Baled Hay Temp and Moisture

It was already broken. · Aug 17, 2017

Forage Trader said:
If they are small baled you can tell by weight . If they feel to heavy to lift it needs another day . Should be around 20kg for an average bale

As Forage Trader says weight gives a really good idea of moisture. Without doubt you will get some from under a tree or by the hedge that are heavier, they are the damp ones, if you only have hay for yourself then put them to one side and feed them when you bring the pony in at nights and get rid of them first. This is a really difficult year to be making hay for the first time!

puppet · Aug 17, 2017

I always thought that checking with a meter after baling is pointless. Waiting until it is ready is the secret, sometimes worth risking some rain if better weather forecast as it will dry much faster in the field than in the shed. Up here hay in 7 days would be regarded as pretty good but we always liked to get baled hay under cover before it got wet again. If you have them in stooks of 10-20 then lift some off the next day and if it is at skin temp and not damp then it will be fine. A bit warm or damp feeling then may have a problem so check again. If worse then scatter them in the shed until they feel better. I have seen steam rising off damp stacked hay which means you will be choking in the winter.

Ukjay · Aug 17, 2017

Forage Trader said:
If they are small baled you can tell by weight . If they feel to heavy to lift it needs another day . Should be around 20kg for an average bale

I would say I could go by that, but because this was our first ever venture into hay making - although there is some weight variationin some of the bales, I wouldn't trust myself by this method alone, because i only have bought in hay to compare with - and they varied in weight quite a lot.

Ukjay · Aug 17, 2017

multi power said:
Your hay is fine, no need to be worrying, can you see much difference in the 20% bale compared to the others?
Oh and keep asking questions

Cant see much difference between them to be honest - but I might restack that pile to put the bottoms onto the top to get more air.

bobk · Aug 17, 2017

Ukjay said:
Cant see much difference between them to be honest - but I might restack that pile to put the bottoms onto the top to get more air.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo , stack em and leave em , worst thing you can do is move them.

Ukjay · Aug 17, 2017

It was already broken. said:
As Forage Trader says weight gives a really good idea of moisture. Without doubt you will get some from under a tree or by the hedge that are heavier, they are the damp ones, if you only have hay for yourself then put them to one side and feed them when you bring the pony in at nights and get rid of them first. This is a really difficult year to be making hay for the first time!

As above really, but what I can say is I mowed a 4 mtr strip all around the field well before making hay to avoid shady patches etc.

I will keep checking temperature as this should indicate a problem if one starts to transpire.

multi power · Aug 17, 2017

Ukjay said:
Cant see much difference between them to be honest - but I might restack that pile to put the bottoms onto the top to get more air.

That's a good idea, another good thing is bale the couple of rows nearest the hedge last, that will always be the least dry, and put them bales on top of the stack

Ukjay · Aug 17, 2017

bobk said:
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo , stack em and leave em , worst thing you can do is move them.

May I ask why (apologies if this sounds dumb), but there are comments on here about taking layers off etc?

bobk · Aug 17, 2017

Ukjay said:
May I ask why (apologies if this sounds dumb), but there are comments on here about taking layers off etc?

Hay has to cure , if you alter the position you'll feck the lot up.

puppet · Aug 17, 2017

bobk said:
Hay has to cure , if you alter the position you'll feck the lot up.

Agree that once you get them in a large stack best left alone. Moving them again means more air in and more heat

Paul E · Aug 17, 2017

But there's already loads of air in as you've already been told there's a hands gap around each bale.

Stack more likely to fall down than catch fire, but if you can even think of making hay this week you're a lucky bast***.........

Ukjay · Aug 17, 2017

Paul E said:
But there's already loads of air in as you've already been told there's a hands gap around each bale.

Stack more likely to fall down than catch fire, but if you can even think of making hay this week you're a lucky bast***.........

Logic was that heat rises, as it is trapped on the bottom by upper layers, it cannot vent off top of the bale, so heat airflow exchange limited.

Also, it is supposed to be good weather next week, so might be able to cut the other half of the field

Pan mixer · Aug 17, 2017

I am pretty sure that will be fine.

I have one of those meters - or at least an earlier incarnation, I use it every year to check the bales next day.

I have made a fair bit of hay for 35 years and consider myself slightly experienced but still like the meter.

My rule is that at over 18% i won't put in the big heap but leave it in the 56 bale heaps that I drag it off the field in.

The moisture goes up only very slightly after 24 hrs, 34 degrees is curing temperature and will be fine, it will take ages to go down as hay is a good insulator - pre-fridges a lot of people used hay boxes to keep something cool or warm.

Keep an eye, I suspect that the 20% bale will be dusty when it is cured.

Ukjay · Aug 17, 2017

Pan mixer said:
I am pretty sure that will be fine.

