Ok, I am holding the line on not storing hay in the house :-0
We have a nice sized cinderblock shed that I will be using to store hay for the 1st time. I’ve been hearing of a snow-ier winter and want to have extra hay.
Is it good enough to put a layer of pallets down on floor and then stack the square bales?
The shed has windows, and no leaks.
thanks.
What ventilation does it have? Will you be stacking it clear of the walls?
I would at least put a layer of plastic or plywood over the pallets. 7/16 OSB plywood makes a good walking surface and is $8 / sheet.
David
thanks DH.
The shed had two small windows. Are you saying that i should leave a gap between the wall and the hay? thx.
Cinderblock buildings tend to be damp, which leads to moldy hay. So you won’t want hay touching the walls, and you’ll want to do whatever you can to improve ventilation.
A barn I was in for years was a cinder block barn, with dirt floors. Hay stacked on pallets with some plywood behind to keep it off the walls was the best way to stack and not have any spoilage. A few boarders didn’t heed the recommendation and lost all the bales that touched the barn wall.
That particular barn had very good ventilation. It was set up to catch even the slightest breeze and the top of the barn wall where the roof joists sat was open to allow ventilation as well.
It can work, but you need to take precautions so you don’t have alot of your hay go bad. Keeping it off the walls and adding roof vents, cracking windows should help. Of course it all depends on your environment as well. What works in the southwest won’t work in Alabama.
The first year at the farm where my horses are now we had a cinder block building for hay storage.
Pallets on floor, covered with either a tarp, or plywood is best. Then hay. Plywood between hay and walls.
No hay touching cement, or it will get moldy.
Basically, you’re going to need to line the building with wood before adding hay. 
Mildew and mold comes to mind. I used to board at a stable where the tack and feed rooms were all concrete block. Hay wasn’t stored in any of them. Mildew on the tack was a bad problem and they had to be careful with feed also.
I don’t know where you live and your typical humidity range but you will want to do all you can to improve ventilation and keep hay away from the concrete and blocks. Maybe run a dehumidifier if you do have humid air.
chicamuxen
You guys are freaking me out about how much waste I’m going to have. My hay is in a cinder block garage. We had to go to the wall on one side and in the back to get it to fit. I haven’t noticed it being particularly damp in that garage previously however. The exterior is primed/painted and the front of the garage is open (no door) 18’ x 7’ and then the rafter space is open. I do have the hay on pallets.
The good news is our winters are cold and dry usually.
I would think priming and painting the inside could help with damp too (OP).
[QUOTE=ytr45;7761126]
thanks DH.
The shed had two small windows. Are you saying that i should leave a gap between the wall and the hay? thx.[/QUOTE]
Definitely.
I have a metal building with stonedust floor and enough roof leaks that the humidity stays high. (The leaks are not over the hay) It doesn’t breathe either. With plywood on pallets and 2’ of clearance between the walls and haystack, we had no lost bales. I did add two 24x24 louvers in the corners around the hay to improve circulation. So it can work. But I can tell that you have to be mindful and it would not necessarily be wise to plunk 12 months of hay in a new place like this only to find that something is not adequate. It will probably work but personally I hate losing any hay whatsoever.
I think I would convert one window to a louvered screen window and the other to a forced fan. A ridge vent will help too. This way you encourage the air circulation and keep humidity no higher than ambient.
If you get bored, you can buy a cheap weather datalogger and leave it in there for a few days.
David
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