Hay Covering

[CUZ]

We've got 4' X 5' round bales and are seriously considering stacking and covering them. (Long story - but someone else always covered them in the past.) We'll probably have 250 - 350 rolls by the time it's all said and done.

I really would appreciate your input on what you have found works the best at protecting the hay at the most reasonable cost.

Thanks,
Cuz

 

[msscamp]

If you can't store them in a shed/barn, then stack them on pallets, old tires, etc and tarp them.

 

[3MR]

If you can't store them in a shed/barn, then stack them on pallets, old tires, etc and tarp them.

Yeah, gotta get them off the ground however you do it. Really cuts down on the waste

 

[Dave]

I stack them three high in an area with very gravelly well drained soil. I cover the stack with a 100 by 36(?) black silage tarp. That will cover about 100 4 by 5 bales. To hold the tarp in place I throw a twine over each bale and tie a old tire on the sides about a foot or so off the ground. I use twine I get from a dairy that uses the big ton bales. It is heavier twime and doesn't cut the plastic like small twine will. Holding the tarp from the top works a lot better than trying hold down the edges. Before I started using this method I tried to weight down the sides of the tarp. The wind would eventually work the tarp loose and then blow it off the stack. I get about four years out of a tarp. It is a lot cheaper than building a barn.
Dave

 

[jkwilson]

Best way I've found to tie the cover on is to set the bales on top of several ropes that will reach from one side of the tarp to the other, then tie the ropes to the tarp on each side. The weight of the bales holds the tarp down.

 

[CUZ]

Thanks for the very good info. I guess part of what I'm trying to ask is about the actual cover. I've seen "hay covers" for sale, but I've also seen folks use regular black plastic (5ml? or 10ml?) to cover a stack. Just wondering what you have found that works good for a reasonable cost.

Cuz

 

[msscamp]

Thanks for the very good info. I guess part of what I'm trying to ask is about the actual cover. I've seen "hay covers" for sale, but I've also seen folks use regular black plastic (5ml? or 10ml?) to cover a stack. Just wondering what you have found that works good for a reasonable cost.

Cuz

The biggest disadvantage I can see for the black plastic would be the hay could poke through it and let rain/snow in - once that happens the black will soak up sun, create heat, and your hay will mold big time! I'm not sure they make a heavy enough plastic sheet to avoid this, so I think I would have to go with a regular tarp to avoid that scenario.

 

[alabama]

some stored hay.

 

[lukem86]

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... =hay+tarps

 

[Dave]

I use 6 mil black plastic tarps. The same ones they use to cover pit silos. They come in 100 feet long by however wide you want. If I handle the tarps right I get about 4 years out of them. I wouldn't say that there is no loss using this method but the losses are pretty minimual.
Dave

 

[Herefordcross]

In my opinion plastic is a waste of time, no matter how well you can hold it down.

 

[Wewild]

We store over half our hay outside. We butt it up ened to end tight in rows and don't let the sides touch the next row. No cover.

 

[msscamp]

We store over half our hay outside. We butt it up ened to end tight in rows and don't let the sides touch the next row. No cover.

We also do that with any hay that has been rained on enough to lower the quality, but the good stuff is usually tarped. If it has already been sold, it is always tarped.