# Storing hay with no hayloft



## samlovesnemo (Mar 23, 2016)

Hello everyone, I will be soon buying some property and bringing my 2 quarter horse paints home after setting up fencing and shelter. There is no barn on the property (will be building one throughout the summer. My question is how should I store my hay? I was looking into maybe a sea can/shipping container? Was also thinking about a tarp type tent but I'm afraid the wind will blow it away and ruin my hay. 
Any advice or tips would be great! 
Also living in northern ontario I'd assume I need about 300 bales weighing 50lbs each? I will have 2 acres for the 2 of them and adding more next year so they should have a decent amount of grass time.
Just trying to workout how big this "storage" needs to be.
Thanks


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Two acres doesn't generally provide enough forage for two horses. I would check with your ag ministry's local office for local estimates.

Amount of feed, grazing or hay, will also vary with work load. Mine seem to eat 4.5 to 5 ton a year, if not pastured. The ones on grass only get treats during the growing months.

I'm sure there's a workable solution for your area.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

What Boots said

One horse will smash thru two acres in no time. Two will make a mosh pit out of it. I would plan on a 50# bale of hay daily to be safe and still talk to your county Ag person

If you have to store hay outside until your barn is built:

1. Pallets

2. Lay Visqueen under the pallets.

3. Sprinkle Kosher salt between each layer of hay to help wick moisture.

4. Cover with heavy duty plastic or canvas tarp and lag the tarp down.

It will be a major PITA pulling that heavy tarp up every time you need hay but that should motivate the barn getting built faster

When the barn is built, have enough room to store a year’s worth of hay.

Store just as you would outside (#1, #2, #3). You won’t need the tarp inside the barn. Fold it up and store it, as sooner or later there will be a use for it, like covering a pallet of shavings if your barn won’t be big enough for a pallet’s worth


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## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

I'm not sure how the purchasing of hay works there (country/state location) but maybe don't buy all 300 bales at once (if that is an option). I buy round bales and store them in the barn and peal them as I go only because it's cheaper for me but I would think it would be easier to store 15 to 30 bales at a time vs 300 (without a good shelter). I would really worry that if you put the hay in a tarp or a plastic covering that moister would seep in and you would loose the bottom and maybe entire back layer.

You could put up a quick three sided pole barn type shelter and store it in there - then you would only the to cover the front with a hanging tarp.

If your horses are easy keepers then I would think you could get away with about 2 flakes per day per feeding (per horse) assuming that you supplement with some type of grain. That would probably mean about two bales of hay per week. On 2 acres I would think you would probably want to do it that way. If you don't then maybe look into where you can get round bales. If you set hose out in the paddock with them they will make a mess and pee and lay in a lot of it but that would get you about 15-20 days on hay..... 

You are building the barn throughout the summer so I would seriously think about only buying a months worth of hay at a time until you have a permanent storage but that's my thought.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

Do not build a hay loft. A lot of older barns have them because they didn't know the things we do now and hay lofts are pretty dangerous.

Horses - especially in the winter - produce gallons of steam through their respiration a day. All of that floats up to the hay loft and dampens the hay. Hay then molds slowly, but once it does heat starts building and boom. Barn fire. 

It also hinders a barns ability to have proper air flow, and can result in musty and stale air, which in turn isn't good for your horse's breathing. 

I would highly suggest building a hay shed separate from the barn. The shipping containers are awesome, my dressage mentor had one for her hay that she fixed up so it had air flow, etc (very important) and it works wonders.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Buying in quantity lowers price and assures nearly the same quality bale to bale the horses will not be walking away so easily cause they got spoiled on the last bale...
I would make a high base of material {concrete, limestone rolled. etc..}
As was mentioned then put down a layer of thick plastic under the entire storage location.
Place HD pallets on top.
When stacking I stack on edge_ not_ flat and criss-cross my direction each layer.
When you get to the top layer lay a heavy tarp on the hay to keep off dirt, bird droppings and such. Strategically place boards so it stays in place and not shift, just remember they are up their and not get bonked by one coming down when you pull down bales.:icon_rolleyes:
I've never salted my hay and did not have any issue of mold when I lived on Long Island, NY.

