Round hay bales are absolutely massive; even the smallest bales are very large.
With a behemoth roll of hay that weighs nearly twice as much as your favorite horse, it can be incredibly hard to store them.
Here’s how you should store your bales to keep them safe and sound throughout the winter, while making it easier to feed your animals!
The Best Way to Store Round Hay Bales
First, let’s talk about the most idealistic way to store those big round bales, then we’ll dig into more convenient tips and tricks for the average homesteader.
(A.K.A: the other 99.9% of us.)
In a perfect world, round bales are stored in temperature controlled barns on a dry, hard floor. There is no humidity to encourage rot, and an electric ventilation system keeps the air moving and the dust to a minimum. The bales never come into contact with moisture from rain or leaks, and common pests such as mice don’t have an opportunity to leave behind their waste within the bales.
When it comes time to move the bales, a large tractor outfitted with a hay spike easily lifts and moves a bale, much like a baker carriers a fine loaf of sourdough to the counter.
This just isn’t how it’s going to work on a traditional homestead though, so let’s move along….
Storing Round Bales… for the Average Homesteader & Farmer
For the rest of us, a temperature controlled barn with a highly efficient ventilation system is not only out of the question; it also seems to defeat the purpose of homesteading.
Therefore, let’s store those bales in a more reasonable, affordable, and simpler way. For the beginning or frugal homesteader, you might find that a tractor or barn is still not within your reach- don’t worry, we’ve got it all covered in the next segment!
Many homesteaders keep their hay within a barn; if you will be keeping the round bales inside of a barn, make sure that the flooring is either solid concrete or a very thick layer of gravel. The hay should never contact soil.
When adding bales, drop them from the tractor so that they may stand end on end; stack a second layer in this fashion. This helps to maximize vertical space while minimizing ground contact.
Bales should be stored in an area of the barn that is easy for your tractor to access, with a minimal amount of animal traffic. You do not want animals accessing stored hay, as they may ruin it with their waste.
Be sure that the roof of the barn is in good repair, and that water will not gain access to your bales.
Storing Your Round Bales Safely and Securely as a New Homesteader
We all start somewhere, and there is nothing wrong with not having a tractor or a barn yet!
Many homesteaders do just fine without either of these, even though they make many chores far easier.
The important part is that you’re taking care of your family with what you produce with your own two hands, which is one of the most admirable things an individual can do in the age of convenience.
Now, let’s get creative!
Since we’re not working with a barn or tractor, it is clear that we need storage space. If you want to keep your bales 100% protected from the rain, purchase some large, heavy duty tarps that will cover the bale. This will keep the rain out, so that you don’t have to figure out what to do with a wet or molded bale of hay.
Next, you want to build a small platform for the bale. You could do this with wood, pavers, concrete, cement blocks, and so much more. You want any runoff to go around the platform during heavy rain.
When the hay is delivered, request that the bale be dropped onto the platform. Simply cover the bale with the tarps, secure the tarps to the platform to keep water from entering the platform, and you’re finished!
When it comes time to feed the hay to the animals, you can always use a pitchfork to gather the hay that is needed for the day, leaving the rest of the bale dry and secure.
Storing Bulk Round Bales Outdoors
If you need a guaranteed method for keeping bulk hay dry (more than 15 round bales), you will need a large barn.
You can store round bales outside, but you will need to carefully secure each bale with waterproof plastic. Plastic may rip or tear, and you may not notice this if you are storing dozens of bales for winter use.
If a bale becomes wet, it will mold; this will render it useless for horses, pigs, rabbits, and goats. I only recommend storing cattle hay outside, as they are able to tolerate mold far more easily.
If the hay isn’t for feed use and you intend on using it for the garden, it’s the easiest to store of all:
Just leave it on the ground in the elements without cover, it’ll still be there when they garden’s ready.