# Do you rotate where you store hay?



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

I was going to get some more hay bales so I went to clear out the spot where I've been storing hay for the last year. It sits on a pallet in one of the driest parts of the barn, which has a dirt floor. I decided to really clean it out, and I was very unhappy to find that there was a lot of damp moldy hay and bedding on the floor -- no wonder the horses hadn't been too enthusiastic about the hay lately. Some of the spots were just matted damp piles of bedding and decomposing hay, and there was obvious mold in a couple of places (I think this was all left over from the flooding we had this month). So I cleaned it out really thoroughly and sprinkled diatomaceous earth on it and decided to leave it for a few days to dry out, and put the hay there next time.

It just made me wonder if anyone ever rotates where they store hay. I guess most people probably have a dry spot, but would it make sense if you had room to rotate where you keep it, so you could really clean out and dry one spot before using it again?

My future barn has concrete floors and I will be using pallets there as well, but I'm still worried about possible dampness and I'm wondering if trying to rotate where I keep it might help.


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## Palfrey (May 29, 2020)

Are you still planning on building your future barn or is it already built?


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## TrainedByMares (Jun 5, 2021)

I found out the hard way not to store hay on a stone floor or concrete. Even on pallets . When I had no choice but to stack it on concrete, I put it on a plastic truck bedliner in a corner and leaned it up against wood walls. The best way to store hay is a barn with a wooden floor and good ventilation. Now that I have that, I've never had hay go bad.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Palfrey said:


> Are you still planning on building your future barn or is it already built?


It's already built. It has concrete floors throughout and is on a good foundation. I didn't see any indications of water problems when we were out there last year.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

TrainedByMares said:


> I found out the hard way not to store hay on a stone floor or concrete. Even on pallets .


Well, it can't be worse than storing on dirt floors, surely.


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## Morgan.taylor (Sep 1, 2020)

I unfortunately don’t have the luxury of buying bulk so i try to pull my pallets and clean them out and rake up the old hay when i get new hay, i probably try to do this once a month.


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

I don't think you even need pallets exactly - why not just use beams or anything really that just creates a gap. One lady used old telephone poles, chopped pieces ofc) as "pallets". But yeah no matter where I've been hay directly on the ground never went well and were better when stacked that every few columns/sections had a break. These barns only could store enough hay for quarter year so might be different for a years total supply?


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Concrete sweats and hay stored even on pallets draws that moisture into the bottom layers. Putting down tarps doesn't really help. Mine is stored on a flatbed with wood floor. Pallets on top for air flow and a ladder across the top to keep air flow across the top as well. Never have had a problem. Only other storage that worked was a wood floor on pier and beam under a roof with a sliding type barn door and the space next to it that had been leveled and sanded with clay city tile (looks like cinder block but impervious to water) set for ventilation and pallets on top of that. We extended the roof and dropped tarps down the open two sides.


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## ksbowman (Oct 30, 2018)

My small bales are stored on pallets on a gravel floor with excellent ventilation on all sides. I store a hundred bales at a time and never have it get moldy. It is in my barn and I do pickup the pallets when I have used them and completely clean up the area before more bales are brought in. My large round bales are all net rapped and kept outside and separated with good ventilation between them. Never had any problems this way.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

I store a truck and trailer load at a time. I have the hay stacked on heavy pallets, no gaps, takes a small tractor to move these pallets that were used in a shipping container. I lucked out and got them. We pull the pallets out and scrape away old hay. I rarely find molded hay . this is done once a year. We take the old hay and put in the pasture. If it is molded it goes into the dump trailer. I get hay once per year. It has a large cover and the pallets sit on dirt.


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## TrainedByMares (Jun 5, 2021)

Good ventilation and airflow must be the key if storing it on the ground. I still really like my wood floor bank barn. I can worry about other things , not is the hay going moldy again.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

When I used to do just squares, they were stored in the loft, even with a hay elevator, that was a boat load of work getting them up there! Never a problem with moisture or anything, hay stayed perfect. The barn floor is deep gravel, that's were the round bales are stacked, again no problem with moisture.


