Hay Heat

[cattle60]

Saw on one of the threads a comment about the heat hay has after baling. What is the consensus about days after baling? When is safe to move off field and store(either in a barn or end to end out side)? I always seem to want to move after a week or so but see some move and stack the same or next day.

 

[ChrisB]

I usually like to get them off the field asap. But if I know they were put up a little wetter than I would have liked a wait 3-4 days. Nothing scientific about it; it's just what I've always done.

 

[Flacowman]

When we have decent weather forecasts we will pull hay off of the field and put it in the barnyard for 3-5 days then into the barn just on the theory that it can't really get too dry in Florida and any last percent or two of moisture we can get out of it before stacking is less chance of mold. That being said, we have stacked hay the day after baling before without problems, it just depends on your moisture when you bale and your humidity and rain chance.

 

[bigbull338]

rule of thumb is let the hay sit in the field 2 or 3 days before moving.

 

[Rafter S]

If hay is properly cured you can put it in the barn on the same day it's baled. My father was in the custom hay business for 30 years, and I worked for him for most of it. Back before round bales became popular most of the hay they put up was Johnsongrass or some type or sorghum (Haygrazer is one brand name I remember). They cut it with a hay bine, which had rollers to break up the stems. In the middle of the hay season, unless it had rained or been exceptionally cloudy, you could safely bale it 48 hours after cutting, and the haulers would be right there picking it up and putting it in the barn. If you let it lay there overnight it would be full of fire ants the next day.

Of course conditions are different in different parts of the country, so other areas may need more than two days to cure, but I still contend that if it's properly cured you don't need to wait.

 

[1wlimo]

I will agree, good hay baled correctly can be stored the same day,

hay off low wet ground needs to be moved same day or it can get wetter by wicking moisture up out of the ground.

Baled damp, then best if it sits a while, unless in squares and they are not too good left in the rain. Used to stook small squares on dry ground so they shed the rain better.

 

[littletom]

I have had barn fire so a little over the top in caution. I move off the field then let it set several days before I put in barn. We had 2 hay barn fires within a mile of me this spring both had over 200 rolls in them. Don't know the correct answer.

 

[tntblaster11]

I usually leave em for a day in the field if weather is right. Otherwise stack on wagon and park it. If I baled up a little damp.. I'll throw a light layer of salt between each row of bales.. helps draw out moisture.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Moisture test all of my hay before baling and if baled at the correct moisture level I put them in the barn or stack/tarp them asap. If baled a little damp I will leave them outside for a few days and then stack them up.

 

[dun]

Moisture test all of my hay before baling and if baled at the correct moisture level I put them in the barn or stack/tarp them asap. If baled a little damp I will leave them outside for a few days and then stack them up.

We do basicly the same. I check the temp of the hay for a couple of days and when it starts to drop or if it stays low I barn it.

 

[cattle60]

thanks all for the responses. I try to watch about the moisture when I'm baling, only round now, no more squares. I just was wondering about the rounds and the heat in them as I sure wouldn't want to stack and have the whole row to flame up and burn. Also, I had a guy that I sell to for horses say that he needs them later after they have set as the fresh baled have a lot of heat thats bad for the horses. Maybe some that have horses can explain this? Thanks for all the information. :tiphat:

 

[Banjo]

I have had barn fire so a little over the top in caution. I move off the field then let it set several days before I put in barn. We had 2 hay barn fires within a mile of me this spring both had over 200 rolls in them. Don't know the correct answer.

Hay can set a week before it starts killing the grass spot its setting on. Also, when I used to put up hay, I had a compost thermometer that was about 2 foot long. You could stick it in the bale and see if the temperature was going up. If you have a lot of clover in your hay its easy to get up with too much moisture when it actually feels ready to bale. Clover will tend to silage in a bale if its thick, which doesn't hurt it, for cattle anyway.

 

[polledbull]

if it is dry , the same day is fine, the quality of hay can delay drying , good hay dries fast , mix grass not as fast,

 

[jedstivers]

thanks all for the responses. I try to watch about the moisture when I'm baling, only round now, no more squares. I just was wondering about the rounds and the heat in them as I sure wouldn't want to stack and have the whole row to flame up and burn. Also, I had a guy that I sell to for horses say that he needs them later after they have set as the fresh baled have a lot of heat thats bad for the horses. Maybe some that have horses can explain this? Thanks for all the information. :tiphat:

Best thing to do with horse hay is feed it to cattle. Then tell the customer you don't have any "horse hay", all you have is lowly cow hay and there's no way their high quality animals can eat such roughage.

 

[Tim/South]

It depends on the moisture content when baled and also bale density.
With early round balers and fixed chambers, many got by with baling at 20% moisture. With the ability to make more dense rolls of hay, the moisture needs to be down to about what small square bales are.
I have rolled dense bales of Bermuda at 14% moisture and had them heat up to 120 degrees. That is just normal sweating. If I had them stacked tight in a barn with no air flow they would have heated more. Add some clover or any legume into a grass bale and it will show more heat.

 

[Bigfoot]

Isn't hay baled at almost any moisture level going to go through a heat? I can't imagine that you could ever get it dry enough not to.

 

[Tim/South]

Isn't hay baled at almost any moisture level going to go through a heat? I can't imagine that you could ever get it dry enough not to.

All hay is going to go through some change.
Hay is made from a living plant. It will continue to cure after being baled. The hay may not heat up enough to ferment and mold. It will "sweat" or rise in temperature after being baled.