# Ugh Bottom bales are moldy on pallet side



## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Putting gravel under the pallets isn't the solution, the bottom layer will still mold. Only sure thing is keeping hay in a loft under a leak free roof. That's where we store most of our square bales then I only move a few at a time to the barn where the minis live (no loft in that barn so stored on floor). It is gravel, pallets, and then tarp on top of the pallets which allows us to store longer then when we didn't use a tarp but it will still mold if we leave it more than a couple of months. 

I know some people who have no choice but to store hay on the floor will choose to sacrifice a layer of hay. They just leave the bottom layer of hay that has molded on the bottom and put their new hay on top of it year after year. I have no clue how long that will last before the bales break down enough you have to clean it out and start over.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Ditto @JCnGrace , I’m afraid.

I have Visqueen under the pallets in one section and mats under the other section. Nothing helps prevent losing that bottom row

My bottom row became the sacrifice row years ago. I’ve had the same bottom bales for the last several years. It’s a waste of space but a lot more waste of money were I to keep changing the bottom row out and losing them.

If someone has a fail safe method to stop losing the bottom row of hay on a pallet, they can get filthy rich with that information, and it needs to be fail safe for an entire year not just a couple. months, lol


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## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

Your bottom row is already there, and already ruined. So leave it there for a base layer. The base layer in my barn has been down since the 1960's. You just stack on top of it.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I agree with Zimalia...
You have a layer of protection in place, leave it their and alone...
Check out this recent thread for a lot more shared information and watch for the links in responses as they were gooder ones....








Do you rotate where you store hay?


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...




www.horseforum.com




Place your new hay on top of that bottom layer and your issue should stop being a issue.
When dirt floors you are going to get loss if you not build a platform of dirt/material at least 8" higher than the rest of the flooring so less chance of seepage get to your hay.
Placing bales on edge, not flat also is said to help reduce molding as moisture is not able to get in and sit easily...
But being you have a established bottom layer...use it to your advantage and now stack on top of it and stack correctly will reduce your waste.
🐴...


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## RMH (Jul 26, 2016)

Couple of thoughts from a hay grower. Do you remove the pallets and clean up the chaff each year? Chaff accumulation can block airflow and provide a medium to transmit moisture. Is the soil naturally wet? If so a layer of plastic under the pallets may help. You can try stacking the bales with a cut edge up rather than on their strings which will help with with moisture movement out of the hay. Is the hay well cured when you get it or fresh out of the field? Hay continues to cure in storage for a while before it stabilizes. I like to keep hay in my building 1-2 weeks after baling before I sell it. I know how hay behaves in my building but have no idea how about my customers storage. I understand dust but would definitely wait a month or so before tarping a new stack of hay. Do you have a use for straw? It's usually cheaper and naturally drier than hay so would make a good bottom layer. The sacrifice layer of bales that others have mentioned will work but I'm the type of person who likes to clean out at least once a year.


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## gottaquarter (Jun 8, 2012)

walkinthewalk said:


> If someone has a fail safe method to stop losing the bottom row of hay on a pallet, they can get filthy rich with that information, and it needs to be fail safe for an entire year not just a couple. months, lol


my thoughts exactly!!


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## pasomountain (Dec 19, 2018)

At one of the places I board they do stack hay on pallets with a tarp underneath the pallets. The hay is stacked about 6-7 bales high at first and takes a year to get through it. The bottom bales have never been moldy. The floor is asphalt though so maybe that helps. Also we do always sweep up all the chaff under the pallets before getting a new load of hay.

The only mold we have had is on the side of some bales that are stacked too close to the back doors--rain can get in through the cracks. So now the BO bought a huge roll of plastic and drapes it over the back hay. That does seem to help but we still usually find a few moldy bales in back. Bales on the bottom of pallets are fine.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

We would put a layer of straw bales on the bottom, then stack the hay on it.

As others have suggested, since you already have a layer of bad hay, leave it there and stack on top of it.


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## pasomountain (Dec 19, 2018)

gottaquarter said:


> my thoughts exactly!!



I just told you what we do and it's never been moldy after about a whole year. None of the hay on the bottom pallets have been moldy--I've been boarding here for many years and it's always the same. Only a few bales in back have mold on the sides from the back door letting moisture in. I think the key is cleaning up the loose hay under the pallets every year before just stacking more hay on top all the old stuff.


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## stevenson (Sep 12, 2011)

you have to clean out the old hay. It just traps moisture, dust, dirt, rodents, bugs. Clean that hay out. If the dirt is damp let it dry out a day or two. Clean your pallets. If you have rain coming in at an angle put some tarps on that side of the hay leaves some air flow between the tarp and the hay and angle the tarps down and away from the hay. Tent it.


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

I have a dirt floor in my barn. I also use pallets. What works:
1. Put bottom bales on the cut side (as suggested by someone else) - that makes it easier to get rid of moldy bits if it happens (by rubbing) and it does limit the amount of lost hay per bale.
2. Do two roles of pallets, if possible - the extra height helps a lot with air flow and distancing from dampness.
3. This one may seem a little odd but you might want to consider painting the pallets. I repurposed a large pallet we had painted and used for something else to hay storage. Surprisingly, it’s the one that keeps the hay best.


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