Ideas on Hay Shed floors ?

[rtimgray]

For our square hay (small bales) we've always used dirt. After a year of two, there has always been enough hay that has shedded of the bales from previous years that it makes a "floor" for the hay to be stacked on, so there's very little moisture/mold/etc. that makes its way into the bales. I've had the same experience with small rolls this year.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Subscribed! I am in the process of digging out a bank to put an addition onto the horse barn specifically for hay storage!

I don't know how effective it is, but I had to use pallets and tarps this year. It wasn't by choice so I'll let you know how it goes. I stacked round bales 3 high and square bales 10 rows high. (its so nice stacking hay with a tractor and not by hand!)

 

[eventer79]

RNR, regular tarps, depending on quality, can sweat pretty badly. Canvas tarps are the best for covering -- they are $$$ but they really are worth it because they breathe and keep things dry while lasting a long time, which in PA would be worth it for me for horse-grade hay. Next year, I think I am going to put a canvas tarp over my moisture barrier, still pondering.

In your bank, I'd definitely put the hardware store moisture-barrier (it's a different material than a tarp, which you probably know, but I am good at the obvious) under your pallets, even if you have gravel. Assuming you have PA clay? Not sure how your bank is designed, but when there is moisture here, especially in summer, things that are under a basement-like bank hole mold almost instantly, blech.

It also helps, on your square bale stacks, if you didn't already, if you have a top single row of bales on their side to create a ridge, helps water/snow not pile up. You could do the same with a couple square bales on top of your round bales so there's not a flat tarp top.

I have envy for your tractor stacking!!!!! Next year maybe I can redneck a way to do it... I am already ticked at myself that I forgot to put my bottom square bales on their edges to help airflow, but I'm not unstacking it all to fix it now!

 

[DJ54]

If it's quality hay and needs to stay that way, here is what I require under mine (horse hay that I can't afford to have go bad!!):

Ground is just dirt. Triple folded sheet of moisture barrier plastic from hardware store (I believe that makes 12 mm total). Then wood pallets for air circulation. Then hay.
In NC, we get HOT and humid. I lived over on the eastern part of Aus for a while, but didn't make it out to WA, isn't it fairly dry there?

This what I do also, but my bales are 4 X 4, so they fit nicely on a pallet. To keep them from rolling apart I lay a short piece of 6 X 6 for a chock, then can double stack with no problems. You may get a small bad spot on the bottom, but about 3 layers down it's all good from there on in.


I've got a few that are 16' long that a welding shop get steel shipped in on. Pretty sweet, and I move them with the spear on the Bobcat, making them easy to move.

 

[hslogger]

I dunno your climate situation. Mine in western Oregon is damp damp wet. For storing hay, I put down four by fours or four by sixes and lay sheets of plywood down over them to get the hay off the ground. Before i put the hay down i salt the whole layer of plywood and then put the hay on top. It keeps the dampness, condensation and mold at a minimum. As the hay disappears from use, I pick up the sleeper timbers and plywood and stack it elsewhere and then use that area for lambing. I also have wooden tie stalls for my horses that are built up a foot or two off the ground. I salt those planks and stack hay there, too. I never have tried the plastic on the bottom deal and this set up has been fine the last thirty years.

 

[Mike476]

I put down plastic and then pallets in the barn we just built, will be putting plywood down over that soon for safety. Previous building had just pallets but over time the chaff that had fallen through the spaces in the pallets wicked moisture up from the dirt floor to the hay, ruined more than a few bales.

 

[JimRB]

I am getting plastic pallets. The termites like the wooden pallets on Georgia clay too much. I also need to do some digging on that side outside the barn but I still suspect I will have too much moisture.

 

[OzGrasshopper]

Hi All and thank u all so much for the good ideas and experience. In previous years we have "mounded" natural earth to make raised beds and put the round bales tight, end to end along these mounds. We cut hay here in October/ November (our spring) and storage over summer is fine outside as there is little rain, it is winter where the hay gets wet and we get a "weathered crust" around the outside. We sell mainly to the horse people (racing, equestrian and pets). Our hay (we call meadow hay) sells at around $55 to $60 a round bale through till winter, however in the past both over and after winter we have simply discounted that hay down to $45 because of the waste under the crust. In winter "sheded" hay sells for a premium around $65. My idea is to still store hay outside for summer and autumn sales, then have sheded hay for winter. Once we break the row of outside stored round bales, i put 20 or so bales on pallets to dry out before delivery.

One of the big worries here about storing hay on any type of floor, is snakes! We have Western Tiger snake here, it grows up to 6 or 7 ft and is highly venomous, mice attract snakes into hay stacks.....

Because i'm getting older, i find hay business a lot easier than handling livestock. Invested money is getting very low returns, so i thought by building a shed, we could have a bit of the premium priced hay market in and after winter ($65 instead of $45) which could be $2,000 to $3,000 per year and help us keep our market share?

D7E that hay shed would look good in my paddock - a wonderful asset for you. The covered bales look good and effective too. As eventer79 has suggested, a friend of mine who makes silage, uses a heavy duty plastic which he says should withstand wear and tear? they buy new plastic sheeting each year as the silage has to be airtight. I will try one bay that way, and one bay with pallets and 2 bays just on gravel and lime base.

