# 4x5 bales rained on



## bovine (Dec 18, 2017)

I have several bales that have had .5 up to 1.5 inches of rain on them today . They bales were mostly orchard grass/fescue grass hay that were baled this past week . will I have problems with the hay heating because it was rained on ? The hay will be stacked in a open front shed . Forecast is for more rain next week so not a lot of time to let it air dry . Thanks


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Are they net wrapped? If yes, they should be ok. Keep them out front in the barn so you can watch them and they breathe better
Might be good to set them up on wood pallets, stone to keep the bottoms more fresh


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I've done one of two things, if your sure it was 1.5" then stack those separate on their own pallet until they dry. If less rain I've marked the top side of the bale with spray paint then make sure they go in their own row with the paint mark facing out. Make sure they are dry though before stacking another row in front of them.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

My rd bales get rained on every time it rains because they're stored outside. I thought that rd bales allowing the rain water to run off was one of the reasons rd balers were created. I sell this same outside stored hay to horse owners with no complaints of molding.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

mlappin said:


> I've done one of two things, if your sure it was 1.5" then stack those separate on their own pallet until they dry. If less rain I've marked the top side of the bale with spray paint then make sure they go in their own row with the paint mark facing out. Make sure they are dry though before stacking another row in front of them.


I agree but at 1.5" they may be wet on the very bottom too. I usually try to stack with the bales rotated in the column such that neither the very top nor very bottom is touching other bales. And I only do this with stacking in vertical columns (as I know you do) I definitely would stack them in tight in a honeycomb pattern.


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## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Tx Jim said:


> My rd bales get rained on every time it rains because they're stored outside. I thought that rd bales allowing the rain water to run off was one of the reasons rd balers were created. I sell this same outside stored hay to horse owners with no complaints of molding.


I have similar experience. Have 2 locals who have a couple horses. They bought hay huts for the round bales I sell them which are basically 14-17% moisture bales stored outside on the ground for months, then brought inside. I took on the customers and really didn't expect them to be satisfied with the hay, but they keep calling back for over 2 years now. I deliver the bales, one at a time, to each customer for $100/bale. When I place the bale in the hay hut, I notice all the previous bale is eaten. The customers are fairly picky and they have no complaints. The bales do not look amazing. The outside is fairly yellow/tan from the sun. Inside is mixed green/tan. Horses gobble it up. In fact the horse is nudging me to get to the bale while I'm flipping the hay hut back over the new bale.

Once I baled a field next to a local river and before I could bring the bales in, we had a freak flash flood from 2-3" thunderstorm and the bales sat in 2' of water for probably 12-18 hours. Once the water began to subside, I brought them in and stacked them in single layer lines on a thin layer of stone, thinking the bales were ruined. Much to my surprise, even the bottoms of the bales were fine after they drained out. I checked them months later, still fine. I really don't understand how one can bale dry hay, then have it immersed in 2' of water and have them turn out ok. I don't make a habit of letting my bales be ruined by water, but sometimes you just can't beat Mother Nature. 
I can only conclude there's a vast difference between moisture inside a grass stem when it is being baled and moisture introduced to a properly dried hay from rain or flood water. I think net wrapped bales stored on drain rock can sit outside for months with only a little degrading of the bale. The top and bottom 1% might get a little discolored.
I haven't used tarps in 2 years now. I find tarps used in my area only hold moisture under the tarp and cause molding of the tops of the bales while they sit there and sweat. Seems like the best storage for round bales are the really high hay sheds I see with 3 or 4 open sides so the bales get cross winds and can sweat out moisture. Tight barns are only good for perfectly baled round bale hay with low moisture percentages.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Tx Jim said:


> My rd bales get rained on every time it rains because they're stored outside. I thought that rd bales allowing the rain water to run off was one of the reasons rd balers were created. I sell this same outside stored hay to horse owners with no complaints of molding.


You're climate is somewhat different than ours in the humid east.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

mlappin said:


> You're climate is somewhat different than ours in the humid east.


I understand about climate differences BUT if my rd baler made bales that 1.5'' rain penetrated it I'd be buying a different color baler BUT I have no fear of that happening. I've had bales sitting outside in 4-6'' rains with no mold on the inside. Feel free to explain how your climate allows dry rd bales(<16% moisture) to mold inside as I don't have a clue. In case you haven't monitored the weather the humidity in N Central Texas is a lot higher than it was 50 yrs ago.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

mlappin said:


> You're climate is somewhat different than ours in the humid east.


OOPS double post


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

It has been my observation that moisture wicking up from the ground is more detrimental than rain to a round bale. Wooden pallets and moist ground can also result in rotten bottoms on bales. If you are going to store outside, ideally you will have a good stone bed with good drainage.

I've had round bales sit outside for a couple of weeks before I had a chance to move them under cover. A good day or two of sunshine should be all you need to get them dried out to where I would feel comfortable stacking them in the barn.


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## Swv.farmer (Jan 2, 2016)

If they are good tight bales let them set in the sun a day and then stack them.
They should not have got no more than a half inch deep in them.


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## siscofarms (Nov 23, 2010)

If they were net wrapped and not turned up on their end I think it will survive . 

This is why God made round bales . If you want them inside buy a square baler . big or small . you can fit a lot more squares in a barn than circles .


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