What size storage you need is going to greatly depend upon how high you can stack and pull down bales from.
I can put 100 bales in a 12x12 sized stall stacked nearly 9 - 10 feet high...I climb the stack and use a hay hook to yank down a few bales at a time. There are hay hooks and there are hay hooks...mine are very large, wood handled and heavy duty not the lightweight things many places sell today. 
_https://www.ruralking.com/country-way-hay-hook-11-75070
_
As for a shelter... I would _not_ do a storage container as they do not breathe and that can be dangerous.
I would do something more like a steel carport with sides and end so it is weather-tite with whatever doors the company offers that open wide so you can back a trailer/truck inside to unload your hay...300 bales is a lot to carry and stack any distance.
This company is readily available in the US but not sure if in Canada and the differences in building design may be needed due to snow load.
_https://www.carolinacarportsinc.com/_
I'm sure there are much the same type of structure where you live...they are not cheap but they last and have multi-purposes if you set it up correctly. A higher clearance also allows for higher entry point so it is a consideration to think about.
More of the how do I store for a protective environment is climate consideration...
I now live in hot & humid Florida and will not buy huge quantities of hay to mold....
I buy 50 - 100 bales or round rolls and feed then replenish my supply...and no it is not the same quality which I do mind but can do little about...it is all horse hay, not cattle hay but my horses do occasionally give dirty looks like _"what, we got to eat this older bale?"._..:|
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I would plan a separate storage area away from the barn for your hay if you can, and only keep a few days' worth in the barn. Hay lofts are dangerous. Far too many barn fires are started there. For now, I'd buy a steel carport and store a months' worth of hay at a time there. Then when your barn is done, use the carport as a shade area/shelter in your turnout area. Another option is a steel stand-alone stall or pen, and tarp or put plywood over the top as a roof for now, then use the stall in your barn or the pen panels in your fencing later. If you only get a few weeks' worth of hay at a time, you can feed any bales that get wet quickly and not have much waste. If you use a shipping container for hay, you'll need to add vents or louvers for airflow, or it will get stuffy and mold quickly, especially in rainy weather. 

We feed round bales primarily-- square baled horse hay is nearly impossible to find here, and if you find it, the cost is outrageous. None of our horses need 'rocket fuel' hay, so they do just fine on plain old grass hay. We store it inside on-end and peel off of it to feed. We can feed three horses on less than it would cost to feed one horse squares. The area where the hay is stored is not where the horses can access for fire safety. For two horses on not a lot of land, I'd figure at least one 50-pound bale per day year-round-- double that in the coldest winter months. 

Two horses will ruin 2 acres of grass in a hurry -- a week or less in most cases. I'd securely fence off a smaller 'sacrifice paddock' and keep the horses there most of the time, turning them out for a couple of hours a day to graze. Any more than that and you will have dirt on the entire two acres. The smaller pen also enables you to keep them off the grass when it's muddy, frosty, or overgrazed. If you have the ability to irrigate or water your pasture area, it will do much better-- otherwise you may have to keep them off of it entirely once the growing season winds down in mid-summer to avoid them overgrazing and ruining it. Two acres of grass isn't enough to really plan on it for feed. Figure your hay amount as feeding that as their food source, and then any extra they get grazing is icing on the cake-- you can't depend on it at all for a reliable food source. Cross-fencing it and rotating what is grazed for a few hours a day is another option that will allow you a bit more grazing on what is a small pasture area.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

I'm in New Brunswick and have about 5 acres for three horses. It's not enough. I have to be very aggressive with rotational grazing or they eat the grass down to the stub. My three horses are small (all at or under 15h) and I need about 500 square bales a year. So in my mind, your 300 bales should be ok, unless you have very big horses. The best setup is to buy your hay when it's available, but ask the farmer to store it for you and spread out deliveries throughout winter, but it's risky unless you have a very good relationship with the hay farmer. Too many times, I've been told there would be enough hay for me only to find at the last minute that there isn't enough so I've had to find another source late in the season when there isn't much hay left. I like being able to store my hay in my barn and built it with that in mind. And I've learned to always get a little extra. You can always keep it for the next year or re-sell it in the spring if you have too much, but it's nearly impossible to get more if you run out. 

