Hay Storage

[farmer2009]

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.

 

[cat fever]

Keep it in this barn on a tarp. If I need more space I have a bigger barn. I realize many TBNers need much more storage space than this little barn. (21X36) But it works for me at this point. The big barn pictured in my avatar has much more space, but it's not needed yet.

 

[ultrarunner]

Poured a slab in the tractor shed and it takes up one bay... only 3 hay burners to feed so it works.

The horses out to pasture forage year round and do well... only provide water and a vet checks in on them every 3 months.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

If you use tarps you need to ventilate the area at the top of the tarp somehow. I had quite a bit of hay under them and due to condensation I lost the top layer. Also, make sure you stack the hay so that it sheds the rain.

 

[farmer2009]

View attachment 461310
Keep it in this barn on a tarp. If I need more space I have a bigger barn. I realize many TBNers need much more storage space than this little barn. (21X36) But it works for me at this point. The big barn pictured in my avatar has much more space, but it's not needed yet.

Yea. I need to store a lot more hay. I'm currently feeding about 175 4x5 round bales a winter. I have an old building that currently holds 12 bales. But if I rework some of it I think I can get that to 24.

 

[farmer2009]

If you use tarps you need to ventilate the area at the top of the tarp somehow. I had quite a bit of hay under them and due to condensation I lost the top layer. Also, make sure you stack the hay so that it sheds the rain.

Hay will be stacked in either a 3 bale triangle or a 6 bale triangle. I plan on getting out today and seeing if my tractor will stack the 6. I know it will the 3. If not it'll just be more ammunition to convince the wife I also need a larger tractor.

What kind of bales did you loose? We are in a very humid and rainy area. 40+ inches a year. Most years get above 50. So condensation will be a concern but one I never thought of. My thoughts were to stack the hay all the way out to the ends of the tarps. Leaving them open.

 

[hslogger]

I store enough hay to get me to the next harvest. To keep my storage area convertible I do it this way. It is dirt floor. I have an area that is twelve by forty eight that I use for storing. I put down four by four and four by six lumber on the ground such that use then as "sleepers". On top of them I lay plywood sheets and scraps to make a false floor. I salt the the wood before we start stacking the hay.

As the winter wears on, into spring, I pull up the sleepers and plywood that is exposed and use that area to supplement more lambing pens. Right now, we have hay stacked in only a 12 by 12 area. I use pressure treated,douglas fir, or western red cedar for sleepers. They rarely rot as long as I clean them up from mud and store them to air dry for the next year. It works out real well for me. Mice have a good time underneath, but I don't have any condensation problems with the bottom layer at all as long as I salt the plywood. I hate screwing around with plastic and tarps.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Hay will be stacked in either a 3 bale triangle or a 6 bale triangle. I plan on getting out today and seeing if my tractor will stack the 6. I know it will the 3. If not it'll just be more ammunition to convince the wife I also need a larger tractor.

What kind of bales did you loose? We are in a very humid and rainy area. 40+ inches a year. Most years get above 50. So condensation will be a concern but one I never thought of. My thoughts were to stack the hay all the way out to the ends of the tarps. Leaving them open.

Well I stored round bales and square bales. The end I wasn't pulling from always got a lot of moisture from the driving rains (the piles were not orientated in the same directions). The round bales I didn't get in a true pyramid and the gaps between the top bales generally held some water. The square bales I had a grabber that stacked 10 bales at a time and I did 10 rows, 9 rows and 8 rows high in a pyramid. I always thought a tarp with a couple solar powered vents would be ideal along with some man made ventilation areas for the air to rise and escape underneath the tarp. Also, Make sure you have something to get the hay up off the ground. Hay will absolutely draw moisture if they are sat directly on the ground. This is especially true at the edges where the tarp drains all the water too. I used pallets set down and I didn't worry too much if I cracked a couple driving on them getting my hay off. One other tid-bit. It is very tempting to get the biggest tarp you can get your hands on. If you guys get any decent amount of snow, it can be a real challenge to get the tarp pulled back to expose the hay. Ice gathers in the low areas and snow builds up and you could easily end up having to shovel a foot of snow and 6" of ice before you can get the tarp moved. Don't ask me how i know.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Hay will be stacked in either a 3 bale triangle or a 6 bale triangle. I plan on getting out today and seeing if my tractor will stack the 6. I know it will the 3. If not it'll just be more ammunition to convince the wife I also need a larger tractor.

What kind of bales did you loose? We are in a very humid and rainy area. 40+ inches a year. Most years get above 50. So condensation will be a concern but one I never thought of. My thoughts were to stack the hay all the way out to the ends of the tarps. Leaving them open.

Well I stored round bales and square bales. The end I wasn't pulling from always got a lot of moisture from the driving rains (the piles were not orientated in the same directions). The round bales I didn't get in a true pyramid and the gaps between the top bales generally held some water. The square bales I had a grabber that stacked 10 bales at a time and I did 10 rows, 9 rows and 8 rows high in a pyramid. I always thought a tarp with a couple solar powered vents would be ideal along with some man made ventilation areas for the air to rise and escape underneath the tarp. Also, Make sure you have something to get the hay up off the ground. Hay will absolutely draw moisture if they are sat directly on the ground. This is especially true at the edges where the tarp drains all the water too. I used pallets set down and I didn't worry too much if I cracked a couple driving on them getting my hay off. One other tid-bit. It is very tempting to get the biggest tarp you can get your hands on. If you guys get any decent amount of snow, it can be a real challenge to get the tarp pulled back to expose the hay. Ice gathers in the low areas and snow builds up and you could easily end up having to shovel a foot of snow and 6" of ice before you can get the tarp moved. Don't ask me how i know.

 

[RedNeckRacin]

Hay will be stacked in either a 3 bale triangle or a 6 bale triangle. I plan on getting out today and seeing if my tractor will stack the 6. I know it will the 3. If not it'll just be more ammunition to convince the wife I also need a larger tractor.

What kind of bales did you loose? We are in a very humid and rainy area. 40+ inches a year. Most years get above 50. So condensation will be a concern but one I never thought of. My thoughts were to stack the hay all the way out to the ends of the tarps. Leaving them open.

Well I stored round bales and square bales. The end I wasn't pulling from always got a lot of moisture from the driving rains (the piles were not orientated in the same directions). The round bales I didn't get in a true pyramid and the gaps between the top bales generally held some water. The square bales I had a grabber that stacked 10 bales at a time and I did 10 rows, 9 rows and 8 rows high in a pyramid. I always thought a tarp with a couple solar powered vents would be ideal along with some man made ventilation areas for the air to rise and escape underneath the tarp. Also, Make sure you have something to get the hay up off the ground. Hay will absolutely draw moisture if they are sat directly on the ground. This is especially true at the edges where the tarp drains all the water too. I used pallets set down and I didn't worry too much if I cracked a couple driving on them getting my hay off. One other tid-bit. It is very tempting to get the biggest tarp you can get your hands on. If you guys get any decent amount of snow, it can be a real challenge to get the tarp pulled back to expose the hay. Ice gathers in the low areas and snow builds up and you could easily end up having to shovel a foot of snow and 6" of ice before you can get the tarp moved. Don't ask me how i know.