KnottyClarence Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 We have had a bad time with the drought, though not as bad as others. My regular hay guy is totally out of hay, and I only got about a 1/4 of what I thought I would off my own fields, not enough. So I bought a load of round bales of hay which is "pretty good" , will hold us through the winter. I have a large tarp. Should I cover the bales, and if so, completely or just the tops? I have been using my hay loft and small squares for the last 10 years, so am not used to dealing with storing hay outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Meier Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 We don't cover ours, they will form a crust over the top that will protect them. But, I would look around your area to see what is done in your climate, might need to be covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cynthia P Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 Depends where you are; we have used both covered and uncovered in Ontario. The ice/snow mix makes it very hard to get the strong off uncovered bales. Covered bales are easier to work with except the cover can be a PITA in the wind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted September 18, 2012 Report Share Posted September 18, 2012 What they said. The important thing is if you are storing them uncovered, make sure to space them out on a dry area of the field, so that the bales have adequate room between bales (we go for 2-3 feet) that there is good air drainage and you won't get moisture perching between bales, which will rot them quickly. Also, of course, store them with a rounded side up and not with the end (flat side) up, or they will rot rather than forming a cap. If you are going to cover, they need to be well-dried on top and sides before you stack (if you are stacking). If you are covering individually, covering just the top sides (upper half) should prevent a lot of loss. Again, though, they should be pretty dry if you are covering. We usually have ours out but if we are able to, we do stack and cover (have a special, huge, heavy tarp and tiedowns) until Ed puts them out on the field in the later fall for feeding to reduce waste. But you do need a heavy-duty tarp that is very well-secured, or you will have it blow. Good luck with the hay - we had to buy a lot in advance because of the drought this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjones Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 In our area we get snow so the round bales get covered. Some of them are in a round top shelter(hoop type nonpermanent building). They work nice as long as you have them anchored down. In the 24ft I can fit 18 4x5 bales and the 20ft 15. I also stack some under big pine trees we have and put a heavy duty tarp on them. The bales get stacked two on the bottom and one on top, tight together. The tarp covers the top and hangs down to about the middle of the bottom bales. I use clothes line and weave that through the gromits and tie off to the anchors. I use the twist in dog tie outs, they are easy to use and work very well even when we've had some strong winds. Samantha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnottyClarence Posted September 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Thanks for the tips. We usually get quite a bit of snow (SE Wisconsin, 30 miles from Lake Michigan), so I think I will try tarping over the top halfs, with space between. Adventure with Bobcat bale spear, here I come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeegirl Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 Apparently our hay will be coming from Canada this year. We had a great first cut then not too much after that. We havn't done round bails for a couple of years. But cover our hay bales 60 at a time during the winter. We cover with an enormous tarp stacked on wood pallets. Seems to keep dry not matter the weather. Our problem used to be mice in the hay. But with a nesting set of red tails no mice. No lyme ticks either. Something to be thankful for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gcv-border Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 I concur with covering the hay. Anything you can do to protect your hay helps retain the nutritional value. Start with storing them on pallets (like frisbeegirl) or big ballast rocks to keep some airflow beneath the bales. Use a good, heavy tarp on top. Depending on how big a tarp, purchase at Lowe's (my last choice), TSC or from FarmTek (my first choice - for the really big hay tarps). Don't buy the cheap blue tarps. I have seen them disintegrate after 2-3 months in the weather. Studies have shown that if you don't store your hay with airflow underneath, the hay loses 30% of their nutritional value because of the rotting bottoms. With hay so expensive, I don't think anyone wants to suffer such large losses. Jovi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted September 19, 2012 Report Share Posted September 19, 2012 If you can come across some used tires they make great weights to hold your tarps down. I've tied the tarp ropes to the tires and let them hang. I'd always opt for covering if I can. Just makes good since to keep things as fresh as we can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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