For storage, if you really don't want to build a barn that includes hay storage, see if you can build a separate structure, or if you need to find a cheaper solution, look at those tarp style car garages. Just remember that you will have to haul those bales from wherever they are to the barn a few times a day. I have an area between stalls where I can keep about 10 bales. I just fill it twice a week. The ability to have a few days worth of hay nearby is a big plus in winter when you don't want to have to wade through 4 feet of snow to haul hay. I don't like round bales because you can't move them and I wouldn't want to just leave one in the paddock for my horses because there would be too much weight and my horses would get fat. Squares are easier to handle (though more expensive). 

Your pastures should be divided into smaller sections for rotational grazing or you might consider a paddock paradise setup. I rotate my horses from one pasture to another every 3-5 days.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I have a flat bed that I haul 150 bales at a time on. We went with peanut squares to supplement grass rounds and pasture. I cover the top with two smaller, lighter tarps and then one heavy duty that covers end to end down past the bed on both sides. I also had 28? In the bed of the truck. Short bed. Those went on pallets that were on 4x4's with visquine under them. There was an extra pallet that I'd put a double layer on to feed from. Ran rebar into the ground at an angle and the exposed end was curled over to tie to. Worked great so far.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I've been storing hay in a hay loft for years without issue. If the hay is good and dry when it gets baled there shouldn't be a problem with heat building up and causing a fire. Repeat, the hay needs to be DRY when baled. It will keep the hay mold free better than storing it at ground level. Even with plastic down and then pallets the bottom layer will get moldy in our climate (hot & humid summers). 

As for moisture building up from horse breath you should have proper ventilation to prevent this and for more reasons than keeping your hay mold free.

To the op, I used my garage before I had a barn that I could store hay in.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

JCnGrace said:


> I've been storing hay in a hay loft for years without issue. If the hay is good and dry when it gets baled there shouldn't be a problem with heat building up and causing a fire. Repeat, the hay needs to be DRY when baled. It will keep the hay mold free better than storing it at ground level. Even with plastic down and then pallets the bottom layer will get moldy in our climate (hot & humid summers).
> 
> As for moisture building up from horse breath you should have proper ventilation to prevent this and for more reasons than keeping your hay mold free.
> 
> To the op, I used my garage before I had a barn that I could store hay in.


I agree - I store hay in my hayloft without problems, but carefully sift through the hay as we bring it in and any bales that have even a little more weight than the others (suggesting they're not as dry) get fed immediately so they don't go into storage. I have ventilation in my hay loft and my barn is never closed up completely, nor is it insulated. My horses have 24/7 turnout with access to a large common "stall" (actually two stalls opened to make a large run-in). I have very high ceilings and a very open barn. The hay loft is open on the sides since it only spans the center aisle of my barn, not the stalls - this allows for air to move very well. Vets are always impressed with the openness of the barn and horses do better in a barn with good air quality than a humid, stale, and dusty barn. My barn is cold, but my horses are healthy and they cope just fine (I do blanket my senior, but my other two stay naked all winter). Also, making your building taller to allow for hay storage is far cheaper than making it longer or erecting a separate structure. 

That said, the OP said they didn't want to have a hay loft so I respect that choice and responded with that in mind. Personally, I contemplated all the options when I built my barn four years ago and decided to put in a hayloft with all the precautions in place. For me, having to bring hay into the barn from another building with the amount of snow we get in the winter is just not feasible. It's all I can do to shovel a path to the manure pile - I'm not really keen on shoveling another path to a separate building, but in a perfect world, I can see how it makes sense. However, I want to have horses at home for as long as possible as I age, and I know that it's important to do things in a way that is sustainable in the long term. Hauling a couple of 50 lb bales of hay through 4 feet of snow every day for at least 6 months of winter is not realistic for me.


