WFfarm
Well-known member
I was looking for someone who has experience with wrapping dry hay. We mostly put up dry round bales here in NY and store outside for lack of barn space. We use 5 x 6 bales as the surface area/volumn ratio is the lowest with the larger bale. We have the tractors to handle 1200-1500# bales on side hills. I bought a wrapper this summer that just covers the diameter of the bale and did a few dozen including second cutting. Hay was dry (15-18%). I know some people round bale tough hay and don't worry about them because they are outside, but we try to dry down as if we were making square bales going into the mow. We seam to be getting wetter fall weather here and the few layers of plastic wrap helps shed the water.
My questions is about white vs black plastic and condensation under the wrap. I've read that the condensation under the plastic can cause a slimey mold layer and that back plastic will burn that off better with the summer sun? I'm not sure if this is really an issue? We strip off the outer layers for bedding anyway before putting in the feeders. I'm thinking a thin layer of waste on a wrapped bale is better than losing 4-5 inches on a bare bale to the weather. We haven't fed any of these wrapped bales yet, so it be interesting to see how they kept. Beside, I don't see a lot of black plastic available around here.
My questions is about white vs black plastic and condensation under the wrap. I've read that the condensation under the plastic can cause a slimey mold layer and that back plastic will burn that off better with the summer sun? I'm not sure if this is really an issue? We strip off the outer layers for bedding anyway before putting in the feeders. I'm thinking a thin layer of waste on a wrapped bale is better than losing 4-5 inches on a bare bale to the weather. We haven't fed any of these wrapped bales yet, so it be interesting to see how they kept. Beside, I don't see a lot of black plastic available around here.