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## CaliforniaDreaming (May 8, 2011)

I have to buy hay every 6 weeks or so. Self-care and all. My hay shed is pretty decently sized in total, but the tack side isn't accessible on the hay side (which I actually like because I never ever get hay all over my saddle pads or anything since there's a separate door).

I usually clean up any of the loose hay under the oversized pallet I store it on every couple of loads or so (and smash all the spiders while screaming incoherently ... don't get me wrong, I like spiders outside catching flies, but there's NIOTHING in that shed for them). I technically don't need a pallet, since it's a good solid wood floor (raised, but built into the slope of the hill behind it) but I think it keeps things neater.

Getting hay next week, but not picking the pallet up to sweep because I've still got bales on it for some reason.


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## Palfrey (May 29, 2020)

ACinATX said:


> It's already built. It has concrete floors throughout and is on a good foundation. I didn't see any indications of water problems when we were out there last year.


Well, darn. I was going to suggest building a hay loft. That's really the best place for hay. My experience is that hay stored at ground level becomes moldy and attracts rodents.


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## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

About the best way to store hay is to put down a base layer of hay you care nothing about. You're never going to feed it, it's just a base layer. Then, you can stack hay on top of that base for years and never have a problem with it drawing moisture. The base layer in my barn has been there since the mid 1960's. I have stacked and stored hay on it every year since and no problems at all.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I watched a new round roll barn being prepared for storage of hundreds of rolls...
The base was raised about 12" above grade, layers of limestone road base applied and rolled, rinse and repeat...
Then a layer many inches thick of hay taken from the hay field was laid down....
Then the fresh new rolls were brought in and stacked think it was 6 - 8 high under the roof.
Hundreds of rolls maybe more...it was a lot!!
Thought they would never sell that many rolls and was wrong...
Now empty I saw the last layer of rolls removed and sold, loaded on the special trailers for rolls...
What was on the bottom I expected to be discolored and worse...nope.
Hay rolls looked as good top as bottom and it just sat on that elevated base and then the padded layer of hay.
So...IDK.

I keep my square bales in a empty stall...10 - 20 bales at most.
I feed primarily round rolls but only expose the roll when weather is good and favorable as wet hay, humidity and horses do not mix well.
My stall base is dirt...raised 8" above grade of the rest of the barn.
Then we put down pallets, then stack the hay.
Because I do not store a years worth, only maybe 6 weeks at most it may make a difference.
When we finish the squares we lift and rake out all pieces that fell through and we feed it...the horses bicker to see who gets to eat the most so it must be good as they leave the other hay for this stuff...
We rotate our bales so oldest bales are used first if leftover when the new bales arrive...
My hay does not get moldy, smelly or adversely react to being suspended a few inches above the ground but has airflow around, under and above just by how it is stacked at all times.
We place 3 boards across the top of the pile then tarp and use 2 boards placed opposite direction to secure the tarp so again, airflow is allowed and encouraged.
My hay has gone through hurricanes with 14" rain fallen amounts and no bad happened...the secret I think is making above grade so it is going to take a lot more to get moisture to it...

No, concrete and bales directly on it does *not* work...concrete is porous always and weeps forever so yes, where you place your bales they will suck moisture through the cured concrete into the bales...know that from having my horses as a kid in a old chicken coop and storing hay by the ton...always on top of heavy wood pallets {they were solid oak pallets come to think of it}..
My hay guy stacked the bales criss-cross design, 5 high.
We had a huge barn {commercial chicken coop repurposed} to use...so often I had 10 - 15 tons of hay stored for all the friends/neighbors. They came and got theirs as needed...we just stored.
Some of that hay was stored on thick, thick "beds" of old hay ...I do remember that and my fear of fire because so much was laying around..
_My sister has a great memory and gave me details I forgot..my thanks to her.._  

I found you this about barn construction, maintaining of and hay stored....
*What is the proper way to stack hay?*
*Always stack hay with cut side down*. That means the strings will always be on the side of the bale when you look at the stack. Not only does this deter mice from gnawing on the strings of the bale, it also allows moisture to run down through the stack to the bottom layer.








