I just stacked 250 bales of hay in my pole barn, on pallets with three layers of plastic under the pallets. Only problem is my metal skinned pole barn sweats with temp change, and will drip on my hay. Is this amount of moisture worrisome ? I only have two horses at the moment so this amount of hay will last me 4-6 months-ish. Should I tarp it? or would that hold too much moisture inside? I feel like water would pool on the tarp and be an issue as well. Thanks
I have a metal pole barn as well.
I stack 300+ small squares on pallets with nothing underneath the pallets except for the layer of fines that builds up as I move bales.
In Spring, before bringing in new hay, I lift and sweep beneath the pallets. So every season hay starts stacked with nothing between the packed stonedust floor & pallets.
In 14yrs I have yet to lose a bottom bale to mold.
Including bales stacked above one end where I occasionally get water pooled from snowmelt or heavy rain.
My roof does not drip as it is the only part of the barn that has (foam board) insulation.
In your case I’d loosely tarp over the stacked hay.
That way dripping water won’t filter through the bales.
If possible remove the plastic beneath the pallets unless your flooring is dirt that could hold more moisture than my stonedust.
What are of the country are you in? Here in the humid southeast, I have to put a tarp loosely over the top of any stacked hay. There is just too much moisture in the air, in the ground, everywhere. Having the roof drip on the hay would pretty much guarantee that it molds – that happens to me just from condensation overnight.
Mine is up on a wood deck and I don’t have plastic underneath. If you’re directly on the ground with pallets I can see why you’d want plastic, but in addition to protecting against moisture from the ground coming up, you’re also trapping water moving down out of the hay.
(If decide to use a tarp and are concerned about water pooling on top of it, just put something on top of the hay under it so it makes a peak and water will roll off.)
Air flow and circulation (I think) is most important thing to keeping hay in a barn/loft to maintain the moisture/humidity at the right level. I would not be worried (as long as the air circulation was adequate) about dampness on walls or ceiling and that dripping on the hay. However, that said, I wouldn’t stack the bales so they are touching the walls or the ceiling.
Now if the bales are literally getting wet (as in soaked) and molding as a result, then I’d consider tarping the tops only or tarping/putting plastic across the ceiling rafters so that the moisture runs down the tarp/plastic to the outer wall, not splatting on the hay bales.
My 1900’s pole barn has a metal roof with more tiny holes and leaks in it than I’d care to count - and it sweats too. My hay was fine in the loft - never molded or anything. But, my loft has a bonnet that is open (no doors) facing east and the hay had 360° circulation around each stack of bales at all times.
My hay is in a wooden barn loft. Stacked on the floor and tight up against each other. The ceiling has a tarp mailed up just in case.
I still need to tarp quite closely as soon as rainy season starts because the ambient humidity will form mold spores on any exposed hay. If the tarp slides off a back bale or doesn’t reach the floor: bingo.
I am in the PNW so temperate damp October to June.
I can leave a new batch of hay naked OK in July and August.
In Ohio, dirt floor, hence the plastic under the pallets. And my land holds more water than I care to think about, unfortunately. Looks like a loose tarp may be the best answer. Thanks guys
