OP - remember condensation is caused by warmer moist air rising against a cooler - below dewpoint - surface (read tarp). You need to have enough air flow to make sure the air as it rises moves out from under the tarp.

We do actually see a decent bit of cold weather. Although nothing like you northerners.

This winter we saw 24-30 inches of snow in 6-7 events. Lowest temps were in the single digits. Last winter was about 40 inches of snow in I think 3 events. A 4, 12 &24 inch snow. The 24 did set a record and with thawed ground underneath in March. With temps dipping below zero. After the 12" snow.

So things freezing to the ground does happen but usually it thaws out at some point. We do deal with quite a bit of mud.

Currently my hay is stacked outside on the ground unprotected. So my thoughts are I'm loosing 25% or more to weather. (Some research suggests losses as high as 50%). If I can stack and cover and get that number down to 10% or less I'm already way ahead. While I'm not disputing that it's better to have the hay up off the ground, I know pallets won't work for me. I might be able to get a load of #4's in and spread before I start stacking.

Currently I'm looking at a 25'x54' tarp. Using a tie down system that uses bale anchoring tie downs. So the hay holds the tarp on. Cost seems to be about $400. Tarp uses grommets with webbing not loops to tie down. Haven't seen any with loops. Although I think they would be best.

 

[birddog0304]

Stored it outside for years unprotected. You lose a lot more than u realize. Decided to try something different. Went with tarps. Lost some on bottom and very little on top to moisture/mold. Significant decrease in rotten hay lying on ground compared to no cover. I had to be very economical about the tie down so I used whatever was laying around( I'm sure no one else has junk laying around the farm). Went with old tires and concrete blocks(cinder blocks). Now use both on bottom, but use blocks to anchor tarp. This also allows me to peel back tarp like a banana without having to remove and reanchor. Tarp stays secure and next roles are easy to access. Tarps are difficult to manage alone(do-able but difficult). Blocks will freeze to ground but easy to move with a bump from FEL, tires no problem. A lot less hay lost I must say, and with good care, tarps finished 6th year and will be used a 7th. Fortunately I have some barn storage, and tarped hay is always fed out first. 250 rolls per year very few squares. Would like to try a tarp barn, but my experience with way I try to cram every bit in to pole barn says I'd probably have a hole in tarp barn real soon. Those who store inside know what I'm talking about. Bought biggest tarp available at that time without going for a custom make and now store 50-60 rolls under each. Can't remember exact size, probably around 30x60.

 

[sammyd]

We stored rounds in a 40x60 shed.
Put old plywood down on the gravel floor.
Used forks instead of a poker. Tipped the bales up on end. You can get a lot more bales under cover if you stack em like that since you don't have to pyramid them.

 

[5030]

Clearspan Truss arch enclosed hoop building, engineered sand floor for drainage and hay on plastic 4 way automotive style pallets stacked to the ceiling, rounds and squares plus all the machinery and a couple cats to handle the mice. Usually a couple thousand squares and at least 200 rounds.

 

[jdtractor]

well im gonna be that bad guy! I would like to tarp my hay but I don't see where its worth it to me. reason? round bales were designed for outside storage no cover period. When I worked out in the north mid west country I asked several farms if they ever stored there round bales inside? They looked at me like I was nuts! Most said that round bales were for outside storage with out a cover. I will have to say I agree..... I bale approximately 400 now 4x5 Plastic twine first cut. I have cut way back on the amount of hay I do now ,used to bale approximately 600 first and 300 second when I was in the cattle business. Not 1 bale ever covered and in my opinion not enough loss to justify all the what I call B S to cover it. I fed on average of 3-6 bales a day then and sold also. I usually was sitting on 1000 bales every year at the start of feeding.... IMO you cant eliminate loss in any hay stored or not there is going to be waste... the animals you are feeding are going to waste it reguardless of square or round. I cant see where you gain anything worth the trouble of covering . I might also add I sell a lot of hay ,have for several years ... and very little if any complaints! just my .02 cts have a good 1

 

[Creamer]

