- Location
- Limousin
Can't agree. You either set-out to make hay or haylage they are different. Just wrapping damp hay doesn't turn it into haylage.
Wrapping hay and straw for outside storage
- Thread starter scrubbuster
- Start date
Can't agree. You either set-out to make hay or haylage they are different. Just wrapping damp hay doesn't turn it into haylage.
4course
Member
- Location
- north yorks
agree with that its either hay or haylage ,however weather problems on hay can usually be salvaged with wrapping plus or without additive. We often set out to make hay then change our minds before it wastes
Yes.......last years crop of haylage ended up as dry silage.
Still, it is Crapweathershire after all.....livestock 1
Member
Where it all goes wrong is when people put one layer of wrap on something with moisture in it. Keeps some of the water off but let’s air in = mouldy simple really
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
yes more important to have extra layers with very dry stuff , 6 minimum
We bought some ryegrass hay straight off the field in rounds last year. Went in the barn for storage. Wrapped 30 of them a fortnight later for a family member with a new small holding and no barns. Came out the wrap as good as it went in. Very well made hay though.
I'm just finishing 50 round bales that were wrapped last year (think four layers) but it was cut in late June so was bone dry. All stored outside-wrqped because that was the only option. Had a few that had to be left in the field that went rough at the edges where the local knobheads rolled them and unwrapped bits but the vast majority has been spot on. We've just chucked one bale out but that was definitely a field edge bale and it's been sat sweating for nearly 12 months so I'll get over it!
Will definitely do it again this year if conditions allow, much easier than sheeting a stack and much less waste.
Will definitely do it again this year if conditions allow, much easier than sheeting a stack and much less waste.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
I put any round bales I can't get in the barn outside in a long row, on pallets, with heavy gauge builder's DPM laid along the top half, then tied down with light rope. I didn't bother posting earlier because I assumed you guys would be handling thousands of bales! I also had about 50 outside over winter. They are all perfect, except slight discolouration where exposed to the sun.
One roll of DPM costs about £70 (including VAT) does about 50 bales and on a still day it doesn't take long for me working alone to lash them down. It would be faster with two as it's tedious having to walk around the row to tie down both sides! I used to leave a small gap between bales but now pack them end to end quite tight. It works for me and more will be staying out in the future as it's handy to have the extra space inside.
One roll of DPM costs about £70 (including VAT) does about 50 bales and on a still day it doesn't take long for me working alone to lash them down. It would be faster with two as it's tedious having to walk around the row to tie down both sides! I used to leave a small gap between bales but now pack them end to end quite tight. It works for me and more will be staying out in the future as it's handy to have the extra space inside.
michael N123
Member
I’ve left hay outside before as long as there not touching so the water can run off them not a lot gets wasted
James
Member
- Location
- Comber, Down
Wrapped straw here probably for the last 10 yrs. Have to put on 4 layers minimum. Comes out as dry as it went in.
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
Some studies in the USA came to a similar conclusion about net wrapping hay. Haven't had the courage to try it here.
How about film binding? Much cheaper than wrapping the whole bale
I like the idea of that @dryrot, years of using tarpaulins for horse hay put me off them but I can see the DPM working better. I don't like the mountain of plastic wrap we generate even on 50 bales (I can live with the net wrap as a necessary evil) and it'd save me a few quid per bale!
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
For some reason the blue DPM is rubbish and it disintegrates in the sun and rain. But the heavy grade black DPM seems fine. I still have 25 bales under it from last year. So long as the DPM isn't flapping in the wind, it lasts quite well -- and I am in the Scottish Highlands!
scrubbuster
Member
- Location
- Easter Ross
Not when you have to buy a £40k baler! I read on here that they don't work on dry crop?
- Location
- Scottish Highlands
2018 hay, new sheet last year. Photo taken today. Heavy gauge builders' DPM split lengthwise with bales on pallets.
- Tags
- first cut round bales