Need some hay barn wisdom.

[Hawghauler]

I need a pole barn for hay, and I want to maintain the hay in good repair for horses so it shouldn't get wet and moldy. I need advice on whether or not to have open or closed sides, walls halfway down from roof, etc. Any pictures of your pole barns that work? Idaho is not real rainy, but we get some. Very hot and dry most of the time. I think enclosed would be risky.

 

[1950T]

enclose 3 sides and if you do or dont pour a slab invest in some skids. ill try to get a pic of my hay barn tomorow. i doubt you will be building one as big as mine but you can scale down. right now its got 1500 800lb squarebales of straw and 350-400 1000lb square bales of hay i it

 

[jayste]

I've got a 12' deep X 36' long "loafing shed" or pole barn, enclosed on 3 sides and use part of it to store hay. Like 1950T said if you don't pour a slab (I didn't) then use some pallets or skids to stack it on. What I do is use pallets and lay a tarp (cheap/Walmart) over that to keep the bottom of the bales on bottom from getting moldy. Best results has been using some leftover house wrap in place of the tarp but a roll of that stuff is pricey. My main storage is a 1962 model furniture van (enclosed trailer) that totally encloses the hay and keeps it green. No rain or sun on it until I pull it out to feed it.

 

[Mousefield]

Put the hay shed on the left side of the barn a couple of years after the main barn was built. Has a gravel floor so put down a large old tarp and then pallets to maintain some air flow and keep the hay off the ground. Right now there are 110 bales in it and 30 more coming. Out our way we do try and keep some air space around the hay as it can get moldy because of our sometimes damp climate.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Put the hay shed on the left side of the barn a couple of years after the main barn was built. Has a gravel floor so put down a large old tarp and then pallets to maintain some air flow and keep the hay off the ground. Right now there are 110 bales in it and 30 more coming. Out our way we do try and keep some air space around the hay as it can get moldy because of our sometimes damp climate.

Off topic a bit but I thought I would mention what I do to deal with humidity and sometimes short drying times in the field.

One, we always stack our hay on the side as it will "breath" better. Two, we buy salt in a fifty pound bag and broadcast it on the layers as we stack. Not too much, kind of like salting your breakfast eggs. The salt absorbs moisture and the horses like the taste.

 

[Hawghauler]

Thanks for all the good advice

 

[whitedogone]

Lot of guys around here have gone with Tension fabric buildings for hay storage.

YouTube - Stacking Hay

 

[1950T]

heres mine hawg. sun was bright and i couldnt fit it all in the pic but here it is

 

[Johndeere3720]

enclose 3 sides and have the hay out of the dirt to prevent molding. how much hay do you plan to put in the barn?