I use round bales and have been in the practice of setting them outside and tarping them but fighting tarps all winter is increasingly disinteresting to me. Any idea how much hay you lose in say a 4X5 tight wound round bale that's left to sit out?
backhoeboogie":2bvq3f1g said:The ground is the worst part in my opinion. Get the hay up off of the ground and it helps more than the tarp. I am using the old billboard tarps for long term storage with pipes in the side sleeves. They work well. I am using pallets for getting it off of the ground and other folks hate them. Some prefer tires or gravel etc. There's been a lot of discussion on it in this forum as well as tarping and everything else.
Jim62":3o1hrzc3 said:Is that loss the nutritional value from the outer 6" ? They still eat the outer 6", but it's just filler, right? I mean, it's about the same as the junk hay that you normally get when you buy hay.........
ToddFarmsInc":3dqlrk3t said:The best way to eliminate round bale hay spoilage, is to bale the hay in small square bales, and stack them in the barn. ;-)
bandit80":3lgs90r9 said:Agreed, but them square bales don't fit in my hands as well as they used to.
Phil in Tupelo":2osqfxv1 said:Where you are is also a factor. In Mississippi if round hay is stored outside most research indicates a 30% loss of hay and /or quality. Hay doesn't go as far and more supplement is needed to help the cows maintain condition. If you have to purchase it would seem that a barn helps in two ways. First less loss of nutrition and volume. Second if any of the purchased hay is left after feeding season it should be good enough for feeding next year which is a slight head-start on hay needs. If your in it for the long haul, purchase or put up quality hay and are on you own land, I think the hay barn is likely a good investment.