Round Bale Fires

[EddieWalker]

I've heard about square bales spontaneously combusting if they are stored too soon after baling. Does this happen with round bales too?

 

[Hay Dude]

I've heard about square bales spontaneously combusting if they are stored too soon after baling. Does this happen with round bales too?

It can if they are stacked on ends in a tight barn. Let them sit outside through sweat period, then probe for moisture & temp with a hand held. Then put them in barn. Sitting outside, even in a few rains (net wrapped) will only slightly hurt the feed quality, so whats the harm in letting them sit a few days

If you bale them with a real time moisture read out and they are all consistently under 14%, then they can be put in a barn.
Or buy a crop saver applicator. I had one and used it for a year. Many customers complained about the smell or the preservative, so I stopped using it and went back to making DRY hay for feed.

 

[ultrarunner]

Seen two barns burn from hay fires… racing to get the hay in to beat the weather in both cases.

 

[EddieWalker]

Thanks. I haven't built the hay barn yet, so I'm just curious what might happen. It will be a loafing shed type building that will be open along the front. With the price of hay climbing so quickly, I'm thinking that I need to protect it from the elements.

 

[Hay Dude]

Thanks. I haven't built the hay barn yet, so I'm just curious what might happen. It will be a loafing shed type building that will be open along the front. With the price of hay climbing so quickly, I'm thinking that I need to protect it from the elements.

just pencil it out. See if barn is worth the price. Net wrap is the round balers best friend. It allows for rain without significant damage.

 

[fishdrivel]

Thanks. I haven't built the hay barn yet, so I'm just curious what might happen. It will be a loafing shed type building that will be open along the front. With the price of hay climbing so quickly, I'm thinking that I need to protect it from the elements.

A big sheet of plastic might save your barn if you are pushing it to get under cover.....

 

[Tx Jim]

All my rd bales are netwrapped & stored outside. Over the yrs I've sold a lot of these stored outside bales to horse owners. Key is to store on gravel or well drained soil & don't allow rounded sides to touch. It also helps to place the rows North to South for more availability to Sunshine

 

[Hay Dude]

All my rd bales are netwrapped & stored outside. Over the yrs I've sold a lot of these stored outside bales to horse owners. Key is to store on gravel or well drained soil & don't allow rounded sides to touch. It also helps to place the rows North to South for more availability to Sunshine

Location, location, location.
We get a lot more rain & cold damp days up here.

 

[Tx Jim]

That is very true but I was replying to Eddie Walkers question who is OP of this thread who lives around 100 miles from me not you.

 

[Hay Dude]

That is very true but I was replying to Eddie Walkers question who is OP of this thread who lives around 100 miles from me not you.

Yep, you’re right.
I don’t know if TX has “rainy” parts of the state….