Hay under tarp is hot!

kellybee

kellybee

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Okay so we had hay delivered last week but we had to throw a tarp over it before we could bring it all in and it rained heavy that night so with the wheelbarrow unable to plow through the slop iv left it as is. Today i went to pull a bale off the top and was surprised to find it was very hot to touch in tge middle and smells like haylage! Iv thrown the top bales on the muck heap but am wondering, is it still safe for them to eat it?? Its not mouldy, but they all left the dry hay and made a beeline for it.

I shut them in the top paddock for the night so they cant eat it but i dont know if i should worry or not...

Any ideas??
 
Yes its on the muck heap now and what was underneath is in the middle of the hard standing with a new tarp over it (on pallets).
 
I had this with a bale of hay and used it anyway, as I was soaking first I figured anything that was there would be soaked out of it. Didn't cause any upset tummies in the two that had it
 
if you can break open the warm bales and store them someplace dry to dry out they will be ok its just they have been sweating under the tarp after getting wet

i would very much doubt they would combust
 
As per hic, but on a serious note please be very very careful as it may mean the haystack is burning in the middle and may spontaneously combust.

we were extremely lucky not to lose our horses and our stables to this phenomenon a few years ago when a haystack behind the stable block went up in flames after a heavy shower followed by some slightly warmer weather. We were saved only by it fully igniting mid-morning when somebody happened to be around to see it spark.

It really does happen so if in doubt get the fire brigade out - especially if you have it stacked anywhere near buildings!
 
Thanks guys, its only 20 bales on the car park and its a good 500yds from any kind of building. I might just spread it about the field and let them eat it at their leisure then rather than waste 25 bales. Muchly appreciated!
 
I lost 4 rounds of hay this year in similar circumstances. I opened up all the bales, rescues what u could from them and chucked about 2/3 of each round. Have always kept hay like this and this has never happened. :( such a shi ty year :(
 
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