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## samlovesnemo (Mar 23, 2016)

All great advice thankyou! I have called around and I should be able to pick up hay as I need it, I'll just pay the 300amount upfront on contract so they dont sell the hay on me. 
I'm not wanting to put a hayloft in my barn for my own personal anxiety about fire lol I'm a young 23 year old heavy equipement mechanic that I'm not worried about hauling hay my job will cripple me before moving hay does 😂.
I have a quad and trailer and a small kubota tractor to plow and move stuff. 
As for acrage I'll have 45 acres. The 2 acres is just to start for our first year then I'll probably fence in 2 more 5acre pastures. I'll keep in mind that they probably wont have any grass this year tho thankyou! 
I will be making a fairly large 10x14 hay storage area in the barn tho. Thank you for all the advice!


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

JCnGrace said:


> I've been storing hay in a hay loft for years without issue. If the hay is good and dry when it gets baled there shouldn't be a problem with heat building up and causing a fire. Repeat, the hay needs to be DRY when baled. It will keep the hay mold free better than storing it at ground level. Even with plastic down and then pallets the bottom layer will get moldy in our climate (hot & humid summers).
> 
> As for moisture building up from horse breath you should have proper ventilation to prevent this and for more reasons than keeping your hay mold free.
> 
> To the op, I used my garage before I had a barn that I could store hay in.


Hay lofts cause a lot of ventilation problems, that's why you don't see them built by good barn builders anymore. In all my research and from what I've been taught hay lofts are not to be done anymore. Way too much risk.

I understand the reasons some do, but I have never actually seen a barn with a hay loft nowadays. Everyone stores it somewhere else and uses a gator/tractor/ATV to bring it to the barns.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Interstellar said:


> Hay lofts cause a lot of ventilation problems, that's why you don't see them built by good barn builders anymore. In all my research and from what I've been taught hay lofts are not to be done anymore. Way too much risk.
> 
> I understand the reasons some do, but I have never actually seen a barn with a hay loft nowadays. Everyone stores it somewhere else and uses a gator/tractor/ATV to bring it to the barns.


My brother is a contractor and exclusively does pole buildings/barns and the reason they advocate hay storage on the floor is because it's cheaper and easier to build out rather than up. 

Not seeing barns with hay lofts must be your area because there are still plenty in the Midwest. 

Logistically it is easier to store it at ground level, it's hard work tossing it up in a loft if you don't have a hay elevator. But if you put hay in the barn that hasn't been properly cured before baling then it's going to cause a fire no matter if you store it in a loft or on the ground. We don't want people to get the wrong idea and think it's safe as long as they stack it on the floor. If you have a questionable bale then you do like @Acadianartist does and set it aside to be used immediately or away from the other hay until it has had time to go through it's sweat and cooled off.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

JCnGrace said:


> My brother is a contractor and exclusively does pole buildings/barns and the reason they advocate hay storage on the floor is because it's cheaper and easier to build out rather than up.
> 
> Not seeing barns with hay lofts must be your area because there are still plenty in the Midwest.
> 
> Logistically it is easier to store it at ground level, it's hard work tossing it up in a loft if you don't have a hay elevator. But if you put hay in the barn that hasn't been properly cured before baling then it's going to cause a fire no matter if you store it in a loft or on the ground. We don't want people to get the wrong idea and think it's safe as long as they stack it on the floor. If you have a questionable bale then you do like @Acadianartist does and set it aside to be used immediately or away from the other hay until it has had time to go through it's sweat and cooled off.


Barns in the midwest are typically older and have haylofts because it was the norm. I don't see any new barns built with a hay loft, and certainly wouldn't condone it. 
It's not just the questionable bale, it's respiration creating wet heat in the barn that can lead to moisture settling in the hay.

You also have to think about the way ventilation works, and how a hay loft prevents proper air flow and ventilation especially for a closed off barn in the winter. Plus, on top of that, all the dust and hay particles are floating down onto the horses. Not good for respiratory systems or the eyes at all.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I think I mentioned proper ventilation in my first post. I don't want to argue the point to death.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

JCnGrace said:


> I think I mentioned proper ventilation in my first post. I don't want to argue the point to death.


How do you get proper ventilation - especially of the humid and hot air from respiration as well as warm summer days - with something blocking off the top of the barn? Especially in the winter when all the doors are shut? I'm honestly curious because I've never heard of being able to accomplish that.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Interstellar said:


> How do you get proper ventilation - especially of the humid and hot air from respiration as well as warm summer days - with something blocking off the top of the barn? Especially in the winter when all the doors are shut? I'm honestly curious because I've never heard of being able to accomplish that.


