covering round bales

[eric]

Have any of you guys used the round bale sleeves for covering the bales. They appear to be a fairly thick plastic sleeve which just slides over the bale. They are about $55 for 25 sleeves, so around $2 a sleeve. Do these work as well as covering with tarps? I realize the ends of the roll will be exposed, but only the ends on outside rolls as long as I stacked the rolls really close, end to end. This seems like a better way than having to wrestle with a huge tarp, especially in the winter time when its cold and very windy and sometimes snowing/sleeting. Just pull up, stab a couple of rolls, and pull the sleeve off, hang it in the barn and let it dry out, and hopefully get a few yrs out of the sleeves.

Again, these are put over the rolls after baling, because wrapping the bales at baling wasnt an option with the hay I am getting this yr. These sleeves are 6' diameter x 6' long. My bales are 5' x 5'. Any feedback welcome, pro / cons?

 

[jt]

eric, the only individual covers i have ever seen are those that have to be pinned on. all they are is a piece of plastic that you lay over the bale and pin down by sticking pins into the bale. the ends are open.

where do you get these sleeves you are talking about?

you probably know it, but if you put the hay tight together and moisture is able to get in between the sleeves, it will cause your hay to rot. with the covers i am familiar with, you have to leave an air space between the rolls.

jt

 

[eric]

I just swa these in the Tractor Supply catalog awhile back. It didnt mention anything about having to pin the sleeves on, but maybe you have to. They look just like a garbage sack with both ends open, but they are much thicker. I didnt know it was better to leave space between rolls when stacking, will do that if necessary. I've never had to store hay before, last couple yrs I just bought it as I needed it, but this yr it appears to be getting kinda hard to come by, and I got a decent deal on 42 bales, so I am getting it now. I was just gonna put a tarp over it until I remembered these sleeves. Not sure if I am even gonna need anything, as I aint sure if its ever gonna rain again over here. :help:

 

[flaboy]

Good point JT. Plastic with any moisture in the hay will create condensation which can and probably will create some level of mold.

Are these bale covers like a trash bag you put over the bale? If so I guess a 6x6 would cover most bales even laying on their side. Might work if not sealed real tight at the bottom so air can circulate.

 

[flaboy]

I just swa these in the Tractor Supply catalog awhile back. It didnt mention anything about having to pin the sleeves on, but maybe you have to. They look just like a garbage sack with both ends open, but they are much thicker. I didnt know it was better to leave space between rolls when stacking, will do that if necessary. I've never had to store hay before, last couple yrs I just bought it as I needed it, but this yr it appears to be getting kinda hard to come by, and I got a decent deal on 42 bales, so I am getting it now. I was just gonna put a tarp over it until I remembered these sleeves. Not sure if I am even gonna need anything, as I aint sure if its ever gonna rain again over here. :help:

Both ends open is a good thing but you will have to stand them up, put the bag on, and then lay them down.

 

[gabby]

I wouldn't worry about covering the bales because I don't think it will be cost effective or worth the trouble. 90% of the spoilage is at the bottom of the bales where they touch the ground and stay damp. The plastic bags might trap water inside the bale at the bottom and could make the problem worse. gabby

 

[Australian Cattleman]

Never cover our round bales,we just make sure that they are on the round side not flat. We turn them avery now and then. Seldom do they spoil much. We don't keep them for long as the cattle usually need them.
Colin

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Eric, I think gabby is about right. Flower Mound might be a little different, but in my area we don't have rocky/sandy soils and we usually get an awful lot of rain in late fall through winter. Bales left to sit on top of bare ground can get a lot of waste due to rotting. You might be better off buying a bunch of used rail road ties and arranging them in two long rows, then set the bales on top. Or get some crushed concrete bull rock, or even some freebie wooden pallets. Anything to keep the bales from making constant contact with the wet ground. Then butt them up tight against each other.

But I bet that with your steel supply contacts, machine shop employees, etc. you could probably get a 3 sided shed built relatively cheaply with used pipe and new or maybe even used skin. Or maybe just one with a metal roof. I've read this in many articles, and also in my experience, a plain & simple (non-fancy ) hay storage shed is one of the most economically justifiable items you can have on a ranch and has a fairly quick payback period, depending on local spoilage/waste conditions.

 

[dj]

Eric I've use the bale tubes and found the field mice just love the plastic If you push them togather hard and have a straight row you can protect them fairly well. I have 5x6 bales and it takes two of us to "work" them over the bale.A 5x5 would be alot easier. They don't store well again because of the mice. And their cost is whoee right up there for the return. If you want to go cheap go by the lumber yard and ask for some paper wraps off some of the longer bundles and use milk jugs with water for hanging weights to keep them on.

 

[Medic24]

Haven't been able to find them in the online catalog.... any particuliar name thatthey call them?

