# Sweating Round Bales of Mixed Grass Dry Hay



## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Since I am new this year to the game of making round bales-I have a question for you vets on sweating. I am totally comfortable with small squares-know how they breathe etc.

Made some 4 x 5 net rbs of mixed grass-timothy, orchard and fescue the other day-6/6. Hay was dry to feel, enough so I did not stick the bales. Baled nice. Hay smells good and looks better. It has been 3 days and bales still have warm spots. I have not stacked this yet as I stack two on a side adn one on the rolled edge on top and in a stack they really can't breathe. How long should I expect them to sweat-need to plan on when I can stack them. Weather for 10 day not drying weather. thanks.


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I try to let round bales sweat for one day. They may continue to cure for a few days but after the first day I am not really concerned. I had to adjust my thinking when we went to round bales. We never worried about small squares gaining heat if baled dry. Round bales have so much mass and it is farther from the inside of a roll to breath than compared to a square.

If I have let a round bale, rolled dry, breathe for one day then I treat it as normally cured hay. I have stacked them the same day and not had a problem.

Note that round bales do tend to heat up some for a few days. I have never had cured round bales come close to dangerous temperatures. After one day I call them good to go and stack.


----------



## Don Pine (Feb 2, 2012)

Guys (both of you),

Are you talking hard or soft cores?


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Hard core here.


----------



## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

hard core. BTW- made a rookie mistake and tried to start a bale without the door all the way shut. Boy that was a mess as it wrapped up the pickup good. Now that grass which was dry got fairly slimy from being rubbed for the time it took for me to realize what I had done. Easy to see why there is a fire potential with rolling hay.


----------



## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

If you leave the gate open enough it will make a pretty green 5 ft carpet...yeah me too! :huh:


----------



## hay wilson in TX (Jan 28, 2009)

A lot depends on why the hay is sweating.

If the leaves were dry but the stems still had moisture, give the bale a week for luck. .

I like the hay to be "stem snapping dry" the evening before baling.

My favorite Extension information is from VA http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/pubnwsltr/TRIM/5811.pdf Proper Handling and curing of hay. From West Virginia, and presented at one of the Virginia hay Conferences.

What all this says if the stems are cured and you are baling with the dew or humidity ther is no problem.

If the stems are still too damp to bale, you will shatter most of the leaves and bale up a bunch of damp stems.

Also it says *bale squares starting at 70% relative humidity*, That is the humidity of the air down next to the windrow not at the weather station. 

*For Round Bales start baling at 65% relative humidity. *

If you are at a location where the humidity never gets below 71% or 66% humidity you will have problems.


----------



## shortrow (Feb 21, 2012)

Tim/South said:


> I try to let round bales sweat for one day. They may continue to cure for a few days but after the first day I am not really concerned. I had to adjust my thinking when we went to round bales. We never worried about small squares gaining heat if baled dry. Round bales have so much mass and it is farther from the inside of a roll to breath than compared to a square.
> 
> If I have let a round bale, rolled dry, breathe for one day then I treat it as normally cured hay. I have stacked them the same day and not had a problem.
> 
> Note that round bales do tend to heat up some for a few days. I have never had cured round bales come close to dangerous temperatures. After one day I call them good to go and stack.


This is how I roll......... Never had any trouble.


----------

