farmerjan
Herd Master
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2016
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- Location
- Shenandoah Valley Virginia
We store hundreds of hay bales outside. The better hay gets tarped. We put it on tires to keep it mostly off the ground, tarps over the tops with either weights on the sides through the grommets or some tarps have "loops" that a long pole of some sort slides through and then some weights, concrete blocks or tires, to hole the side down. Try to cover 2/3 of the side allowing for some air. We stack them 3-2-1 so the rain does not pool but mostly just runs off the sides. We also will use old tires, thrown over the top with the plastic hay bale strings so they hang on either side to just hold the tarp down.
There are also "caps" that are actually made to go over the top of the rolls and shed the rain off the side..... looks like small tarps for each individual roll.
The "spoiled hay" is just addition organic matter to add back to the soil. We unroll rolls in pastures to give the animals a chance to all get to eat at the same time with no pushing or shoving.... and they will clean it up pretty good if it is well made hay. Often our hay has fescue in it and they will pick through it more and it will just get laid on and tramped down into the soil.
How big are these rolls?
Use any spoiled hay as mulch in your garden. There is no real waste, just a loss of "eating quality" . Yes it costs to buy real nice hay, and you hate to see any of it get "ruined"; but unless you have a dedicated area/roof for it, then accept that it will happen and find ways to utilize the "ruined" hay. Nothing will voluntarily eat moldy spoiled hay if they have ENOUGH good feed available. We have cows that will eat some of the crappiest looking hay, on their own, with other hay available to eat at the same time. Some that gets aged will take care of the bad spots and even gets carmelized. They will normally only eat bad hay if there is nothing else and they are hungry.
There are also "caps" that are actually made to go over the top of the rolls and shed the rain off the side..... looks like small tarps for each individual roll.
The "spoiled hay" is just addition organic matter to add back to the soil. We unroll rolls in pastures to give the animals a chance to all get to eat at the same time with no pushing or shoving.... and they will clean it up pretty good if it is well made hay. Often our hay has fescue in it and they will pick through it more and it will just get laid on and tramped down into the soil.
How big are these rolls?
Use any spoiled hay as mulch in your garden. There is no real waste, just a loss of "eating quality" . Yes it costs to buy real nice hay, and you hate to see any of it get "ruined"; but unless you have a dedicated area/roof for it, then accept that it will happen and find ways to utilize the "ruined" hay. Nothing will voluntarily eat moldy spoiled hay if they have ENOUGH good feed available. We have cows that will eat some of the crappiest looking hay, on their own, with other hay available to eat at the same time. Some that gets aged will take care of the bad spots and even gets carmelized. They will normally only eat bad hay if there is nothing else and they are hungry.
