What do I do with this hay now?

[KodeshAcres]

I’m a little irritated right now. I noticed these white specks on the bottom edge of the square hay bale. I reached out to the guy we bought it from and he told me it was mold he told me it must have gotten wet, I explained that it’s been under a tarp and on pallets to keep off the ground then I didn’t hear back from him anymore. My question is… is this just a total loss at this point? Am I able to cut the edge off and feed the rest to the sheep? The middle doesn’t have any mold and the hay still smells sweet. Or does mold just spread rapidly before you can even see it?

 

[Mini Horses]

Cut off the mold. Look around rest of bale for mold. If none feed it. Looks like on edge. But only in person can tell.

Hay will draw moisture! Wood will draw moisture. Check all those bottom bales. You may have more. sorry..... If caught now, you can salvage it.

 

[KodeshAcres]

Cut off the mold. Look around rest of bale for mold. If none feed it. Looks like on edge. But only in person can tell.

Hay will draw moisture! Wood will draw moisture. Check all those bottom bales. You may have more. sorry..... If caught now, you can salvage it.

Thank you, I was freaking out because someone said they’ll get listeriosis and die! It’s only on the bottom edge. The rest looks dry and it smells sweet.

 

[Baymule]

I cracked open square bales with black nasty interiors some years ago, and we spread those out down an incline as baffles to check water erosion. 40 bales. The seller felt bad and replaced all of them on the next cutting.

 

[Ridgetop]

Our round bales have been sitting over a year and on the bottom they get black moldy stuff. We peel that off, toss it aside, and feed the inside. In fact, when the black part dries out is used for bedding.

 

[KodeshAcres]

Okay so I’m pretty sure this is what ruined my hay last time. When it rains the ground under the pallets is just soaked and the pallets are so wet too it stays like that for days and days and then we get more rain anyway I was advised to put down some type of tarp under the pallets and then another plastic barrier on top of the pallets before I set the hay on top. I’m working on this shed today and tomorrow but wanted to ask. Anyone have any experience? Would this work or am I just wasting my time? Anything else I should do? A real barn and big round hay bales aren’t an option right now. This is what it looks like when it’s “dryer”.

 

[Baymule]

Do you have any higher ground? Or could you get a load of dirt and raise the inside above grade, then use the pallets and tarps? Pallets and tarps, stacked high enough to be above the water would work, much better that what you have now.

 

[KodeshAcres]

Do you have any higher ground? Or could you get a load of dirt and raise the inside above grade, then use the pallets and tarps? Pallets and tarps, stacked high enough to be above the water would work, much better that what you have now.

This used to be driest portion of the area we have it it but this amount of rain is just making everything wet and muddy. We are seeing water pool in places it’s never pooled before. We do have a big dirt pile that is also very wet and muddy right now I suppose I can take some and put it in there and more pallets.

 

[Margali]

Easier would be do a triple stack of pallets so you have more air space under the hay.

 

[SageHill]

Easier would be do a triple stack of pallets so you have more air space under the hay.

Triple stack of pallets would allow for better airflow to help keep things dry or let the ground dry out faster.