[devonlad]

NIGHTMARE. Our precious hay crop has been ruined. A victim of being too small and insignificant to feature high on the list of any busy contractor. I've cussed enough and now need to sort it. Currently 140 small bales are dotted forlornly about my field and I.need to do something. A stack and diesel is all I can think of . any better ideas ?

[farmers wife]

compostable - mix with muck and anything you can find. Do a small amount at a time and keep adding.  I wouldnt burn it that not right.

[SallyintNorth]

NIGHTMARE. Our precious hay crop has been ruined. A victim of being too small and insignificant to feature high on the list of any busy contractor. I've cussed enough and now need to sort it. Currently 140 small bales are dotted forlornly about my field and I.need to do something. A stack and diesel is all I can think of . any better ideas ?

 

BH says you might find them too heavy to lift until they've dried out a bit.

The only thing you could use them for is building shelters for lambs?  Pigsty walls?

[IretonsFarm]

First off you need to move them off the field before they kill the grass underneath! Where they baled wet or just been rained on since? How long ago was it since they were baled?

If baled wet recently you could get them wrapped as haylage, if baled dry and rained on they may dry ok once under cover (but don't stack them). Otherwise take them to the corner of the field, cut the string and make compost which you could spread back on the field in spring or have a killer bonfire party.

Generally most years I end up having to dry a couple of hundred small bales that didn't make it in before it rained and if dried properly you'll never know which was which.

[devonlad]

Thanks for replies as always. In response to your question IR a bit of both. Slightly wet on baling and then torrential rain roced any.chance. never the plan to make hay in September  but not.been a huge amount of choice with tight weather windows. Contractor is a good friend and not about to slag him off but if cut.3 days earlier we'd have made it. Few hundred quid down the pan but the headache is what to do with it. Already.feeling hot and its not going to be rescuable now. Our 2 pigs would.certainly.be  cosy.snuggling  up to them

[IretonsFarm]

Can you not get them wrapped, might at least save something of the crop?

[SallyintNorth]

As I understand it, if you don't wrap immediately after baling, you risk the wrong bacteria getting in and killing your livestock when they come to eat it

[claire]

oh what a shame about your hay.

[Coximus]

If it dries out, it may be useable as bedding - thats at least a use for it in lieu of straw/ sell it for that purpose

[IretonsFarm]

As I understand it, if you don't wrap immediately after baling, you risk the wrong bacteria getting in and killing your livestock when they come to eat it

You want to get it wrapped before it starts to go moldy so really depends on how wet it is. Silage I guess would be same day but I've left haylage a day or two without any issue.

[SallyintNorth]

Small bales are not tightly enough packed to risk wrapping later, surely.

[devonlad]

this evening was the first time I could properly do something as work has been manic. currently field has those bales that might be salvageable on paletts hoping that the dry weekend may help. about 100 of them however are already going mouldy and I think i'll have to create a big compost bin in a field corner. feel better now I can at least have a couple of days doing something constructive. I prefer to do than sit and worry. wrapping just not an option. don't know anyone with a wrapper, I think its beyond that and hardly worth the cost. thanks all

[Penninehillbilly]

Have you any trees/shrubs that could do with a mulch round them?
OK wouldn't use that much but it would make a use of some wedges

[SallyintNorth]

As I understand it, if you don't wrap immediately after baling, you risk the wrong bacteria getting in and killing your livestock when they come to eat it

You want to get it wrapped before it starts to go moldy so really depends on how wet it is. Silage I guess would be same day but I've left haylage a day or two without any issue.

I think it's one of those "it's alright until it goes wrong" things - you wouldn't see that the wrong bacteria were there, and you wouldn't even necessarily know when you opened it and started to use it.  You'd know when your livestock started to get sick - or worse.  Not worth the risk, I'd say.  Wrap within hours, or don't wrap.

[cans]

Been there in 1985.  100 plus round bales
Mouldy hay no good for anything.
Composting will take forever.
Best solution is mulching or a box of matches.