Stored it outside for years unprotected. You lose a lot more than u realize. Decided to try something different. Went with tarps. Lost some on bottom and very little on top to moisture/mold. Significant decrease in rotten hay lying on ground compared to no cover. I had to be very economical about the tie down so I used whatever was laying around( I'm sure no one else has junk laying around the farm). Went with old tires and concrete blocks(cinder blocks). Now use both on bottom, but use blocks to anchor tarp. This also allows me to peel back tarp like a banana without having to remove and reanchor. Tarp stays secure and next roles are easy to access. Tarps are difficult to manage alone(do-able but difficult). Blocks will freeze to ground but easy to move with a bump from FEL, tires no problem. A lot less hay lost I must say, and with good care, tarps finished 6th year and will be used a 7th. Fortunately I have some barn storage, and tarped hay is always fed out first. 250 rolls per year very few squares. Would like to try a tarp barn, but my experience with way I try to cram every bit in to pole barn says I'd probably have a hole in tarp barn real soon. Those who store inside know what I'm talking about. Bought biggest tarp available at that time without going for a custom make and now store 50-60 rolls under each. Can't remember exact size, probably around 30x60.

I had never thought of using old truck tires under the bales. If they did freeze down you wouldn't have to worry about running over them or bumping them.

 

[vsteel]

The issue with round bales is that they can store outside they can lose about 6 inches in spoilage, with a round bale that can be up to a third of the hay. We always try and feed the round bales in the first year.

I guess we are dry enough that we can stack the bales on end and not worry about moisture wicking up into the hay. This is at the family ranch in western South Dakota, about 16 inches average rain fall.

 

[farmer2009]

well im gonna be that bad guy! I would like to tarp my hay but I don't see where its worth it to me. reason? round bales were designed for outside storage no cover period. When I worked out in the north mid west country I asked several farms if they ever stored there round bales inside? They looked at me like I was nuts! Most said that round bales were for outside storage with out a cover. I will have to say I agree..... I bale approximately 400 now 4x5 Plastic twine first cut. I have cut way back on the amount of hay I do now ,used to bale approximately 600 first and 300 second when I was in the cattle business. Not 1 bale ever covered and in my opinion not enough loss to justify all the what I call B S to cover it. I fed on average of 3-6 bales a day then and sold also. I usually was sitting on 1000 bales every year at the start of feeding.... IMO you cant eliminate loss in any hay stored or not there is going to be waste... the animals you are feeding are going to waste it reguardless of square or round. I cant see where you gain anything worth the trouble of covering . I might also add I sell a lot of hay ,have for several years ... and very little if any complaints! just my .02 cts have a good 1

Good for you.

What sold me was I fed some hay this year that spent 3 winters under roof on concrete. Those bales squatted but they were 6inches taller than this years hay that has sat outside.

Although I'll say this. I'll walk from a hay purchase over plastic twine. Sisal twine or net wrap only here.

 

[jdtractor]

Well that's your opinion and your to welcome to it. I didn't like plastic twine either when I was feeding a lot , but I will take it now, loads better when I sell. Also cheaper when I buy. I have had no complaints. As far as the hay squatting that's never been an issue. I bale tight and full bales. The first was Vermeer and now John Deere. Both good balers IMO although I prefer John Deere with a monitor to control the core tightness which I make tight, You can say what you want but if the hay is baled tight you get very little loss or squatting IMO. Ive been baling hay longer then I care to admit, and I will continue to I hope for a while.Reguardless with my experience I wont be covering it.

 

[Jerry/MT]

4x5 twine tied round bales.

I'd stack 'em like I said in my post. One vertical and one horizontal. It takes up less space and the bottom bale stays pretty dry and the top bale sheds water.

 

[ultrarunner]

My dairy farmer friends in Europe all do the round bales where before the hay was stored in the loft above the stable.

The round bales that are stored in the field are wrapped individually...

No idea if this is because it rains a lot there or not?

 

[Creamer]

Dairy farmers around here usually wrap it wet as they like to feed as much moisture as they can. It is just easier to handle in the form of bales than haylage.

 

[ultrarunner]

Thanks for the explanation...