I have one of those meters - or at least an earlier incarnation, I use it every year to check the bales next day.

I have made a fair bit of hay for 35 years and consider myself slightly experienced but still like the meter.

My rule is that at over 18% i won't put in the big heap but leave it in the 56 bale heaps that I drag it off the field in.

The moisture goes up only very slightly after 24 hrs, 34 degrees is curing temperature and will be fine, it will take ages to go down as hay is a good insulator - pre-fridges a lot of people used hay boxes to keep something cool or warm.

Keep an eye, I suspect that the 20% bale will be dusty when it is cured.

Thank you for the in depth feedback, it is very much appreciated!

Our stack is 7 on the bottom, then 4 rows high, then repeated to the side x 2 additional stacks with approx 300mm gap in between stacks.
By this, I believe our stack woukd be classed as a rom in your quantities

As noted above, I do plan to monitor the hay to get some notes to be able to see what works for our handling and assist with next years attempt.

AvonValleyFarmer · Aug 17, 2017

Where abouts in Leicestershire are you @Ukjay ? If you're close to me I can come and check your stack for you and put your mind to rest

Paul E · Aug 17, 2017

What? Tell him it's shite, but you'll take it off his hands and only charge a £ a bale for disposal!

Davy_g · Aug 18, 2017

Looks to me like you did a good job for your first time and I wouldn't worry. Keep taking moisture and temperature readings and write them down. The bales will feed fine. Then next year you can check back and have peace of mind when comparing your new bales.
A few tips you might find useful, We bale them relatively loosely, we stack small bales on pallets, this allows air to move around the bales easier. We build them on their side loosely, again allowing movement of heat or any moisture easily up the way. The top bale can end up with a little moisture in it and loose quality this way so we put a bale of straw on top as its worth less than hay to us and doesn't matter if its a little fusty. If your really worried sprinkle each layer with salt - it helps preserve bales.
We keep the door open to the hay shed, again for air flow - smell is lovely for the first week.

Dad made one field in 2 days back in July, cut at 09:00 on 17th, rowed 4 times that day to dry the ground, moved it every time the grass on top and ground in-between was dry. Rowed another 4 times the next and baled at 19:00. In the shed at 22:00 on 18th. Beautiful stuff and great hay weather. Meadow hay - no fertiliser so a light crop - 80 light bales /acre. Made for own use. I was surprised he never kicked it out but wasn't going to argue as I was away at the time and he has made more hay in his time than I have silage.

Ukjay · Aug 18, 2017

AvonValleyFarmer said:
Where abouts in Leicestershire are you @Ukjay ? If you're close to me I can come and check your stack for you and put your mind to rest

Hi,

We are based more towards the Rutland side of Leicestershire, but we are not at the panick / worried stage yet following the information given here, the chart that was shared giving the curing curve model for hay, along with the Moisture / Temperature probe we are using.

I think that by continuing probing the bales and documenting results over a period of time, I will see if something is happening that needs to be addressed.

Thank you for the kind offer though, it is very much appreciated.

Derrick Hughes · Aug 18, 2017

Don't move it whatever you do . It will go mouldy if you do

Ukjay · Aug 18, 2017

Davy_g said:
Looks to me like you did a good job for your first time and I wouldn't worry. Keep taking moisture and temperature readings and write them down. The bales will feed fine. Then next year you can check back and have peace of mind when comparing your new bales.
A few tips you might find useful, We bale them relatively loosely, we stack small bales on pallets, this allows air to move around the bales easier. We build them on their side loosely, again allowing movement of heat or any moisture easily up the way. The top bale can end up with a little moisture in it and loose quality this way so we put a bale of straw on top as its worth less than hay to us and doesn't matter if its a little fusty. If your really worried sprinkle each layer with salt - it helps preserve bales.
We keep the door open to the hay shed, again for air flow - smell is lovely for the first week.

Dad made one field in 2 days back in July, cut at 09:00 on 17th, rowed 4 times that day to dry the ground, moved it every time the grass on top and ground in-between was dry. Rowed another 4 times the next and baled at 19:00. In the shed at 22:00 on 18th. Beautiful stuff and great hay weather. Meadow hay - no fertiliser so a light crop - 80 light bales /acre. Made for own use. I was surprised he never kicked it out but wasn't going to argue as I was away at the time and he has made more hay in his time than I have silage.

Thank you for the feedback

We also have the bays stacked on pallets or used 3 wooden rails to allow air to get under the bales to for the reason you mention (air flow). The barn has a large open doorway, with sides that have some kind of upright cladding (not true farm building cladding, but some diy job that I need to get around to repairing)
Ours was also from a field that has had no added fertiliser of any kind for at least 5 years, so we had a light crop off it, but this was fine for us - as we are not looking to go into hay sales, we would only sell what can't go in the barn.

Baled Hay Temp and Moisture

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