Don't shut the doors. Easy. 

My hayloft only spans the center aisle of my barn. Over the stalls, it is open all the way to the roof trusses. On the sides of the hay loft are 2 x 4s frames, I just never walled it in. So when you're standing in a stall, you can see right up to the roof. I can also easily drop hay down from the loft (I do have a hay elevator to stack it up there). There are vents on either side of the hay loft and there is still lots of space above the bales so they're not all the way up to the roof. 

Finally, I have converted two 10 x 12 stalls into one large run-in which my three horses use. The two four-foot wide stall doors open out onto a paddock. They are never shut, even in winter. I shut them once, I think, for a few hours, when a blizzard was driving the snow sideways, but usually, it isn't a problem even in a storm - and we have our share of those. A big help is the 10 foot long overhang that spans the length of the large, open run-in stall. They often stand under there, or inside the double stall looking out into the paddock when the weather is unpleasant. My barn is not insulated and because it is never closed off, I have never had a drop of condensation. The horses are perfectly fine in very cold weather, it's the humans who don't like it! 

Again, I am absolutely not telling the OP or anyone else to build a barn with a hayloft. I'm just explaining how I have good ventilation in mine since you asked. A tightly shut barn might seem more comfortable, but the air quality often suffers when people feel the need to shut in their animals.

Oh, and in the summer, the horses are happy to come in to escape the heat and flies since the barn is nicely shaded. I also have screened windows that are placed up high so the air is always moving. In the summer, it is always much cooler in the barn than it is outside.


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## egrogan (Jun 1, 2011)

samlovesnemo said:


> All great advice thankyou! I have called around and I should be able to pick up hay as I need it, I'll just pay the 300amount upfront on contract so they dont sell the hay on me.



One word of caution here- I can only store 500 bales (in my hay loft :wink but given our cold, long winters and late springs, I actually arranged for an extra 200 bales on top of the 500 my hay guy bought me. He agreed to store the 200 for me. I worked my way through the 500 bales between September and March, and when the loft started getting low in late March, I called to get the rest of the bales brought over. Imagine my surprise that I got a voicemail in return saying, "sorry, something weird happened in the barn I had them stored in and they're way too dusty to feed to horses." So, basically, I was out of luck even though I had planned ahead. This guy is reputable and the person I've used since I've lived here, but he basically left me high and dry...erm, actually, NOT dry :wink: high and dusty! I understand things happen, but what made me livid is that he didn't proactively call me to tell me this months ago. So I've been furiously searching for someone to bring me out some more to get me through between now and when first cut comes in. Fingers crossed, I have someone my vet recommended who I think will be coming out with 100 bales tomorrow or Wednesday (assuming it stops snowing!). But just know that even planning ahead, if you don't have those bales in your own barn, you may still need a backup plan.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Yep, what @egrogan describes has happened to me too many times. I do have lots of backup plans, and friends who have bailed me out, but I'd much rather have the hay in my barn. I thought I had connections too, and that they would never let me down. They did.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

samlovesnemo said:


> All great advice thankyou! I have called around and I should be able to pick up hay as I need it, I'll just pay the 300amount upfront on contract so they dont sell the hay on me.
> I'm not wanting to put a hayloft in my barn for my own personal anxiety about fire lol I'm a young 23 year old heavy equipement mechanic that I'm not worried about hauling hay my job will cripple me before moving hay does 😂.
> I have a quad and trailer and a small kubota tractor to plow and move stuff.
> As for acrage I'll have 45 acres. The 2 acres is just to start for our first year then I'll probably fence in 2 more 5acre pastures. I'll keep in mind that they probably wont have any grass this year tho thankyou!
> I will be making a fairly large 10x14 hay storage area in the barn tho. Thank you for all the advice!


You sound like a person who needs to stay busy

As a frame of reference for hay storage on the bottom floor:

My single story barn is 13’ tall in the center, making the hay storage areas shorter as one gets to the walls.

When I had four horses and stored 330 bales for the year, The hay was crammed in two areas, while still stacking the hay to allow for some air flow. 

