Giant bale of hay got soaked last night

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GeorgeyGal

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There's no point covering it now is there as thought if I stick tarp over it surely it would just contain heat with the wet and encourage fermentation? So just use ASAP and keep uncovered would you say, carefully checking for heat from within?
 
Not sure if we are talking the same thing, but we have "big rounds" here that are usually rolled out to feed to cattle. The bales themselves, often live outside until they are fed out, and it doesn't seem to cause any problems because they don't really get wet inside the bale, unless they are baled wet.

I use them to feed my horses - the bale just gets dumped in the paddock and the wrapping around the outside keeps it together like a sort of trough, as the horses eat it from the middle. Works a treat.
 
Yep that's what I was thinking, those round bales stay out in all weathers don't they. It's actually a giant bale I've got so about 12 small bales in 1, is currently out of the wind but no roof so is now wet.
 
Depends if it was standing up or on its side. On it's side it acts like a thatched roof, most of the water runs off, but stood up the water gets in the middle. I bought a couple years ago, they were wrapped because I didn't have anywhere inside to use them from. Even though I was using one up in a week or less it still rotted from the centre. If that's the case, as you say, use up what you can and throw out any warm or smelly bits.
 
Maybe it was baled a bit damp? It takes my four horses four weeks to munch their way though one, and it just stays out the whole time. I've not had one go off, but have had one that had white mould in the middle from having been baled too early.
 
NZJenny said:
Not sure if we are talking the same thing, but we have "big rounds" here that are usually rolled out to feed to cattle. The bales themselves, often live outside until they are fed out, and it doesn't seem to cause any problems because they don't really get wet inside the bale, unless they are baled wet.

I use them to feed my horses - the bale just gets dumped in the paddock and the wrapping around the outside keeps it together like a sort of trough, as the horses eat it from the middle. Works a treat.
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Risky method, the white nylon netting has killed horses.
 
Don't cover it. I do this all the time. Unless you only have one mini Shetland eating it, you will use it before there is ever a problem. Covering will rot it. I never cover bales and have done it with one 14hh pony getting through a bale by itself with no problems (adlib but forked into a feeder off the exposed bale).
 
JillA said:
Depends if it was standing up or on its side. On it's side it acts like a thatched roof, most of the water runs off, but stood up the water gets in the middle. I bought a couple years ago, they were wrapped because I didn't have anywhere inside to use them from. Even though I was using one up in a week or less it still rotted from the centre. If that's the case, as you say, use up what you can and throw out any warm or smelly bits.
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This ^^^^^.

As an experiment, I covered the top third of some net wrapped big round 4x4 hay bales with plastic sheeting and left some uncovered. Both batches were stacked on their sides on pallets. The uncovered ones are as good as the ones with the plastic cover. Humidity condenses under the plastic and causes the hay to rot even worse than if it had ben left exposed. The biggest losses were from bales left in contact with the ground, so I always put them on their sides on pallets or old tyres or something or they will draw water up from the ground like a wick. I haven't tried stacking them upright because, as JillA says, the water would just penetrate into the centre of the bale.
 
I leave them out like that for 3-4 weeks and peel hay off the outside every day and its never been an issue. I don't bother with a pallet either just stick it on the grass and I did it last year which was the wettest year ever!
 
FfionWinnie said:
I leave them out like that for 3-4 weeks and peel hay off the outside every day and its never been an issue. I don't bother with a pallet either just stick it on the grass and I did it last year which was the wettest year ever!
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By the end of last winter, I'd lost up to 50% of all the bales stored directly on the ground outside due to them soaking up water and rotting. The tops were mostly alright except for the outside 3-4 inches. And that is on well drained sand.

3-4 weeks might be OK but I'll be interested to hear what you are saying in March! Even a couple of bales stored inside on an earth floor got spoilt on the bottom, only slightly less so on a concrete floor but those with a plastic sheet under them did OK.
 
Always best if possible to store either big or first course of a stack of small bales of hay on to a pallet keeps it off the ground and helps air to circulate
 
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