Hay storage

[Joshie]

This last year we had some mold issues with the bottom layer of our small e
square bales. Our hay storage area has a dirt floor but we keep the hay up on pallets. In the past we had this problem in one small area. With the crop from 2011 we had more problems than in the past. I expected it to be better because of the drought.

The dirt floor isn't perfectly even but the problem isn't bad in the lowest spot. Any suggestions? Dou you think we would have fewer problems if we stacked the hay on top of two or three layers of pallets? I haven't tried this yet because walking on a couple layers of pallets isn't exactly terribly stable.

[houndlover]

It's wet here, and my barn has a dirt floor. I lay tarps down first, then pallets. Haven't had mold problems with the bottom bales since.

[bluebird2o2]

We put pallets down and tarps over them then stacked the hay.be sure the hay is dry when you buy it.

[lasergrl]

Yup, you have to put something on the pallet first. I use old plywood.

[where I want to]

I use tarps with a layer of fines. My area is a temporate rain forest- like in moss and lichen hanging from trees. Pallets alone just allow the damp to circulate underneath.
If the hay is dry and it is suitably sheltered, then tarps and hay directly on them works best. I have even stopped using pallets as it allow vermin to find a home underneath but I don't store on dirt either.

[Joshie]

Thanks, guys. I feared the tarps would cause condensation but it looks like that's what we're going to the next time we stack hay.

[jennigrey]

If I were to stack my hay on a tarp, the bottoms of the lowest tier of bales would mold. I usually get my bales straight out of the field, or occasionally very soon after they are put into the barn. In my climate (others may be different), bales need to cure a bit after they've been tied. They continue to emit moisture after being brought into the hay shed. BTDT and got moldy bottoms on all bottom tier bales. I set them on pallets now. Yes, it is a haven for rodents and it's a bummer. The cats usually get them before they get a chance to settle in and get comfortable, but sometimes one will get clever and evade the cats for a while. When I'm cleaning out the hay shed in the summer, I'll find the occasional nest but they are usually long-abandoned, as the resident has eventually slipped up and been caught and eaten.

[jennigrey]

Maybe if I had adequate fines, I could do it like you do, Where I Want To. I've been cutting it so close each year that I even feed out my fines to the goats until all that is left is the spider-y, mouse-y yuck that gets down in the pallets. Every summer, I lift all the pallets, clean out that scary hay and throw it on the compost. Then re-place the pallets to receive the new hay. Maybe if I bust open a couple-three bales of straw and put that down first, I could successfully stack our farmer bales directly on top of it without molding the bottom bales.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

I love my hay loft.

[Pat-wcWI]

I have stored my small squares on plastic and tarps which are over pallets. The bottom layer always gets moldy.....even this year in a drought.

My hay comes right from the field and is perfectly dry. It is dry enough to store in a hay mow. We put up our own hay for over 25 years, but now that we've sold our farm we buy it from a friend.

[hrslvrtrailridr]

I have a dirt floor also. I lay an old tarp down then I double stack pallets, followed by the hay. Sometimes if I plan to do multple layers of bales I will place pallets between every third of fourth hay layer. I rarley have a mold problem unless the weather has been wet and humid the whole season.