- Location
- Scottish Highlands
It's that time of year again. I have had several months with an empty shed where I have been able to get on with machinery repairs and other jobs under cover. It just seems an appalling waste of space to fill the shed with a bulky commodity like hay or straw for a major part of the year when it could reasonably sit outside, but for the weather.
For several years now I have been lining hay bales out on pallets with a length of builders' damp proof plastic membrane (DPM) tied down along the top half. The DPM is not expensive and can be used for several years. It works well and the hay comes out almost as well as the same stuff stored in a shed. But, single handed, it is a real pain tying down the plastic. Tie one side, then walk around the line to tie the other side. And if there is the slightest breeze, the plastic becomes unmanageable.
I've seen photographs of round bales with plastic wrapped around just the curved surface, so the ends are left open and the hay can breath. That would appear to be an ideal compromise. Totally wrapping hay, like haylage or silage, uses a lot of wrap, takes time, and is wasteful. If tghe hay is not completely dry, to prevent mould, air needs to be totally excluded, which means about 6 layers. How much wrap would be needed to shed water from a partially wrapped bale? Two layers? A few small holes probably wouldn't matter much, but more research would tell us. How would it be applied? I gather there are machines that will already do this, but not too many of them. Apparently, rotating bale spikes don't work. Could a conventional bale wrapper be modified? Any thoughts?
For several years now I have been lining hay bales out on pallets with a length of builders' damp proof plastic membrane (DPM) tied down along the top half. The DPM is not expensive and can be used for several years. It works well and the hay comes out almost as well as the same stuff stored in a shed. But, single handed, it is a real pain tying down the plastic. Tie one side, then walk around the line to tie the other side. And if there is the slightest breeze, the plastic becomes unmanageable.
I've seen photographs of round bales with plastic wrapped around just the curved surface, so the ends are left open and the hay can breath. That would appear to be an ideal compromise. Totally wrapping hay, like haylage or silage, uses a lot of wrap, takes time, and is wasteful. If tghe hay is not completely dry, to prevent mould, air needs to be totally excluded, which means about 6 layers. How much wrap would be needed to shed water from a partially wrapped bale? Two layers? A few small holes probably wouldn't matter much, but more research would tell us. How would it be applied? I gather there are machines that will already do this, but not too many of them. Apparently, rotating bale spikes don't work. Could a conventional bale wrapper be modified? Any thoughts?