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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Palfrey said:


> Well, darn. I was going to suggest building a hay loft. That's really the best place for hay. My experience is that hay stored at ground level becomes moldy and attracts rodents.


It has a hay loft. But it's been converted into a working area, with lots of windows and skylights and stairs that go up there. I was thinking about splitting that space and using half of it to store hay and the other half as an office, but I'm thinking that might get dusty. Plus since it's now designed for humans, there's no ventilation unless you open the windows, but then rain can get in.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

No, I don’t rotate. I buy hay by the season and there is no room to rotate.

My hay also sits on pallets. I have visqueen under the pallets but with our high humidity the bottom row of hay still gets full of mold.

That means I have the same “sacrifice” bottom row of hay that I have had for the last 5-6 years. It could stand to be cleaned out of there but then I would have to start all over with a new sacrifice row. Since I just paid $9.50/small square that is not going to happen.

When we stack new hay, I make sure the kids sprinkle a generous helping of Kosher salt on each layer of hay before the next layer goes on. It wicks the moisture and Kosher salt will not hurt the horses. I’ve been doing that the entire 18 years we’ve lived here and nobody has got sick on hay seasoned with Kosher salt


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Ooh, that's an interesting idea. Do you have any idea how much salt you use? Like, for a standard size square bale maybe half a cup? Or is it less?

A lot of people keep talking about basically having a sacrifice layer. I would have thought that eventually the moisture from the sacrifice layer would wick up in the drier hay -- that doesn't happen?


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

No, even this awful humidity it won’t wick up thru the sacrifice bales but running fans is still a good idea. In my area of Tennessee the hay seems to draw moisture to it.

I just have the kids put a light dusting of Kosher salt across each row. I have never kept close track but a guess would be, at the most, 5-6 boxes of Kosher salt for 180 bales of hay. Whatever doesn’t get used, can be stored in a closet in the house until the next year - or use it for pickles


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Reading a lot of different answers, I'm thinking climate and the location of the barn/how much the barn floor is raised above grade might have a big influence.

My barn was raised several feet above grade (6' in the back part, a little less in the front). It has a full concrete foundation like you would put in for a house. We store 200 bales in the loft so no problems there, and another 200 in the equipment bay. I did put some round bales directly on the ground last winter when I was in a pinch, and had no issues whatsoever. However, I did put some pallets down since then, just to be on the safe side when I put down my square bales. We do throw down 12 squares each week in a small space between stalls and those are directly on concrete. I sweep it out each week and have never had a problem with excessive moisture or dust. 

You know, I think I might be tempted to keep that loft as a clean space just because it's so nice. Are there any outbuildings that could be converted to hay storage? Maybe just keep a spare stall to store hay for a few weeks in the barn for convenience.


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

When storing hay on concrete or gravel you should store with the cut side down or on the bales side. This will prevent the entire bale from going bad. I have 2 areas I store hay in. One does have a sacrifice layer down and is so hard packed I can rake the chaff off of it every year to start over. The other storage place is in the main part of my shed on concrete and gravel with pallets over top. We have placed plywood over some of the pallets and that does help. A loft is nice but not practical for everyone and getting help to store hay in a loft is a pain. I need about 700 + bales a year to feed my horses and cows and don't really have as much wasted or molded hay as you may think. well ventilated areas and stacking correctly helps.


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## nebpete (May 27, 2019)

The type of hay can make a difference. I have stored grass hay on concrete with no issues. The only time the grass hay bottoms got a little crappy was when my brother in law thought that when washing out the area it was ok if the hay got wet🤷 Also last winter the concrete wall behind them cracked in the cold and when melting occurred it leaked and got some wet. They were big 4ft x 8ft bales so a little lost at the bottom was no big deal. 
On the other hand when I have alfalfa on concrete, or really any surface but a loft, they tend to mold a lot worse even when its dry to start.
We usually store small squares bottom layer on their sides to minimize the surface area exposed to the floor per bale.


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