Salting Round Bales Experiment ?

[Stocker Steve]

I bought a moisture tester last year and it told me what I knew- - too wet at times.
I fed a few wet bales, and tried salting a few others, by putting 15 to 20 pounds of mixing salt on top of each bale. They were testing 20 to 24% moisture.
The bales started to warm up but rain washed the salt in after a couple days an they seemed to stabilize. Hay is a little dark colored but not moldy. Cows don't fight for this hay but they do eat it fine.
Obviously rain does not wash through an entire hay bale, and this is not something you would try with a lot of hay, but does it make sense that the salt can be conducted a long ways into a green bale?

 

[Tim/South]

In the past I have salted bales. Not to help them cure but to get the cows to eat them.

 

[pricefarm]

When I was growing up I always helped a old man put up hay in the summer. He grow alfalfa and squared bale all of it about a day to soon before it was dry enough. The bales where so heavy that the strings would bust on a lot of them. When we would out them in the barn we would stack one level then pour salt on that layer then add another layer of hay and so on. Must have worked the barn never burned down and the cows ate that hay all winter.

 

[hillbilly beef man]

When I was growing up I always helped a old man put up hay in the summer. He grow alfalfa and squared bale all of it about a day to soon before it was dry enough. The bales where so heavy that the strings would bust on a lot of them. When we would out them in the barn we would stack one level then pour salt on that layer then add another layer of hay and so on. Must have worked the barn never burned down and the cows ate that hay all winter.

I had an uncle that did the same thing. He never paid much attention to whether the hay was dry or not before he square baled it. Sometimes he would cut it one morning and bale it the next eveing. When we put it in the barn we put down an entire run of bales across the barn, and then he would spread 3 bags of salt on it. Repeat for all layers after that. It must have worked. The barn never burnt down and his cows ate it better than dry hay.

 

[TexasBred]

Sounds like an expensive bad habit.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Sounds like an expensive bad habit.

I've survived a few of those.

 

[Till-Hill]

We used to salt every layer. This year is got cloudy on me and forcast went from 0% to 100% for next day so I baled 2 loads when it was dark. Bales were really heavy and it's a rented barn so I was scared! Then last load got rained on while in wagon too.

Got 2 50# bags loose salt for $12? Put in on 160 little square bales and the feeder calves and bulls just love it. I think I will salt every layer even if it is dry for that little bit of money. Paid $2.50 for some hay this summer if it saves 5 bales I paid for the salt......

 

[quartermeter]

How would the salt make the barn catch fire?? I think the cows ate the salted hay cause they like salt.

 

[TexasBred]

How would the salt make the barn catch fire?? I think the cows ate the salted hay cause they like salt.

Just the opposite. It "supposedly" holds down temperatures inside high moisture bales reducing risk of fire.

 

[ClinchValley]

I have heard many longtime (>30 years) farmers around here mention this practice. I myself have been throwing a couple fist fulls of mineral/salt on top of my round bails prior to feeding. They seem to like it better. As our hay isn't the highest of quality.

I hadn't thought or heard about it helping reduce the risk of fire. That is very, very good to know…


My second thought to this practice is it may help reduce the amount of waste?

 

[talltimber]

My neighbor rolled up some a little wet year before last year I guess, it was in his barn last winter when I was over there visiting. He had a number of salt bags laying around on the hay, with a big slit cut in the top to open the bag up. It was not spread on the hay, bag was just open. He said it would draw moisture out of the air. I assumed to keep the hay from rotting as bad. Idk.

 

[Banjo]

30 years ago my Dad got in a hurry to square bale a field of hay and we filled a barn full of green heavy square bales. A day or two later it burned to ground. I don't guess he believed in salting hay because I never seen him do it.
Fast forward 20 years and I had a neighbor square bale a few loads of hay and it was too heavy. I put it in the barn and stacked it on its edge and salted every layer. I was really worried there for a few days thinking it would catch on fire but it never did. So, I believe.

 

[Petercoates87]

hey guys up here in newfoundland its done. I have never done it myself. but dad talks about when he was young they would put hay in loose and salt it as it went in. being a fishing province getting salt is very easy. but I can see the benefits to it id say the cattle will love it. I know a horse ranch that does it.