How to Store Wet Hay Bales
Improperly storing wet hay, or hay that needs to cure after being cut and baled, means losing hay bales when you go to use them, as wet hay is more prone to molding and causing fires. As hay bales dry out, they grow hotter in the center, which creates a prime mold-growing area and can cause spontaneous combustion. Storing hay wet doesn't mean you're going to lose every bale, but you do have to be careful.
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Instructions
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Choose a storage area that is far enough away from your barn that if the drying hay does start a fire, your barn won't be consumed, too. Your storage area needs to be well ventilated with roof vents, cupolas or fans so that any heat buildup has a way to get out.
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Lay down the pallets where you want to stack the hay bales. Pallets allow air flow.
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Stack the bales on their sides or on their ends but don't place the bales flush to each another. Instead, keep spaces between every bale to allow air flow. You also need to avoid stacking hay next to the walls or all the way up to the ceiling for the same reason.
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Choose random hay bales to cut open and examine the entire time the hay is stored. Look at the flakes for signs of mold -- the hay will smell bad or have white or dark spots -- and feel the flakes for heat. You can also use a special thermometer made for checking hay bales. In a May 2008 article in "Dressage Today" magazine, retired fire chief Charlie Vaughan says that any bales with temperatures of more than 150 degrees need to be taken out of the building and opened to avoid a fire.
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