Moldy hay

[Benton14]

Hello all, we currently making around 300 4 foot round bales of hay per year, all sold as horse feed. Once winter set in we started to see some mould on the outside layer of the bale. It’s like a green dusty mould. Once you take off the first layer the bales are really nice but the outside is putting people off. Noticed it over the last couple of years too. The shed is open fronted, has tin roof and concrete floor, all stored on pallets too and we normally pressure wash the shed out before we put the next years crop in. I feel it must be in the storage of the bales in stead of the conditions they’re made in because the rest of the bales are perfect. The bales are a mix of meadow hay and ryegrass mix. Any recommendations for storage and preventing mould or is there a spray we can use in the baler for either the whole bale or just when the bale is being wrapped at the end for the outside layer? Bales were made in perfect conditions, does anyone leave them out for a day and then put them in the shed or get them in the shed as soon as baled? Thanks in advance!

 

[davidroberts30]

Its the damp air blowing on rhe bales
Either store them in an enclosed barn or wrap them

 

[Dry Rot]

Damp air will condense on the underside of a tin roof and drip. A layer of polythene sheeting tacked up under the roof with 2"x1" battens should be enough to stop it. Or put straw bales on top of the hay?

 

[Pan mixer]

Brush it off before they see it.

 

[Skintagain]

Hello all, we currently making around 300 4 foot round bales of hay per year, all sold as horse feed. Once winter set in we started to see some mould on the outside layer of the bale. It’s like a green dusty mould. Once you take off the first layer the bales are really nice but the outside is putting people off. Noticed it over the last couple of years too. The shed is open fronted, has tin roof and concrete floor, all stored on pallets too and we normally pressure wash the shed out before we put the next years crop in. I feel it must be in the storage of the bales in stead of the conditions they’re made in because the rest of the bales are perfect. The bales are a mix of meadow hay and ryegrass mix. Any recommendations for storage and preventing mould or is there a spray we can use in the baler for either the whole bale or just when the bale is being wrapped at the end for the outside layer? Bales were made in perfect conditions, does anyone leave them out for a day and then put them in the shed or get them in the shed as soon as baled? Thanks in advance!

All bales or front and tops?

 

[Will 1594]

Brush it off before they see it.

Small bales what have been sat on pallets and get that bitnof white dust , Get hydrovane on them and blast them ,and any rounds with a bit on bottom if not been sat on a pallet , hedge cutter trims it off nicely

 

[Benton14]

All bales or front and tops?

Tops worst but gets to all bales really

 

[Benton14]

Brush it off before they see it.

We do but I use some bales for sheep and even after blowing down when you pull off the wrap some dust still comes off

 

[Skintagain]

Tops worst but gets to all bales really

I don’t personally like rounds for hay as air gets around them indoors and spoils

wrapping would cure them and a layer of loose or even better small straw over the top would seal the top over with no gaps

 

[Benton14]

I don’t personally like rounds for hay as air gets around them indoors and spoils

wrapping would cure them and a layer of loose or even better small straw over the top would seal the top over with no gaps

I also think squares would be better but we have a round baler already for our straw and they're easier to move into livery yard barns by hand than squares

 

[glasshouse]

Hello all, we currently making around 300 4 foot round bales of hay per year, all sold as horse feed. Once winter set in we started to see some mould on the outside layer of the bale. It’s like a green dusty mould. Once you take off the first layer the bales are really nice but the outside is putting people off. Noticed it over the last couple of years too. The shed is open fronted, has tin roof and concrete floor, all stored on pallets too and we normally pressure wash the shed out before we put the next years crop in. I feel it must be in the storage of the bales in stead of the conditions they’re made in because the rest of the bales are perfect. The bales are a mix of meadow hay and ryegrass mix. Any recommendations for storage and preventing mould or is there a spray we can use in the baler for either the whole bale or just when the bale is being wrapped at the end for the outside layer? Bales were made in perfect conditions, does anyone leave them out for a day and then put them in the shed or get them in the shed as soon as baled? Thanks in advance!

More ventilation needed

 

[Welderloon]

Next year whack a tenner on the price then at sale time knock an 8 quid discount off for the mould

 

[Benton14]

Like your thinking

 

[Derrick Hughes]

If its tops it sugests heat is rising
How are you stacking them ?
Better left out fpr 10 days

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Wrong way

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Right way

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Off on a bike ride
Will see alm the what a load of bull comments on my return

 

[Benton14]

If its tops it sugests heat is rising
How are you stacking them ?
Better left out fpr 10 days

No chance of leave out for 10 days in England, only just get 7 dry days to make it in let alone leaving out for 10 more it’s the top of the top bales that that go a bit black so like people have said could be moisture off the tin roof. We stack them on their ends.

 

[Zebbedee]

I agree with Derrick Hughes hay is best stacked on the round not tin can style as they can breathe, also I would always leave bales out in the field for at least a week preferably longer, doesn’t matter if they get wet as long as they are dry when stacked, bales no matter how good the hay is will always sweat a wee bit and if stacked tin can the sweat will rise up through the stack instead of dissipating out of the bale as it would if stacked normally
I know from bitter experience.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Having spent my life looking at hay in Auctions neary 50 % have some black on the top when stacked the wrong way , especially Ryegass
Your building an oven