One area was 12’ X 14’.
One area was 12’ X 16’.

I still buy ~285 small squares for two horses. They have 20+ acres but the 25 yr old is insulin resistant & Cushings, the 26 year old is an easy keeper that I don’t want to become IR. I have to limit their pasture time.

I use a generous helping of Kosher salt on each layer of hay to help wick moisture.

Most important, I have 36” & 42” barrel fans on heavy duty outdoor timers and run those barrel fans on the hay all summer.

I do this early on to make sure the hay dries and won’t start a fire or mold. Later, I still run fans on the hay during the day to prevent black mold thanks to heat/humidity/high dew points. You will only lose 50 bales of “prime rib” hay once to learn that lesson

My horses come in at night and the fans get jockeyed around to blow on them for a few hours as well.

My Barn is only 24 X 40 but I use four barrel fans - the electric doesn’t go up that much and I would rather pay the bill than worry about ruined hay or fire

I’ve been fortunate and thankful to be doing this routine for 17 years without issue


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## ClearDonkey (Nov 27, 2016)

JCnGrace said:


> Not seeing barns with hay lofts must be your area because there are still plenty in the Midwest.


Huh - in my neck of the woods (MI, both UP and LP) I have not seen a single barn with a hay loft, with exception to old dairy barns that were converted to horse barns. Remember before reading further - MI is known for it's high humidity, and I most often lived on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Superior and along Lake Michigan's coast.

One of my clients stored their hay in an open semi trailer during the summer, and in the corner of her indoor arena in the winter. Another had a separate portion to her barn for hay, and also an enclosed trailer in case of friends having emergency hay shortages. Most people I know at this point either dedicate a stall to their hay, or a corner of their barn.

The old dairy barn I used to board at had a hay loft, and some of the hay fared pretty well, as there was a big door that was only ever shut for foaling mares. But the hay that was furthest away from that door and above a run-in stall always ended up getting a bit musty, and some bales would have to be tossed if they were gotten to in time.

An old dairy barn that I purchased hay from very last minute when our hay supplier fell through did not seem to ever open the loft doors for ventilation. We were stuck with some crap hay from that built up humidity.

I've always been afraid of fire due to hay lofts, just due to personal experience with a barn burning down and burning all of its horses alive that were stalled inside. You can argue back and forth about hay lofts vs other storage methods, but after learning about those horses burning to death, I will always opt for other storage methods. It might not happen often, but I'd prefer the inconvenience of storing hay elsewhere and having an empty loft, than having my horses lose their lives.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

In order to prevent that fire from happening that kills your (g) then hay needs to be in a completely different building. Hay that hasn't been cured correctly runs the risk of catching fire. Unless you are personally handling every bale then those may be missed or if they were loaded, hauled and unloaded with no long wait time you may still miss them. We had a fire in a barn that I had boarded my first horse. The hay was stacked against the only wall. Which was the wind block. Barn was pipe stalls with long runs. That was the only thing that saved the horses.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

QtrBel said:


> Hay that hasn't been cured correctly runs the risk of catching fire. Unless you are personally handling every bale then those may be missed or if they were loaded, hauled and unloaded with no long wait time you may still miss them.


Yes to this. This is what I do with every single bale - every single year. 

We go after our hay. These days we have a couple of young men help us, who are “hay savvy”. They will set questionable bales to the side for me to inspect and I do stick my nose down in the bales

Generally if a bale isn’t cured properly, it will be:

Very warm and weigh double what a dry bale weighs.

Already starting to smoke and smell moldy when you cut the bale open.

Have weeds in the bale that won’t allow that bale to dry - these generally end up being hay that was cut right on the edge of the field.

If I deem the bales unsalvagable for my horses, I send them home with the young man who has goats


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Interstellar said:


> How do you get proper ventilation - especially of the humid and hot air from respiration as well as warm summer days - with something blocking off the top of the barn? Especially in the winter when all the doors are shut? I'm honestly curious because I've never heard of being able to accomplish that.


The loft doesn't cover the whole barn and the barn itself is made of wood so not airtight (roof is metal). 

The roof has a ridge vent (cupolas you see on the fancy barns in KY serve the same purpose).

