hay storage question

[plbcattle]

I know several people that will argue to store hay inside vs keeping it outside. The cost for a barn big enough to cover 400 bales, does it pay to build this vs just keeping them outside and feeding a little more hay due to spoilage. I am tossing the idae around about a pole barn vs portable metal awnings that can be moved(30x50) 14 ft high. the cost are similar but I wonder just how much hay you lose keeping the hay outside.

 

[Bez]

Well, it mostly comes down to money.

We have a lot of rain and still store all our hay outside. We get lots of "outside waste" but until it becomes affordable / we win the lottery / inherit a big sum of money / whatever - it will stay outside.

Hundreds of round bales requires a pretty big cover even if stacked 3 high. So we just lay them out on the ground in rows and feed as required.

Now, would I like to cover them? You bet! But it is a money issue. If you think it is affordable and so on - then go for it. You will see an improvement in your quality.

Even if you have most of the materials on hand - as we do - trees to lumber - the thoughts of putting up a building or a covered area that is at least 60 feet wide and 250 feet long is cost prohibitive for us. That is about what we would need to cover all the hay we use.

The flip side is that if we did have this covered area we would be able to hold hay over longer should we not use it all during the winter. That would come in handy if we had a bad year and ran short on hay to harvest.

For what you seem to require, why not go with one of those greenhouse style shelters - cheap - lasts a few years and the plastic can be replaced for little cost?

What size of bale are you using - small ones? 400 bales if stacked 3-4 high - how many awnings to cover it - one certainly will not do it.

JMO

Bez

 

[certherfbeef]

Neighbor tried one of those tent barns. Wasn't up 2 months and one of them 50mph wind storms we get took it for a ride. Not too cost efficient there.

 

[houstoncutter]

I am on the coastline of Texas. We get huge amounts of rain, not to cover my hay would be foolish. We use the tarps that have a sleeve down the side of them so you can put a piece of pipe in em. Then you tie the tarp down. These have gone through one small hurricane and many tropical storms over the years... So far they have been foolproof, and have saved huge amounts of hay. We use the size that lets us cover 80 rounds at a time. The last time i purchased some I think they were 285 dollars, a piece

 

[SF]

I am on the coastline of Texas. We get huge amounts of rain, not to cover my hay would be foolish. We use the tarps that have a sleeve down the side of them so you can put a piece of pipe in em. Then you tie the tarp down. These have gone through one small hurricane and many tropical storms over the years... So far they have been foolproof, and have saved huge amounts of hay. We use the size that lets us cover 80 rounds at a time. The last time i purchased some I think they were 285 dollars, a piece

Where can one get these tarps?

 

[dun]

The tarps we use are called "Hay-Gard" and are available from Cowco, Inc. in IN.

http://www.mfgspotlight.com/view_ad.cfm?Ad_dealrcode=8123468993

Here's a link to the manufacturer:
http://www.haygard.com/

We use a bed of a couple of inches of 2 inch rock and put the bales on theat with the tar over them. The thing I've noticed is that the hay smells exactly the same after a year as it did when putting it up.

dun

 

[plbcattle]

I was thinking of putting gravel down and using those tarps. I could probably do all I need for under a grand. if I were to build a barn it would probably be closer to ten grand
dun, can you stack them 2 high and still use the tarp. does the tarp with the shiny silver really work to keep moisture down as opposed to a regular tarp.

 

[SF]

I went to their web site. They have different sizes. Even have a slide show with instructions. They even have one large enough to go 3 high

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

I was thinking of putting gravel down and using those tarps. I could probably do all I need for under a grand. if I were to build a barn it would probably be closer to ten grand
dun, can you stack them 2 high and still use the tarp. does the tarp with the shiny silver really work to keep moisture down as opposed to a regular tarp.

Try 20 grand.....if you build one big enough for anything...and do the work yourself. I built one for 24 grand,concrete foundation all the way around,no slab, 120 ft long and 40 ft wide with a 10 foot overhang all the way down on both sides (for a lounging area).no matter how big you build them,at some point you will wish it was bigger!

;-) :cboy: [/img]

 

[SPRINGER FARMS MURRAY GRE]

Another view,from inside. All steel. :cboy: [/img]

 

[Bez]

Lovely pic. Just needs a few head of livestock to finish it off.

120 X 40 with 10 feet of overhang. Does that mean it covers 60 feet wide by 120 long?

Or do you use the interior 20 feet for storage and the exterior 10 per side as animal cover?

I know what you mean about wishing for more - my shop is 80 X 40 and I need at least an additional 160 feet in length to cover the things I need to cover - never happen in my life time! :D

Once again - great pic

Bez

 

[dun]

dun, can you stack them 2 high and still use the tarp. does the tarp with the shiny silver really work to keep moisture down as opposed to a regular tarp.

