Storing hay outside?

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crystalclear

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Hi all

Just wanted your ways of how you store lots of bales of hay outside, the small bales. We used to out hay on pallets then cover with tarp but we lost so many bales last year with that even with using lots of tarp. So does anyone have any cheap alternatives, or ways of building lean tos or other solutions?

Thanks in advance
 
Pallets and tarp would have been my suggestion - but clearly doesn't work! What about one of those metal shipping containers? No idea on cost but would keep it dry - you'd just have to open it regularly to let air circulate.
 
If the stack is properly made and the sheet tightly secured, you should not be losing bales. There is a technique to stacking bales so they tie themselves together. Also, your bales should be good and tight and twice as long as they are wide. You need a pitched "roof" so water does not puddle on the sheet but runs off. If the wind gets under the sheet, it will tear.

There is quite a lot on the Internet on storing hay outside, just Google. I'm looking at mocking something up similar to "bale bonnets" for 4x4 rounds this year as from what I've read, wastage is minimal if the top half of the bale is covered and they are on pallets. I had a lot of wastage last year because I left them uncovered on the ground. The previous year they were in rows, not touching and not covered but on pallets and wastage was acceptable.

Don't know if this helps....

http://www.profitablefarming.co.uk/tarpaulin-information-installation-video/
 
We have stored hay on pallets, but we always support the tarpaulin so its not touching the hay We use to but a couple of pallets on the floor then bang posts in at the corners and the middle. Then we put some pieces of wood across from each post just banging a nail through wood into top of stake to keep them in place then a few pieces going across, this then supports the tarpaulin we use to try to get it so was sloping one way so water didn't lay top, you can also put some strips of wood round the sides all helps to keep tarp off the hay. Hope this all makes sense to you :-)
 
Barn outside with (No leaking) good quality roof, should be open at the sides and you can put tarp where there is open bits, but the top of tarp should be closed completely, bottom, have a few gaps so wind can get in but NOT rain, unless your upside down i don't think rain travels up ;)


I'm bad at explaining so sorry if i confuse you
 
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Thanks for your replies so far - i looked online but didnt come up with much, maybe i was using the wring keywords will try again. We stored hay outside from August/September until march ish time possibly even longer. We buy it off the field so I know it needs to then be stacked not so tight together to let the air through. I think it's because we get it off the field and have to keep it so long. Some of the ideas above sound good especially the wood frame around the hay. I think this is some of the trouble it was touching the hay and getting wet on the inside corners somehow. Then it was really windy and blew some of the taro as it was such a large pile of hay bales so hard to look after. Contemplating a lean to just with a roof. One side links to a building and the other two sides is hedge so could put tarp along the sides...? Interested in learning how to ask properly mind
 
What about making the stack so it has straw around the outside - like a hay version of a baked alaska? Then tarp over the top, straw bales will let it breath and will be the damaged ones if there is a leak.
 
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