Square Bale Storage

[Draagyn]

We have been storing up to 1200 bales a year in our gravel floor barn and have been fighting the moisture in our bottom two rows. I have built up the gravel to be about 6" above grade and have lined the whole floor with wooden pallets and still the bottom two bales pretty well go to waste. I get free used conveyor belts from work.

My current options:
1) lay rubber conveyor belts on top pallets (can no longer drive into barn)
2) remove pallets and put conveyor belts right on top gravel (ground will become uneven underneath)
3) pour a slab inside existing building (cost too much)

Looking for suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[stuckmotor]

You might try a second layer of pallets on top of the one that's already there.

 

[olPete]

Is the moisture coming up from below? Perhaps you could line the floor to prevent it coming up with polythene sheet, then pallets on top to let the hay breathe. I presume you know already, the bottom layer at least, needs to go on their side.. if you can leave a very slight gap say 2 inches around at least half the bales, then the air can help take the moisture out better. If you can increase ventilation in any way possible then its worth the effort.
I think the rubber would increase sweating if it is in contact with the bales.

 

[RickB]

Is the moisture coming up from below? Perhaps you could line the floor to prevent it coming up with polythene sheet, then pallets on top to let the hay breathe. I presume you know already, the bottom layer at least, needs to go on their side.. if you can leave a very slight gap say 2 inches around at least half the bales, then the air can help take the moisture out better. If you can increase ventilation in any way possible then its worth the effort.
I think the rubber would increase sweating if it is in contact with the bales.

Agree. 6 mil plastic on gravel; pallets above. Would have been nice if you had put it under the last layer of gravel you put in.

 

[Tx Jim]

Ditto what RickB stated.

 

[sailfast]

How moist is the hay that goes in?
Sounds like needs more ventilation regardless of the ground moisture. Is the ground particularly moist?
What kind of walls to the building, how is it ventilated?

 

[RickB]

How moist is the hay that goes in?
Sounds like needs more ventilation regardless of the ground moisture. Is the ground particularly moist?
What kind of walls to the building, how is it ventilated?

Hay dried properly then stored doesn't need ventilation. Symptoms of lower layer mold are directly related to ground moisture. The cure is to keep it out, not let it in then try to get it back out.

 

[sailfast]

Hay dried properly then stored doesn't need ventilation. Symptoms of lower layer mold are directly related to ground moisture. The cure is to keep it out, not let it in then try to get it back out.

We don't know it is properly dried.

We have been storing up to 1200 bales a year in our gravel floor barn and have been fighting the moisture in our bottom two rows. I have built up the gravel to be about 6" above grade and have lined the whole floor with wooden pallets and still the bottom two bales pretty well go to waste. I get free used conveyor belts from work.

My current options:
1) lay rubber conveyor belts on top pallets (can no longer drive into barn)
2) remove pallets and put conveyor belts right on top gravel (ground will become uneven underneath)
3) pour a slab inside existing building (cost too much)

Looking for suggestions.
Thanks.

 

[RickB]

We don't know it is properly dried.

If it wasn't properly dried he would be complaining about mold in more than the bottom two rows. Also note this problem is not a one-year deal but over multiple seasons.
Same problem every year. Same cause. One solution; keep moisture from getting in the hay after it is stored.

 

[olPete]

If it wasn't properly dried he would be complaining about mold in more than the bottom two rows. Also note this problem is not a one-year deal but over multiple seasons.
Same problem every year. Same cause. One solution; keep moisture from getting in the hay after it is stored.

Don't mean to hijack, we have a layer of used silage cover under our house, on the ground, with the odd shovel of gravel to keep it tight and quiet, and it has hugely lowered the condensation over winter. Perhaps this would be a cheap source of plastic for the OP