Expert Tips to Consider When Storing Hay

When stored outside on the ground, even the highest-quality hay can suffer up to 30% quality losses and can lead to 40% losses in terms of animal feeding, as per the Hay Storage: Dry Matter Losses and Quality Changes report. This is a clear indication of how essential it is to protect and store hay properly. Ideally, hay should be stored in a hay metal barn that prevents moisture, fire, and mold. Investing in a metal building is a viable option as it will not only protect hay bales from nutritional degradation but also maintain the health of your livestock.

Producing good-quality hay takes a lot of time, effort, and money. Whether it is to feed animals, for their bedding, for grazing purposes, or to sell, contaminated hay would lead to a significant amount of financial damage and wastage. This is precisely why several agriculturists have been resorting to prefabricated metal buildings for the purpose of storing hay.

What Are the Major Tips to Consider for Hay Storage?

Ensure Protection

No matter where you decide to store your hay, it is ideal to design pallets, which are platforms keeping hay away from the ground. This will provide protection from moisture, scorching sun, and strong winds while keeping the hay bales dry. It will also prevent hay from catching mold and losing the nutrition that cattle and horses need. As hay attracts pests, it is ideal to store them in a metal hay barn as they are pest-resistant. These structures also protect hay bales from rainfall or excessive sun exposure, ensuring they remain dry.

Proper Stacking

Hay bales should be stacked properly to enhance air circulation. Whether you choose to store hay in a single stack, mushroom stack, or pyramid stack, it is essential to store them in an area that is less susceptible to moisture. Accounting for heavy rainfall, you should also install a drainage system. Leave gaps between rows of hay bales to avoid any moisture entrapment. The moisture content in hay should be kept under 18 percent. Moreover, there should be at least 2-3 feet of space between the roof of your hay barn building and the bales. The bottom layer of the haystack should always be wider for additional support.Keep a Record

We highly recommend keeping an inventory of your hay bales. Even with high-quality hay stored in a well-built facility, hay tends to lose nutrients and quality after 3 years. If you keep a record, you will know which bales to use first in order to maximize the output of your hay.

Rotate Hay Storage

Continuous rotation is a technique that several farmers use, where you rotate and store hay. In this, the most recently produced hay should be at the back of the bale, whereas older hay should be at the front. This is usually done to minimize any hay wastage. It is also necessary that you keep a constant check on the newer hay too, in order to protect it from mold. It is wise to remove any mold that forms over hay to avoid severe contamination.

Types of Hay Bales

How you store hay depends upon the kind of bales you decide to opt for. To store dry hay, you should opt for denser bales with low moisture. As per experts, the denser the bale, the lower the amount of any spoilage. You should only opt for large round bales if you have enough cattle to feed because these are likely to spoil within a week. Otherwise, you should opt for small square bales.

Storage Area

A hay barn building with a width of 30 to 40 feet, length of 60 to 80 feet, and height of 14 to 16 feet can easily house 500 large round bales or 2000 small square bales. For square bales, at least 10 to 15 feet are required for every ton, whereas 16 to 24 square feet are required for round bales. There should be at least a 2-foot distance between bales when stored side by side and a 3-foot distance between rows of hay bales.

What Is The Ideal Hay Storage Solution, Then?

Outdoor hay storage is one of the least preferred methods for preserving hay bales due to several factors, including a high risk of moisture exposure. There are a lot of advantages to using an indoor space for hay storage, and you should ensure that the space you choose is durable, long-lasting, and weather-resistant. A few more things to look for when storing hay, are:

• Ventilation: The structure should have proper ventilation equipment and windows to ensure continuous airflow, preventing moisture or mold buildup. Especially in regions with high humidity, these elements are highly advantageous.
• Temperature control: Monitoring the temperature of the hay barn regularly is a great preventative measure. To check the temperature within the hay bales, you can also use a long-stem thermometer. Ideally, hay should be stored below 100°F. You should opt for a prefabricated barn that allows you to easily control the temperature and moisture within the structure.
• Custom storage for different hay types: There are numerous types of hay, including alfalfa, Timothy hay, grass, or oat hay, among many others. Each type of hay is likely to have different storage needs. Pick a hay barn that will let you personalize the structure to get ample space to easily store multiple kinds of hay by customizing partitions for each.
• Reduced fire danger: Hay is highly combustible. Hence, you should look for a hay barn that is highly fire-resistant and will protect your hay from catching fire. Moreover, the structure should allow for proper insulation to that it can be kept cool and dry.

Choosing the right storage structure is essential; it should meet your hay storage needs and maintain the quality of your hay. However, even with indoor storage solutions, you should properly store your hay following the above-mentioned expert tips.