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10 Tips For Safe Horse Hay Storage
By Moira Clune, Co-Author: Noreen Girao
You’ve bought the best horse hay
you can find. Now store it for max-
imum use and nutrition. Don’t let
mold, mildew, rodents and weather
ruin your hay! 4. Keep the hay off the floor. Used
wooden pallets are available
from many local businesses.
They’re often free for the taking
and work perfectly!
Indoor Storage:
1. Keep hay dry. If you’re storing
it in a barn, be sure there are
no roof leaks or water drainage
problems. 5. Stack your hay for maximum
air flow. Square bales should be
stacked on edge with narrow
gaps between rows. Be sure to
check for heat in the bales by
driving a metal rod into the
centers.
2. Be sure condensation doesn’t
accumulate on the inside of
the roof. A surprising amount
of water can drip on your hay
from a sweaty roof! Use a plas-
tic tarp to channel water away
from bales.
3. Keep an eye out for rodents.
Rats and mice can contaminate
your hay. Plug any entrances
with steel wool. If you can’t
keep them out, cats and black
snakes are great mousers!
8 • Walking On
Special considerations for
outside storage:
8. When stored outside, hay must
be stacked on pallets or some
type of ventilated platform to
keep ground moisture from
infiltrating the bales. Be aware
of seasonal wet spots!
9. Bales should be protected from
sun and rain with tarps. Stack
the bales in a pyramid forma-
tion to encourage water runoff.
6. Use older hay first. Pull old bales 10. Tarps also protect your hay
from sunlight which causes
to the front or side before stack-
rapid nutrient loss.
ing in new hay, and feed older
hay first before starting on the
Hay needs to be stored properly
fresher supply.
for maximum safety, nutrition and
7. As much as possible, keep bales usability. But no matter how care-
fully it’s stored, always check each
in their compacted state. Bro-
bale for mold or foreign objects.
ken bales expose the hay to air
Never feed a horse hay that looks or
which will cause it to degrade
smells moldy!
in quality. Break off flakes to
minimize air exposure.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
expert/Moira_Clune/121065