 

[J-CCCC]

QUOTE:
, a plain & simple (non-fancy ) hay storage shed is one of the most economically justifiable items you can have on a ranch and has a fairly quick payback period, depending on local spoilage/waste conditions.[/quote]

Arnold, What, if any, flooring is typical in a "non-fancy" hay storage shed; or is it sufficient to just provide good drainage around the shed :?:

Eric. Search the Beginner Board using "Hay Storage" and look for the Topic: "Storage of Hay" lots of comments there :idea:

Jay

 

[Medic24]

Ok, found em........two different sizes available from TSC. maybe will try em for a year and see what happens. :?:

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

J-CCCC just plain old dirt floor and a well drained, high & dry location

 

[SF]

Don't cover them here. Stack them together close. Don't lose too much. Need to stack them where water won't stand under them. Build up with dirt or rock or anything that will allow water to run away from the .

 

[CowCop]

I put the sleeves on 15 bales last week that did not fit in the hay barn.
When I spear the bales initially off the trailer I set the bales about 8 inches off the ground, at a downward angle, to make it easier to put the sleeves on myself.

All the bales are then put on the upper hilly part of the barn area where the drainage is the best.
This hay will be fed out first.

All the rain we had here in May has really made us alot more hay than the past few years. We are still haying. Started June 20th and won't be done for another 2 weeks. It is amazing~!! I have had no time for anything else. Not even posting updated calf photos~!!

We will have to order many more sleeves~!!
Our sleeves have lasted 5 years. Even when they rip you can still use them and tie the ends under the bale twine so it stays put.

We use tarps too and use the milk jugs filled with water or sand with hooks on them to hold the tarps down, even when they are covering the hay trailers. Effective & cheap.

Our neighbor has the "saddle blanket" type plastic bale covers that use tent stakes to hold them down. They seem to work for him and are a little heavier plastic. I did notice his rip in the same places as ours, and he patches them with other plastic and silly glue.

 

[Dusty Britches]

You might be better off buying a bunch of used rail road ties and arranging them in two long rows, then set the bales on top. ... some freebie wooden pallets. Anything to keep the bales from making constant contact with the wet ground. Then butt them up tight against each other.

...get a 3 sided shed built relatively cheaply with used pipe and new or maybe even used skin. Or maybe just one with a metal roof.

We use pallets, but we've got 4 truck loads of used railroad ties for free. I just found a new use for them.

Eventually, I'd like to build a shed with just a roof for the hay. It will allow plenty of airflow and access, but keep the rain off.

I've seen some sleeves that need a special machine to put it on. You put the bale on the machine and it pushes the bale in. You can put up to 20 or 25 bales in it. Seems like a lot of expense and hassle. And I hadn't thought of the hay's moisture.

 

[certherfbeef]

You might be better off buying a bunch of used rail road ties and arranging them in two long rows, then set the bales on top. ... some freebie wooden pallets. Anything to keep the bales from making constant contact with the wet ground. Then butt them up tight against each other.

Marrying into a faimly of truck drivers like I did we use semi-tires to set the bales on. But as wet as it is "normally" around here we don't but them up tight. Water catches where they touch and we seen to get more spoilage that way. And the shed is for the equipment, hay sits out :roll:

 

[dun]

You might be better off buying a bunch of used rail road ties and arranging them in two long rows, then set the bales on top. ... some freebie wooden pallets. Anything to keep the bales from making constant contact with the wet ground. Then butt them up tight against each other.

...get a 3 sided shed built relatively cheaply with used pipe and new or maybe even used skin. Or maybe just one with a metal roof.

We use pallets, but we've got 4 truck loads of used railroad ties for free. I just found a new use for them.

Eventually, I'd like to build a shed with just a roof for the hay. It will allow plenty of airflow and access, but keep the rain off.

I've seen some sleeves that need a special machine to put it on. You put the bale on the machine and it pushes the bale in. You can put up to 20 or 25 bales in it. Seems like a lot of expense and hassle. And I hadn't thought of the hay's moisture.

The bale wrapper machines like you describe are for putting up baleage

dun

 

[certherfbeef]

Have any of you guys used the round bale sleeves for covering the bales. They appear to be a fairly thick plastic sleeve which just slides over the bale. They are about $55 for 25 sleeves, so around $2 a sleeve.

Eric, I think this is what you are after. Get them at tractor supply here. They are black and open in each end. We hold the bale up with the spear slide them on them set the bale down. Not the funest job in the world.

 

[flaboy]

We use pallets and old truck tires under a hay barn to keep as much off of the ground as possible. Railroad ties are about $8/each around here. Our hay barn is open on two sides. We have side covering up on the most predominant rain direction side. We cover the west and north ends. The east and south are open. Basically pole barn with dirt floor.