# what to do...



## Nightside (Nov 11, 2012)

You could always handpick it? Sort the good from the bad if it isn't too far gone. Stuff like that is sold as cow hay for half the price, basically something for cows to chew on over winter to keep them from starving to death.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BCtazzie (Jun 7, 2011)

it's beyond cattle feed, by my standards. Not to shoot you down but, I don't really have time (or equipment right now) to pick though 30 large bales stacked in a "fire" position to see what could be good. 

They are in a pretty rough shape, falling apart etc etc.




Nightside said:


> You could always handpick it? Sort the good from the bad if it isn't too far gone. Stuff like that is sold as cow hay for half the price, basically something for cows to chew on over winter to keep them from starving to death.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


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## secuono (Jul 6, 2011)

Fill low lying areas with it, pile it around your house to get water to run away. Build a garden and use it as mulch. There's a ton of stuff you can do with it.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

I don't know what the statutes or laws are around there, but here I would burn it.


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

Roll it into a ditch, roll it to the end of the pasture or against the tree line.
They eventually will biodegrade.


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## BCtazzie (Jun 7, 2011)

Sadly burning wouldn't work too well, it will just smolder for weeks on end. it is that far gone. rolling wouldn't work either due to the "shape" of the bales, I dare say they have been there for 3-4 years.

The property doesn't have any low areas we need/ want to fill in and the garden will only be so big.

Has anyone every covered this crap with top soil? did it settle ok over time?


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## Clayton Taffy (May 24, 2011)

Rent a bobcat and push them. You need to separate them they will degrade faster thar way.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

BCtazzie said:


> it's beyond cattle feed, by my standards. Not to shoot you down but, I don't really have time (or equipment right now) to pick though 30 large bales stacked in a "fire" position to see what could be good.
> 
> They are in a pretty rough shape, falling apart etc etc.


Forget your standards and contact the local cattle breeders. It can be chopped for haylage or bedding.


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## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

Probably too late if you're already on the inspection, but you could have put removal of the hay bales as one of the conditions of sale during the bidding process. That's what DH and I ended up doing for an old, defunct hot tub that was in the backyard of the house we bought, and we're very glad we did because it was a PITA for the owner to get out as it was put in before the fence. He would have had to rent a crane to get it out intact, but since it had no resale value, he ended up chopping it up and taking it out in pieces.

Assuming you're too far to use that option, you'll need to spread it apart somewhere out of the way to decompose. Or you might try putting an ad up on Craigslist- people will show up to take anything if it's free


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## Critter sitter (Jun 2, 2012)

mls said:


> Forget your standards and contact the local cattle breeders. It can be chopped for haylage or bedding.


 that would my vote too


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## Coyote (Oct 23, 2010)

Make some of them into a U shape, spread the others on the ground inside of it, throw the manure on it and start a jumbo compost heap to be sold/used later as fertilizer.


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## GallopingGuitarist (Jan 8, 2013)

If you let them rot into the ground, you'll have the best grass ever! A guy I knew ended have a stack of round bales (two high) go bad and never got around to burning/moving them. They rotted into the ground and he said that the grass was incredibly thick and tall in that area. 
We did this sort of thing on purpose with our cows with what we call bale grazing. We fed the bales out in the field in a grid, via electric fence. Two years later that area was 4 feet high in grass and alfalfa. The pasture was a 20+ year stand of alfalfa. It works wonders.


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## Koolio (Apr 7, 2010)

Congratulations on your new property! I grew up in at area and imagine it is beautiful.

I wouldn't burn it unless you have access to lots of water, lots of time to watch it, and open space. You could move it out of the way, spread it and let it compost. Eventually, I would till it into the soil if you can. Otherwise, maybe check to see if there is a mushroom farm anywhere nearby that might take it. That is, if you think the bales can be picked up and moved.

When we moved to our acreage, the neighbour had about 30 rotten squares piled on our property. He moved them to a clearing on his land and burned them while there was snow on the ground. They burned for quite a few days...


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## Jim Andy (Jan 21, 2013)

I myself would let it compost then spread it on my pastor it will really build up the ground.Congrats on you new place I pray you have a wonderful life there.


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