Hay Bale Storage

[LittlePuffyTail]

I bought a bale of hay from my friend who has horses and uses it for her rabbits too. It looked really nice and fresh so I thought I’d give it a try. If my buns like it, it will save me a huge amount of money. I’m just wondering about where to store it. I was planning on putting it in my basement but I’m worried about the dampness turning it moldy (I’m terribly paranoid about mold in hay). My basement is a finished basement but it gets quite damp this time of year. We have a dehumidifier and nothing has ever gotten moldy down there, but blankets and clothes are pretty damp smelling when they stay down there.

My only other option is my baby barn which is a total crap shak and any animals who desire it can get in there so I’m worried about mice/rats nesting in the bale. I had a family of squirrels living in my horse blankets last year!!!! It’s also pretty damp in there, and rain gets in at places but I could store the bale in a dry spot with a tarp or blanket over it.

What would be the better option?

[Barbie]

Well, I just bought a bale of hay for Leroy and am having the same concerns over storage. Right now it’s sitting on a plastic tarp in the spare bedroom, but I HAVE to do something about it soon! Before I bought the bale, I was getting the 96 oz bags of hay from the pet store, and just so the hay didn’t get everywhere, I put the store hay into a large plastic Tupperware tub. I took off a couple flakes of hay and put them in my plastic bin, which I keep near his cage, just to make things easier when giving Leroy more hay. The bin isn’t air tight, and my apartment isn’t damp so I don’t worry too much about mold. I was thinking about getting a big plastic garbage can, like the ones that go out by the curb… (well, at least in the states where I live that’s how they do the trash… sorry, i’m not very well versed in Canada’s trash removal system since whenever I visit Canada, I’ve stayed in hotels..) and throwing the rest of the bale in there and then storing it in a closet (I have some BIG closets )

[KatnipCrzy]

I store our bale of hay in our garage- in our wheelbarrow, wrapped in a cotton blanket to keep it from getting dusty.  And it is in the wheelbarrow to keep it off the floor so it can’t possibly get wet from snow,slush,rain off the car tires.

I would recommend trying the basement over the “shack”- you would always try to put it somewhere well ventilated and I think that avoids the mold issue.

[Aminah Undone]

I have a huge rubbermaid tub dealy that most of a bale will go into ..and then I have somewhat smaller ones near the cages (I have a Cavy & Chinchillas, too) ..with flip tops.. that make refills very simple.

I think I’d try the basement first ..see how it holds up with the mold issue. The barn probably has a lot of “critter” access ..and whatever they bring is probably just as bad ..if not worse.. than a little mold.

[BinkyBunny]

With any plastic containers, you just have to make sure it gets enough air flow often. Many people use them thinking that it will protect the hay from the elements, but plastic  is not ideal just because ironically hay needs to be well ventilated. Cardboard or Wood is better, but if  you have to use plastic then each time you open it be sure to mix it around. You might want to even drill little air holes around the bin if you don’t get into that often. Another options is to get extra large cotton laundry bags, hang them from some place, cut a little opening on the side that you can velcro, zipper, button up, but allows you easy access to get the amount of hay you need – either to a smaller bag or box that you use on regular bases.

[bunnytowne]

Yes I have same problem  too.   Where in an apartment do we put the hay where oh where.   I too have a big tupperware plastic thingy and put most of it in there.  Whatever doesn’t fit goes into a big garbage bag and the top stays open.

I get his hay out the garbage bag first.  I leave the top on the tupperware loose too.   I need to get a bigger one then I can fit all the hay.  No hay has gone bad in there.  But then I dont’ always shut the lid tight for ventilation and the bottom has little holes

The Cotton laundry bag idea.  Thats a new one.  Making a little opening very good idea. And it would stay dry that way smart.

[RabbitPam]

I’ve never been able to keep that much hay so I’m just throwing out ideas. Can you break it down into many separate bundles, so if one goes bad the rest is fine? I’m thinking a set of linen bags like they use to put lettuce in, and stacked. If you got a hanging closet rack, not the shoe racks but the sweater ones, you could bag them in cotton, then store them stacked in the basement hanging from a hook or a rod. Pull out a cloth bag as you need it to bring upstairs. Better than the barn, too.

[Barbie]

Pam, that’s a great idea to split up the bale so if one bit goes bad, the rest won’t necessarily be contaminated too! I didn’t even think of that. Scratch the garbage bin, I’m going to try that. And the cotton or linen bags!

[Toki+Pumpkin+Elmo]

I store my bales in large paper bags or cardboard boxes. If the bale of hay is not contained somehow, it can get very messy.
When I have time, I seperate the bale into multiple paper bags so that I can take the hay inside the hourse one bag at a time. It’s really convinient. If I dont have time, I store them in a box. If I have to store it somewhere, I figure it’ll be better to store in a cardboard box than a plastic container.

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

Seperate the flakes so that there is less chance for mold

Also-what about the trunk of your car? I know you have a horse so I’m sure you have peices of hay in your car already

[Barbie]

KK I know you were kidding, and this probably isn’t even relevant since it’s getting towards fall, but… the trunk probably isn’t the best place, since it will get really hot, and any moisture in the hay or in the car would encourage the growth of mold… Yucky!

[Deleted User]

I bought four small bales last month to last me through the winter. I had to stock up because the hay crop was very poor this year and I might not be able to get any in my area later on in the winter. I do use a ramshackle mini shed that is very sad-looking on my patio. The hay sits on a skid in it and it is pretty breezy. I would prefer putting it in a garage but we don’t have one. My basement is not an option because hay naturally contains mites which my bf is allergic to. I set mouse traps during the fall in the mini shed around the bales but luckily haven’t gotten any. I would opt for your baby barn but fix the leaky roof if possible, and mount the bale on a table or something.

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