There are 2 openings that are never closed because they have the choice to come in and out as they please. Their preference is spend to spend hot summer days in the barn, outside at night and in the winter the barn is only for their meal time. 

I don't have any pictures that show the whole thing but maybe you can get some idea with glimpses.

The barn as a whole. You can't tell it from the picture but that piece of metal that runs down the very peak of the roof is raised about an inch which provides an escape for the hot air that floats up (ridge vent). 









Shows the 2 doorways that are always open ( there's not even a door to close at the one opening).









You can see the floor of the loft.









The area that horses have access to is an L and the loft only goes across the back of the barn which is the short part of the L. The long part is a lean-to that is still open to the main part and a hay manger separates the L from the rest of the barn because it was used for cattle, but not dairy cattle, before we bought the place. In the 3rd picture you can only see a horse ear but he's at his feed pan enjoying his supper.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

I am under the understanding of horses being in at least some portion of the day, not in and out. It's more common in barns I've seen to be shut up so you have the ventilation issues. The minority is allowing horses to go in and out, most people think if they're cold horses are and shut up the doors.

I can see it being okay under those circumstances, but still stand by it's not a good idea from multiple different view points. Plus, it's much less dusty and dirty to keep the hay under its own storage with our firewood.


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## rambo99 (Nov 29, 2016)

Years ago when we stored hay in our horse barn. Wasn't in a loft but was in our tack feed room. 

We bought 600 squares they were delivered. We unloaded this hay and stacked it in feed/tack room. Was put on pallets that were clean new pallets. I questioned hubby on quit a few bales I got blown off. 

Long story made short about a week after hay had been in barn. I was taking some hay bales down. I came across some hot bales. Hubby came out and guess what we had to get that hay out of barn and fast. The hay was obviously not put up dry enough. Needless to say hubby doesn't blow me off anymore. 

We no longer buy square bales In large quantitys, gone with round bales 

It was ready to catch on fire. This left us scrambling to find a new load of hay. 

Next spring we built a hay barn and no longer store hay In horse barn. Had we not got that hay out of barn it would of burned down.

I wouldn't want a barn with a loft,I know of people who have them. And have no issues with having hay stored in loft. But horses aren't ever locked in barn,and doors are always open.


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## Aldo (Aug 6, 2019)

For years I only had a small barn and had to store the hay on pallets. Even though the pallets were on top of plastic tarps I could never store more than 50 bales at a time without losing the bottom bales to moisture /mold. Finally had a chance to build a barn with a hayloft because that is the best thing for your hay. I have never had a bale get lost to moisture in the loft. Granted if the hay is not properly dry before being baled it will still mold. As far as ventilation goes if you have a cupola the air will circulate thru it and not allow any moisture buildup. Dont worry about bales bursting into flames either, its not possible. If your doing round blaes then store them where you want but make sure the tops are covered to keep rain from seeping in. Good Luck!


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

Aldo said:


> For years I only had a small barn and had to store the hay on pallets. Even though the pallets were on top of plastic tarps I could never store more than 50 bales at a time without losing the bottom bales to moisture /mold. Finally had a chance to build a barn with a hayloft because that is the best thing for your hay. I have never had a bale get lost to moisture in the loft. Granted if the hay is not properly dry before being baled it will still mold. As far as ventilation goes if you have a cupola the air will circulate thru it and not allow any moisture buildup. *Dont worry about bales bursting into flames either, its not possible.* If your doing round blaes then store them where you want but make sure the tops are covered to keep rain from seeping in. Good Luck!



This is a good link that explains how hay fires happen.
https://nasdonline.org/915/d000758/hay-fires-prevention-and-control.html



I have seen one too many fire that was caused by this process and they weren't all hay. A couple were in the rubber tire recyling place and a couple in our compost piles. Along with the one in the barn I had my horse boarded at that was hay.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

Aldo said:


> For years I only had a small barn and had to store the hay on pallets. Even though the pallets were on top of plastic tarps I could never store more than 50 bales at a time without losing the bottom bales to moisture /mold. Finally had a chance to build a barn with a hayloft because that is the best thing for your hay. I have never had a bale get lost to moisture in the loft. Granted if the hay is not properly dry before being baled it will still mold. As far as ventilation goes if you have a cupola the air will circulate thru it and not allow any moisture buildup. Dont worry about bales bursting into flames either, its not possible. If your doing round blaes then store them where you want but make sure the tops are covered to keep rain from seeping in. Good Luck!


