Some excellent information on
hay storage from Ed
Scott
Ed Scott has researched hay-making and storage and sent this information along with some interesting websites about hay:
“My understanding is that
most barn fires that are caused by reasons other than smoking and electrical
problems, are caused by spontaneous combustion. The best way to
avoid this problem is to only bring in hay that has dried sufficiently. This
can be tested with a good moisture meter. These are expensive but not by
horse and barn standards. Anyone experiencing a barn fire
would gladly have bought a moisture meter to avoid the fire.
There are a number of companies
that make moisture measuring equipment. One that I think makes quality
equipment is Delmhorst Instrument Co., 51 Indian Lane East, Towaco, NJ 070822 -
877-335-6467 - www.delmhorst.com I am sure there are other very good
companies but Delmhorst is one I have always heard has quality equipment.
I believe that small square bales
stacked 6 or so feet high pose a greater risk than loose hay stacked to the same
height. The small square balers compress hay 8:1 and this may make spontaneous
combustion more likely. Large round bales are usually safe unless stacked
end-to-end before proper drying. When small square bales are still too
moist the best choice is to stand two bales into a leaning sided "A" with
tops touching. Do this in the yard if the forecast looks
dry. If not, better to stand them up this way in the barn than to leave moist bales
in a stack. The best choice is to use a moisture meter on incoming hay
and refuse bales that have not been properly dried.
I would add that a moisture threshold
of 20% is frequently used to determine if hay can go in the barn. Some
prefer below 16% which is very safe. Others will go as high as 21% or
22%. It also depends on how the hay is stored. Leaving some breathing
space between bales is a good idea. Low stacks won't compress the bottom
bales as much. Ventilation under and around the hay will also help. A
floor layer of baseball sized river rock works well to ventilate the bottom of
the stack. Red bricks laid loose with gaps about the size of 1/2 inch
PVC pipe will work well too. Anything to increase circulation around the hay will
be beneficial.
And don’t forget to avoid
any ways that can get hay wet in the barn. Teenage water fights and
openings that let in rain or snow a couple of ways this can happen. Wetting
hay after it has dried not only has a spontaneous combustion issue, it can lead
to fungus that is not good for animals or people.”
Ed Scott’s List of Some Interesting Web Topics On Hay
| Haying FAQ | www.sheepscreek.com/rural/hay.html |
| Loose Hay (the old way before bales) | www.scytheconnection.com/adp/hay/loose.html |
| Technical information on hay measurement and storage - the microwave method of moisture measurement which anyone can do | www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/dairy/as1255w.htm |
| Hay as depicted in art - huge so it is slow to load | www.hayinart.com |
| Early day haymaking | home.tiac.net/~cri/1998/haying.html |
| Harvesting Hay: The Early Years - Part 1 | www.ytmag.com/articles/artint110.htm |
| Harvesting Hay: The Early Years - Part 2 | www.ytmag.com/articles/artint123.htm |
| The story of a wonderful old farm barn that unfortunately ended in a barn fire | www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/021/index.html |
Books on Hay
"Haying With Horses" by L. R. Miller
"Bringing in the Hay: A Nostalgic History of Agriculture's Most Romantic Crop" by David A Asson
"The Haymakers: A Chronicle of Five Farm Families" by Hoffbeck
"Making Hay" by Verlyn Klinkenborg