Depending on the tarp you can stack them 3 high. The thing I ike about these hay-gard deals is that it allows the hay to breath. Solid tarps the hay seems to get kind of musty. They shed both rain and snow. They're kind of a semi-open weave type of material, but multiple layers.

dun

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Also, if you can't/don't have any cover - net wrap dry hay will hold up MUCH better than twine wrapped. Reseach now says it is COST effective to net wrap vs twine. Net costs more but takes less time to wrap, less waste when wrapping, and sheds water.
We use it and the research I just read yesterday didn't mention another benefit - it sure is a LOT easier to take off when the bales are frozen. Most of our hay is put up Baleage so we don't need storage for that, but the few dry 2nd cut bales get net wrap. Ones we're feeding now were put up in August & they MAY have 1/4 to 1/2 inch crust on top - but that's it. The rest is just like fresh barn hay.

 

[El_Putzo]

Also, if you can't/don't have any cover - net wrap dry hay will hold up MUCH better than twine wrapped. Reseach now says it is COST effective to net wrap vs twine. Net costs more but takes less time to wrap, less waste when wrapping, and sheds water.
We use it and the research I just read yesterday didn't mention another benefit - it sure is a LOT easier to take off when the bales are frozen. Most of our hay is put up Baleage so we don't need storage for that, but the few dry 2nd cut bales get net wrap. Ones we're feeding now were put up in August & they MAY have 1/4 to 1/2 inch crust on top - but that's it. The rest is just like fresh barn hay.

Not trying to start an argument here, but 2 years ago when we were looking for a new baler and trying to decide on the netwrap, University of MO did a study on netwrap and it's benefits and if I remember correctly their study showed only an additional 2%-3% hay spoilage when comparing netwrapped bales to twine wrapped bales with a twine spacing of 2 inches. So, rather than opting for the netwrap, we just got the twine and on the bales that sit outside we wrap them on 2 inch spacing and the bales that are going in our 40 x 60 barn get the minimum amount of twine. I did a search but I can't find a link to the study. JMHO.

 

[mwj]

Also, if you can't/don't have any cover - net wrap dry hay will hold up MUCH better than twine wrapped. Reseach now says it is COST effective to net wrap vs twine. Net costs more but takes less time to wrap, less waste when wrapping, and sheds water.
We use it and the research I just read yesterday didn't mention another benefit - it sure is a LOT easier to take off when the bales are frozen. Most of our hay is put up Baleage so we don't need storage for that, but the few dry 2nd cut bales get net wrap. Ones we're feeding now were put up in August & they MAY have 1/4 to 1/2 inch crust on top - but that's it. The rest is just like fresh barn hay.

My experiance with netwrap has been the same :D The only down side is disposig of the wrap. We usualy put out a weeks worth of hay at a time turned on end, then just cut the wraps as needed. Its nice to only start the tractor once in cold weather!
your friend
Mike

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

University of MO did a study on netwrap

The article I just read was according to Univ of Neb.
"Net-wrapping round bales is not cheap, but it offers advangtages that can save hay producers money & time -- net-wrap reduces harvest losses that occur when bales are spinning & being wrapped by twine by close to 1%. NW also results in less storage loss because such bales shed more water & the biggest savings of all may be in twine. Net wrapping takes only a couple of turns per bale, while 15-30 turns ae needed for twine tying."

No argument from me. Just what works for us.

 

[CattleAnnie]

We checked out the pros and cons of the net wrapping for bales a couple of years ago and decided to stay with sisal. We figured it would be far easier to remove the twine when the bales are frozen than the net mesh.

Anyone here using the net that feeds in frozen and snowy climates?

Take care.

 

[dun]

I alwasy found twine/string to be easier to get off then net when it's iced over. I cur the string and if it's icey just tie it off to the tractor and drive slowly away.
We burn all of the twine, but the net we keep and dump into erosion prone areas and dump rock on it.

dun

 

[jkwilson]

Cutting frozen netting off of bales is no fun. Especially if the bottom of the bale is wet, making a rock hard area at the bottom. Even though it doesn't stay below freezing all winter here, a good cold spell can leave the bottoms of the bales frozen even after it warms up. I buy most of my hay, and when my supplier gave me an option, I went with sisal.
A few years ago, I got a piece of poly twine wrapped around my foot on a rainy night . Not too big a deal until my 2400 lb bull got the other end wrapped around his foot. Hopping along on one foot, in the mud, holding my flashlight under my arm, trying to reach the twine with my knife was nothing like fun, and I didn't really appreciate how dangerous it was and how stupid I was to let the situation get there until I was back in the house.
That said, I store about half of my round bales inside, and the other half in a three high pyramid stack with tarps. If I couldn't cover them, I'd go with net.

 

[docgraybull]

We store all of our hay outside. Have been using the net wrap for 3 or 4 years. Like it real well. Costs $1 per bale more that twine. Agree that it is a pain when the bale is iced over, but twine was a pain then also. Spoilage seems less, though I don't have any scientific study to back that up. We burn the wrap when done with it. That said, I wish we had a barn to store all of it in.