We have stored our hay on the concrete ground under an awning in our shop area for 15+ years and have never had one mold because it was on the ground. And that's ordering 200-300 bales at a time. Plastic can cause moisture, can it not? Maybe that was an issue. I'm no expert, though. 

Also, like said above, yes hay can combust on its own. So can many different materials.


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## avjudge (Feb 1, 2011)

Interstellar said:


> We have stored our hay on the concrete ground under an awning in our shop area for 15+ years and have never had one mold because it was on the ground. And that's ordering 200-300 bales at a time. Plastic can cause moisture, can it not? Maybe that was an issue. I'm no expert, though.


I've read so many people say the bottom of their hay _does_ mold, and so many say the bottom of their hay _doesn't_ mold. My take is that it's obvious there is no one hard and fast rule - it must be dependent on climate and local conditions - humidity of air, and if there's no vapor barrier, the dampness of the underlying soil, which will reflect amount of rain, soil type, and drainage patterns.

I can completely believe that some people have had no mold on the bottom of their hay. I can also state absolutely that my sister lost the whole bottom layer in a stall, on pallets over a concrete floor, with no vapor barrier (either under the concrete, or on top). Lesson learned. We took no chances when we stored hay in a stall; we put down several layers of vapor barrier (tarp plus well-overlapped huge bubble-wrap sheets from a local furniture/appliance store) and then pallets. 

However, half my hay this year and all in the future (when we clear the loft) will be in the hayloft. We have limited flat and open buildable land here and I want use of my 2nd stall back. And housing animals is the least part of our barn's functions, as they live outside with run-in sheds. Being able to securely store a full winter's hay is #1. #2 is tack & feed storage, and #3 is indoor work space in inclement weather. So it's the correct choice for me.

I can say that my loft is definitely a dryer place than ground level in my barn. but with the ground prepared as mentioned above, we haven't lost a single bale to mold. And it certainly was easier to load into the stall than the loft. 

All of which is to say, in lots of words, that there's no one hard and fast rule on what will work! I'd just suggest "better safe than sorry" if you don't know your local conditions.

The one thing I would add, which I haven't seen anyone else address, to the OP: don't believe "50-pound bales" are 50 pounds unless you weigh them! My "40-pound bales" are generally closer 30 pounds, and a few are as little as 25. (I take that into consideration when calculating that yes, it's still a good price, and yes, I got enough to last the winter.) I don't know if this is an issue in other areas, but one other HF poster (also in northern New England) also found her bales weren't quite as heavy as she thought.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Interstellar said:


> We have stored our hay on the concrete ground under an awning in our shop area for 15+ years and have never had one mold because it was on the ground. And that's ordering 200-300 bales at a time. Plastic can cause moisture, can it not? Maybe that was an issue. I'm no expert, though.
> 
> Also, like said above, yes hay can combust on its own. So can many different materials.


Indeed, and I think @*avjudge* hit the nail on the head. Everyone has different climates, different conditions. 

I have lost hay to mold because it was on concrete. Since my loft will only hold about 220 bales, I store some of it in the equipment bay at ground level. I can literally see my concrete "sweat" on damp days. Yet I have a full foundation with frost wall (I am in eastern Canada). I had to put pallets under the hay and now it's fine. My loft on the other hand, never gets humid or hot. The humidity seems to stay on the ground level - the loft is always nice and dry. I check on the hay frequently after bringing it in, and am very, very fussy about my hay. We don't have that much heat here anyway, but the ventilation in my barn is very effective. Having a horse with heaves will do that to someone.


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## Interstellar (Feb 15, 2020)

Very interesting information above. We've always stored our hay the exact same way with no issues at the Arkansas farm, use it all up every year and do it again. The only mold issues I've had is with round bales because our herd just never seems to eat them up fast enough and the winter rain soaks them through. 

I'm going to do more research on hay storage and vapor barriers and the like - see if we could be doing something better this fall when we get deliveries.


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