[FiB]

Booo.  Rain last night and bales left out (forcast clear and wanted them to have an extra 'air' this morning) - will they dry (ish) or are they compost (hoping not as there are 100 of them - just enough to keep our sheepgoing through winter).  What happens to dampish bales ?  Molds? and how does that affect sheep if fed?  Cheers.  Sunny day today, wish we hadnt baled yesterday!  Ah Hindesite

[Bionic]

Fi,
The forecast for the Royal Welsh show this afternoon is some rain so you could get some too.
Sally

[Fleecewife]

Two things happen.  The first is that the bales heat up - can get quite hot, even catch fire.  Push your arm in amongst the bales to check for heat.  The heat promotes rot which gives you mouldy hay.   Mouldy hay gives you famers lung and is unpalateable for animals.
 
If it truly is wet still and your forecast is for a couple of scorching days, you could unwrap it all, spread it again and re-bale, but it's an awful faff if the hay is only slightly damp in patches.  Only you know what it's like.
It could be that a couple of days stooked up in the sun will be enough to air the bales.
 
We have no days forecast without some rain for the next week, so we are nursing our crop through and hopefully we will get it some time      It is so difficult to decide which risks to take when making hay.  No wonder most folk round here go for haylage and silage.

[omnipeasant]

Whatever you do don't stack them up as that is when they heat up and can self combust. if it was only a shower you should be okay. If the heavens opened you are in trouble, but I would trust the hay angels, wait as long as you dare and they will probably dry out in the sun. We can't risk hay here so it is all wrapped as haylage. Option two is to get someone to wrap them for you, but I don't know where you woud get a wrapper contracter at such shortnotice. Good luck.

Hay angels are like parking angels. I ask them to find me a parking space and they usually do, someone just pulls out as I arrive . So ask them to blow some good weather over your bales.

[FiB]

Many thanks all.    Am sending a plea to hay angels as I type.  Going to leave them out today, and keep turning them over.... Moisture coming out of the ground is exacerbating the prob!   

[Mays]

I left my big round bales on the park for at least 2 weeks, come rain or shine. Once I am sure they are dry (last year it took 4 weeks!) i stack them with plenty space around and keep the barn doors 24hrs a day.
By Xmas they were a bit dusty but edible by my fussy horses after a wee soaking, then by March they were fine, no problem no dust.
 
 

[Mays]

Many thanks all.    Am sending a plea to hay angels as I type.  Going to leave them out today, and keep turning them over.... Moisture coming out of the ground is exacerbating the prob!   

O are these small square bales?

[tizaala]

Fib, small bale hay,  stand on ends in twos about 18inches apart then lean them in like dominos so they support each other so each bale only has a corner on the ground, this way they have maximum air round them with minimum ground contact. lovely here at Llandod.

[omnipeasant]

I agree with what Tizaala says FiB. I forgot about standing them on end. If you do have to bring some in early just stack one layer high.

OH says you should have left them stacked in blocks of six last night so only the top ones got wet. Always there with advice after the event! But next time you will know.

[FiB]

Ah more good advice all. Tizala - have done. Omnipeasant, will do next time!!

[Fleecewife]

That's what a stook is...........

[FiB]

Which one FW?  Not sure if I'm stooked or not!!    All Tizala'd, and praying for no rain overnight as we havnt been able to borrow the trailer to move today... drying nicely

[Deere]

Tizaala advice is spot on, let's the air get through them even with the smallest of breezes.  They'll be fine sheep aren't as fussy as horses especially if there's snow on the ground like last winter!

I've got the the contractor coming to mow our silage tomorrow, should get all 35 acres big baled and wrapped before it rains sat afternoon! 

Good luck with the drying and don't forget to bend the knees when lifting! 

Tim

[Fleecewife]

Which one FW?  Not sure if I'm stooked or not!!    All Tizala'd, and praying for no rain overnight as we havnt been able to borrow the trailer to move today... drying nicely

A stook is how Tizaala said to place them, two bales stood leaning together.  I just said 'a couple of days stooked up' but didn't realise people didn't use the word.........   When I was a child we used an old binder which tied long corn stalks plus the ears into sheaves, then we would follow and stook them, then leave them to air for a few days before carting - but that was a very long time ago 
 
Our poor hay is being rained on every day, showers great or small  .  It sounds like you will get yours ok 

[SallyintNorth]

Wishing you good luck Fi 

Around here we stook our small square bales as soon as they are made, always before nightfall that day, no matter what the forecast.  But hereabouts, the stook is a stack of 17 or 21 bales (or whatever number your bale handler handles), in our case it's 5 bales on their sides then 3 or 4 rows of 4 flat, each row oriented differently to the one below so that the stook doesn't topple.  The 12 or 16 that aren't on the ground don't get the wet drawn up from the ground, just the bottom 5 do that, and they just along one edge.  And all but the top 4 are fairly well protected from any light showers.  If they can't or shouldn't come in and rain is forecast, we'd stook them in a group with just a foot between the stooks and pull a tarpaulin across the top. 

If the hay is a little sharp (more damp than is ideal) then you'd leave airgaps through the flat rows so that the air could help dry them out, but then you'd need to rebuild the stooks before picking them up with the bale handler.