Hay Barn Floor

[SFFarms]

I'm looking for ideas to see what others use for floors in hay barns. Most all our hay barns have just dirt floors and in the past we have used pallets/tires to set the bales on.This year we just left the bottom bales on the ground and noticed some dirt and spoilage from this years bales. I dont use the pallets anymore after spending enough money on patching tractor tires from nails from the rotten pallets.
I've also used tires in the past, but was thinking of using a geofrabic and pea gravel on top of that in all my hay barns. Any ideas how that would work? I would love to do cement floors, but dont have the budget for that.

Thanks,

SFF

 

[BC]

6 to 10 inches of crushed rock would work

 

[A.J.]

We have a gravel floor and lay some plastic construction sheeting on top of that. It does a good job keeping moisture from seeping through and keeps the gravel from sticking to the bottom of the bales. I just fold the sheeting back as each row of hay is fed out so I don't have to drive over it with the tractor. If I drive on it much with the tractor, the gravel will start to tear holes in the sheets.

 

[dun]

We use 4-6 inch of 2 inch clean rock.

 

[Angus Cowman]

We use 4-6 inch of 2 inch clean rock.

that or screened 2 inch river gravel

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

In our enclosed hay barn where we store small square bales, they are put on pallets. As pallets become free of hay, we remove them and stack them up.

Outside, we put 3x3x8 squares on pallets.

Outside, we store round bales end to end direct on ground.

It is extremely rare that we ever have any water standing around here (only about 22" a year) and with sandy soil it percolates down or runs off if hay is on slight slope.

We never have trouble with flats from tires, since we don't run over pallets with vehicles or tractor...lol... ;-) As a pallet becomes free, we pick it up by hand and stack it somewhere else, but use tractor to move a stack.

 

[backhoeboogie]

Back in the 60's when we used square bales, the bottom row always went on edge. Some years Grandaddy laid timbers down under the row first. Most years he didn't. Thousands of bales in the barn and that's just how it was.

 

[alftn]

You lay bottom bale on its side to keep the mice from chewing the strings into.....Seams to help.

 

[backhoeboogie]

You lay bottom bale on its side to keep the mice from chewing the strings into.....Seams to help.

I've only seen strings a couple of times in my life. In the 60's, it was all wire and the bottom rows went on the edge.

 

[SFFarms]

Thanks for the replys, i think i'm on the right track here. This year has been crazy for the amount of rain and looks like in the spring i have plenty of holes in the barns to repair. :roll:
One of the hay barns i checked yesterday has serious drainage problems from the field with the flooding rains we have been getting lately (2.25 Inches Today) is just not helping the hay. So i'm hopeing to have this problem and drainage problems corrected in spring.

 

[1982vett]

Cleaned out a barn 2 years ago that had some 20 year old hay in one corner. Wire bales stacked on edge, 75% of the bales were gone. :lol: Anyway... I've got one drive-thru barn we stack squares in. Palets have been in for a long long time. Salvaged a bunch of used 3/4 plyood over the years and lay it over the pallets. Keeps the palets from breaking when I walk on them. Other than that, the round bales get set on the loose hay from the many years hay was stacked in the barn.


This is where my sinus infection came from. Had to go in and run the cows out Saturday after I fed.... The dust got me.

 

[Susie David]

Pallets...been working well for years. We pull them up in summer and clean the barn before restacking the new hay.

 

[upfrombottom]

Landscape timbers work good, easier for me to pick up.

 

[thistletop]

I use number 3 rock, sit the bottom row on the end and stack the others on the side. The bigger the rock the better they won't stick the the bale as bad. The fabric is a good idea and let it extend out in front of the building to keep the area free of mud.

 

[alftn]

Wire or string , matter of location....In Cal. hay had 3 wires and was sold by the ton, usually 17 or 18 bales to the ton..You worked it (mover it / handled ) with hay hooks.. In west TN. I have never seen wire bales, only seagrass string, 2 strings per bale at 50 to 60 lbs each....good Ber. 2.50 to 3.00 $ each.. It is a matter of location.

 

[HOSS]

We use 4-6 inch of 2 inch clean rock.

This is how mine is set up too. I just don't double stck anymore. I don't raise my own hay and have worked out a deal with my supplier. He has a big, nice hay barn where he stores the hay he sells. I buy a 150 bales and he delivers it as I empty my barn. When I get down to about 10 bales he loads up out of his barn and drops the trailer at my place. I unload it and put it in my barn and take the trailer back. It works out well for us. I used to use pallets but getting on and off the tractor to stack them got old.