Again thanku for the helpful ideas, very much appreciated.........

 

[RedNeckRacin]

RNR, regular tarps, depending on quality, can sweat pretty badly. Canvas tarps are the best for covering -- they are $$$ but they really are worth it because they breathe and keep things dry while lasting a long time, which in PA would be worth it for me for horse-grade hay. Next year, I think I am going to put a canvas tarp over my moisture barrier, still pondering.

In your bank, I'd definitely put the hardware store moisture-barrier (it's a different material than a tarp, which you probably know, but I am good at the obvious) under your pallets, even if you have gravel. Assuming you have PA clay? Not sure how your bank is designed, but when there is moisture here, especially in summer, things that are under a basement-like bank hole mold almost instantly, blech.

It also helps, on your square bale stacks, if you didn't already, if you have a top single row of bales on their side to create a ridge, helps water/snow not pile up. You could do the same with a couple square bales on top of your round bales so there's not a flat tarp top.

I have envy for your tractor stacking!!!!! Next year maybe I can redneck a way to do it... I am already ticked at myself that I forgot to put my bottom square bales on their edges to help airflow, but I'm not unstacking it all to fix it now!

Eventer- I didn't get the cheap-o deluxe tarps from tractor supply. I got the 10oz hd (did I mention heavy?) tarps from Farmtek, My big one is 48x60 and weighs about 200lbs?? or so. It does sweat like crazy. We were put in a bad position this year and had to do something quick (read:Not the best option at the time) So I ended up putting them in a pyramid shape. 8-9-10-9-8 <--stacked rows high. 9 rows is as high as my loader will reach and still let me get off of the stack without pulling it over. Stacking the bales up ontop of the round bales is a great idea! I definitely need to do that instead of having to throw off ice chunks off of my round bale tarps. I had a canvas tarp on my "working pile" of round bales. I usually pull out a dozen from under the big tarp since its difficult to deal with and stack them seperately for use during the next week or two. I do happen to have a canvas tarp over those bales and its going to need replaced after 2 years. Do you have any suggestions for getting them to last longer? The critters have chewed through it and I ended up pushing my finger through it in a couple spots.


We do have PA clay and the pallets seem to be working pretty well. There was 0 chaff underneath when we started since it was the first time doing this. I am already getting some soggy hay on the top bales but it has not been enough to penetrate very deeply into that top layer. I was actually thinking for next year (assuming my addition isn't going to be completed by then) I was going to add some type of ventilation system to run during the day to help pull that extra moisture out from under the tarp.


I'm telling you, if I ever get this addition built for stacking with the tractor inside, I'll be in high cotton when making square bales! Going from a conventional barn and labor stacking to sitting in an air conditioned cab and stacking hay is about as close to heaven on earth as it comes. I grin ear to ear when I'm stacking hay now. I just need to figure out how to make things keep a little bit better underneath those tarps. This year was absolutely terrible for hay production. I think we are about 1k square bales short at the moment but I made extra round bales. We never did get a good stretch without rain and had to be very careful how much we laid down and when so it didn't get lost before it got baled.

 

[eventer79]

We were put in a bad position this year and had to do something quick (read:Not the best option at the time) I do happen to have a canvas tarp over those bales and its going to need replaced after 2 years. Do you have any suggestions for getting them to last longer?

Oh, I definitely know that position! I was freaking out to get my little cheap-o storage shelter in because it was already past fall cutting and I am poor and cannot buy $10+/bale hay. I barely made it!

Whew, that does suck about the canvas, but I know PA winters can be harsh (grew up in OH river valley, N KY and ohhhh, so much ice and freeze and snow and thaw and ice!). Disclaimer: I do redneck repairs due to aforementioned poverty, LOL, there may be better ways. What I use, although have not tried it on tarp yet, have used a LOT on horse blankets, it retains their waterproofness and breathability, my boys get rough:

Depending on size of hole/tear and my estimate of future stress on area -- I usually hand stitch the edges together (w/ skill roughly equivalent to Dr. Frankenstein), then paint it excessively with this to re-waterproof (Seamsure Seam Sealer 2oz in Blanket Accessories at Schneider Saddlery). If I am in a hurry, want another layer, or have not so much faith in my sewing, I add this (Stormshieldｮ Horse Blanket Repair Tape in Blanket Accessories at Schneider Saddlery) which you can slap on just like tape. You CAN iron/heat it for extra stickiness, sew the edges, or, if you are lazy like me, slop more of the magic glue/paint around the edges.

I was actually thinking for next year (assuming my addition isn't going to be completed by then) I was going to add some type of ventilation system to run during the day to help pull that extra moisture out from under the tarp.

I will be adding this to my fabric shed before spring, it is designed for the shed, but the way it is made, you could put it on any stretched fabric you wanted. You can also replace the plastic rivets with nylon nuts/washers.
ShelterLogic Instant Garage Vent Kit | Anchors, Bungees Accessories| Northern Tool + Equipment

Going from a conventional barn and labor stacking to sitting in an air conditioned cab and stacking hay is about as close to heaven on earth as it comes. I grin ear to ear when I'm stacking hay now.

And now you're just rubbing it in. You suck.