damp hay on concrete floor

[ugabulldog]

When I built our barn, I put concrete floors everywhere including stalls. Our "pet" animals sleep in one of the stalls on wheat straw which gets very damp underneath (condensation from hay and concrete I'm assuming) Any ideas on a fix (without tearing up concrete floor) rubber mats perhaps?

[beaglebiz]

When we got our latest puppy from the pound, they had concrete floors there too. they rigged up a slightly raised bed to keep the dogs off the floor out of what looked like canvas stretched over a pvc pipe frame, only a couple inches off the floor.
Just a thought.
Or what about a pallet with nice slats close together, and put the hay or straw on that.
I like that idea better as air could circulate and you wouldnt have to worry about mildew under the rubber

[watcher]

The first thing that pops into my mind would be build a wood false floor high enough off the concrete for air to flow under it.

[tyusclan]

Did you put a vapor barrier down before you poured the concrete? That won't completely stop the condensation, but it would have helped a lot if you didn't.

You can spread some plastic on top of the concrete and put the bedding down on top of that, or deep bed the straw on the concrete and change it every day.

That's one reason I don't like concrete for livestock.

[DixyDoodle]

Well, if the animals aren't wetting it too much, just throw down a bag or two of wood shavings, then straw on top. The dampness will pretty much stay on the shavings (which will filter down through hay), and the hay will be pretty dry....it works in my barn, at least! Although I do have some rubber mats down in stalls for the horses because of their feet.

[plowjockey]

Start bumming free wooden pallets, everywhere you can. Hay, feed, nearly everything will stay dry if stacked on pallets.

We even use them in our soggy basement, set up on bricks, to keep stuff sry and mold free.

[travlnusa]

Go to farm auctions and look for rubber stall mats.

[Jalopy]

If it is just getting damp from condensation then the idea of putting down a layer of plastic then straw or hay should work. You could just try it by splitting a garbage bag and piling the bedding on top and see if there is a difference in that are as opposed to the non treated area before using plastic all over the stall. if it is damp due to animal waste or spilled water not much you can do except daily cleaning or make a surface drain of some type. Good Luck.

[Cheribelle]

I stack on pallets, too. What kind of pets are we talking? For dogs, a box bedded down for a bed would get them off the floor. For goats, maybe a shelf, they like to climb some. If you are sure they won't eat it, I would get some of that "blue board" insulation, and lay that under the straw. Obviously this would be for small animals....

[haypoint]

Plastic sheets keep the moisture from the getting from the concrete to the hay, but hay has moisture, too. The moisture in the hay against plastic can mold, too.

For a few years, I just planned to use the bottom layer for multch and plan on that amount not being available. Now I put down pallets. Works nice. I put them down as I go, so I don't have to walk on them. My hay is mold free now.

[DaleK]

If it's only a small area where your pets are laying, put down some hydrated lime under the straw, then keep the straw thick.