Those without barns/stables how do you store hay

[cob&onion]

As title.
PP for stable, shelter and barn but could take ages, still awaiting to submit and finalising the details!

Normally go for a big round bale and cover with a sheet but it seems to get wet then go mouldy and gets wasted and blown off as can only have it dumped near the gate where its exposed as tractor cant get in the field without churning it up!
Going to try for little bales and lots of pallets against fence line set back from road in sheltered place and buy a heavy duty extra large taupaulin (24x18ft) to cover it up well and secure down with tent pegs..........Hoping to store round 50 - 70 small bales a time as can get them cheap if buying in bulk, am thinking less wastage too than the big round ones.

How do you store yours?

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I have had to store them under tarps before now. With small bales, try and have them go into a ridge at the top-aids drainage and air circulation although you may not save the ones in contact with the tarp. The large sheets of plastic from B&Q are useful in conjunction with tarps as well.

 

[kellybee]

on a vented pallet rather than the ground. Tarp over the top, job done. OR - buy haylage instead which comes shrink wrapped, and only needs opening once you're ready to ue it

 

[buffy2]

Buy the best heavy tarp you can,I lost about 10 bales of hay last weekend,as mine leaked,I've now moved the rest about 30 bales in to the shelter,and put the tarp up like a curtain,so as dopey can't get at it,

 

[Tern]

a shed literally a small garden shed or non-leak greenhouse.. can store lots in there though had to put 10 bales under tarp - bad idea rotted within a week we've lost a total of about 6 bales :/

 

[Highlands]

Old rice trailer holds 35 bales, cheap shed

 

[gingernut81]

I've got large round bales as worked out cheaper for me. I get 2 at a time stored on a pallet with a very heavy duty turp on over and secured by the eyelets with baler twine to the pallet so the hay can breathe under it and not get sweaty and the tarp can't get bliwn off. Either that or you can buy off Robinsons or ebay a proper waterproof bale cover.

 

[dollyanna]

This year's experiment is a polytunnel with another tarp over the top for extra protection. It is in a sheltered area hopefully, will have to see how it copes!

 

[navaho]

How long does a big round one last you? We just stored ours outside, didnt bother covering it, as you found, they tend to go manky. Any rain only penetrates the top layer of hay, we also keep ours on its side, rather than on end. Ours used to last just over a week.

 

[Slightly Foxed]

If you're storing them on pallets with a tarp on top make sure you have some air between the bales and the tarp, eg put a pellet on top of the bales, then the tarp. You need to let the air circulate or the bales will spoil. Otherwise, haylage is good and will probably work out cheaper.

 

[ponydi]

I talk nicely to the man I buy hay from and pay him up front for what I will need for the winter, then collect it in dribs and drabs

 

[WelshD]

I have a hay store but last year I could only get lareg rectangular bale haylage (which was more like wrapped hay) and those wouldnt fit in my store so I had the supplier drop them off the trailer on end (so upright) cut round the top leaving a flap of plastic and took slices off using the flap to cover most of the top and then a tarpaulin weighed down with beer crates over that

if storing small bale hay ob pallets consider using a cheap straw bale on top to keep the tarp away from the bulk of the hay allowing air to circulate

 

[Kallibear]

Pallets, bales stacked with space between them, pallets on top then tarp.

The most important thing is ventilation. I had long planks of wood that held the tarp up out the sides so the 'ends' were open but only the most horizontal rain got to the bales. And flipped the tarp off on any dry days whilst I was riding/poopicking etc.

 

[sandi_84]

We use pallets and tarps too but we tie ours down with rope since last year we tried pegs and they kept getting ripped out of the ground in the wind and the bales got soaked :rollseyes:

 

[cob&onion]

Hmmm hayledge maybe an option. Never fed it before.

 

[Kallibear]

Haylege is def much easier to store! It depends how much you'll use. A large round bale lasts 2big horses, eating adlib with no grass about 7-10 days. A dry bale (which this year's will be) will keep for nearly 3 weeks once opened and kept dry (build a little lean to for it.

 

[Wheels]

Haylage in big rounds for me. The ones not being used don't need to be covered, the one that is used is just recovered with its own wrapping which is tied on with rope, bottom edge sometimes gets wet but that's it really

 

[Jonesy]

I used to have mine on pallets with tarp/large plastic sheeting over the top - worked very well!
Eventually I managed to get hold of a cheap 8x6 metal shed (no base) and store the hay in there on pallets.

 

[D66]

We used a tarp fixed to the gable end of the stables with some oversized cup hooks. hay put on pallets, tarp weighed down with bricks and tent pegs.

 

[McCauley]

Bought an old pony rice trailer from the auction. It was in good nick and road worthy too, good set of tyres on it and with all the lights/brake working now. OH had to do a bit of tweaking with the lights/brakes but it's all good now, so it's a little godsend really as i can fit a large round bale of hay inside with plenty of room in there to store some bedding too. When it's empty, i just hitch it up and go get another bale! Worth every penny to know i have good dry storage for my hay/bedding all year round.