Round baling hay - loose or tight?

Milton09

I was always told that you could round bale hay slightly fresher than you would need it for small square baling but that you have to bale it fairly loose.

However a neighbour told me last week that you should bale it tight instead as this keeps the air out thus stopping them from going musty.
Theres a certain amount of logic to this argument.

Anybody got experience?
thanks

vanderbadger

Milton09 wrote: »

I was always told that you could round bale hay slightly fresher than you would need it for small square baling but that you have to bale it fairly loose.

However a neighbour told me last week that you should bale it tight instead as this keeps the air out thus stopping them from going musty.
Theres a certain amount of logic to this argument.

Anybody got experience?
thanks

i think if they are a bit looser they wont heat up as much, round bales are devils for heating

Milton09

vanderbadger wrote: »

i think if they are a bit looser they wont heat up as much, round bales are devils for heating

Yes, but is heating really a problem? I've often seen square bales heat and although there might be some mould on a few of the very top bales, those in the center of the shed seem fine.

vanderbadger

Milton09 wrote: »

Yes, but is heating really a problem? I've often seen square bales heat and although there might be some mould on a few of the very top bales, those in the center of the shed seem fine.

ive not really had a problem with mould but i find hay that heats goes brown and isnt worth a sh1t, id say the good is gone out of it

reilig

In my experience, you can bale hay in small squares greener than in rounds. At least you can stack the hay out for a week or 2 to let it season so that it won't heat. Onve you round bale hay, 3/4 of the bale doesn't see the light of day till you open it for feeding so it won't get a chance to season.

Hay that heats is junk!!

Milton09 wrote: »

I was always told that you could round bale hay slightly fresher than you would need it for small square baling but that you have to bale it fairly loose.

However a neighbour told me last week that you should bale it tight instead as this keeps the air out thus stopping them from going musty.
Theres a certain amount of logic to this argument.

Anybody got experience?
thanks

pakalasa

Milton09 wrote: »

I was always told that you could round bale hay slightly fresher than you would need it for small square baling but that you have to bale it fairly loose.

This is true!

Milton09 wrote: »

However a neighbour told me last week that you should bale it tight instead as this keeps the air out thus stopping them from going musty.

I don't think this is true.

It's the moisture that causes it to go musty. So the looser the bale is, the more air that can get through it and further dry it out. The down side is if it rains, more rain will get down though it.

Bale it loose and put bales in loose under an open shed (very open) ASAP is the best.

charityboy

i bale both during the summer and i always give the round ones an extra day unless the weather is savage ,squares can be stacked and left out to season but there are 14 small bales in one of my round ones and if the hay is not fit they are only ****e ,the amount of hay i bale for people that is not fit is unreal ,there is a knack to making good hay and very few know how its done

pakalasa

We made all hay in the old days, and you're right, there is an art to it. I remember neighbours would come into the field and there would be a long discussion as to whether it was 'fit' or not. The hay didn't have to be as saved for 'trams' because, unlike the small bale, the hay was looser and so less likely to heat. 1976, I think it was, put an end to haymaking around here. A lot of people started making pits of silage, even in the corners of fields, after that.
After tramming hay, the McHale Fusion can seem like a Godsend.

6480

charityboy wrote: »

i bale both during the summer and i always give the round ones an extra day unless the weather is savage ,squares can be stacked and left out to season but there are 14 small bales in one of my round ones and if the hay is not fit they are only ****e ,the amount of hay i bale for people that is not fit is unreal ,there is a knack to making good hay and very few know how its done

i think lads panic and over do it with turning it with haybobs , i often had hay of my own and it might only get 2 turns while some lads that i bale for would turn it about 6 times

Muckit

6480 wrote: »

i think lads panic and over do it with turning it with haybobs , i often had hay of my own and it might only get 2 turns while some lads that i bale for would turn it about 6 times

+1.

It's the weather that makes hay, not haybobs.

We made the world of hay when I was growing up as a teenager (early 90's) Looking back now, there was alot to be said for the 'handy packs'

pat73

I agree with charityboy.Fit for square baling today and round bales tomorrow,if the weather is with u.My motto is if u think it is fit to bale today bale it tomorrow ,again if the weather is with u.I make a lot of hay for selling and i would turn my hay at least two times a day and three times if i had time.That gives it its fresh smell.I would buy round bales to square up when i run out and the amount of people that dont know how to make hay is unreal.Baling when not fit and hay that would have been dry but could have done with a few more turns to get the fresh smell in it.Hay needs air and sun on all parts of it.Turning with a haybob wouldnt do as good as job as a lely 300 or 600 as in my experience u would get the hay a day quicker with the lely.The haybob is on its own when it comes to rowing

Bizzum

Milton09 wrote: »

I was always told that you could round bale hay slightly fresher than you would need it for small square bales

I often heard this too. But with experience I now question the wisdom!

reilig wrote: »

In my experience, you can bale hay in small squares greener than in rounds.

We've made a good bit of hay over the years and I would tend to agree with Reilig here. When you make a round bale of hay it's a long way in to the middle. The hay wants to be right going in there.

Wrapping the headland I think is a good idea. The headland always seems to be a day behind the rest of the field.

charliecon

pat73 wrote: »

I agree with charityboy.Fit for square baling today and round bales tomorrow,if the weather is with u.My motto is if u think it is fit to bale today bale it tomorrow ,again if the weather is with u.I make a lot of hay for selling and i would turn my hay at least two times a day and three times if i had time.That gives it its fresh smell.I would buy round bales to square up when i run out and the amount of people that dont know how to make hay is unreal.Baling when not fit and hay that would have been dry but could have done with a few more turns to get the fresh smell in it.Hay needs air and sun on all parts of it.Turning with a haybob wouldnt do as good as job as a lely 300 or 600 as in my experience u would get the hay a day quicker with the lely.The haybob is on its own when it comes to rowing

Sorry Pat you are not making hay , you are just thrashing it and wasting diesel;)

pakalasa

There's an old neighbour near me and even in the wettest years, he always manages to save hay. If there was only two fine days in the year he would manage to get it.

49801

is there some sort of ryhme that goes...

.... "for Hay close in May"...

reilig

We have a neighbour like that as well . He always gets a couple of thousand bales of hay. We watch for him mowing cause we know that these must be a few good days of weather coming.

pakalasa wrote: »

There's an old neighbour near me and even in the wettest years, he always manages to save hay. If there was only two fine days in the year he would manage to get it.

pat73

charliecon wrote: »

Sorry Pat you are not making hay , you are just thrashing it and wasting diesel;)

I suppose selling 8 to 10 thousand square bales out of my barn every year ,collected not delivered isnt bad for a fellow thrashing hay and wasting diesel.Also my hay does be tested for horses so i must be doing something right.:D

Ford4000

I always like to have a bit of green left in the hay, Pat is right you need to get through it a few times so the sun gets to every bit of it if possible, when i last shook my hay this year i was getting the real nice fresh smell and plenty dust so i said t **** with this and i hopped out and changed the tines to row position,
Years ago my old uncles would dry the beejeasus out of it untill it was the colour of straw, feeding value is all but gone then
If hay heatens a little in its own sap its fine,if its heatens from gettin washed by rain its not fine its sh**e
My hay this year was cut Thursday evenin shook twice friday 3 times saturday and twice sunday before rowing, i would of liked to have left it to the following afternoon but rain was on the way and i didnt take the chance, the minute it was baled i stacked it in the shed and left it alone, it heated a bit on top but i had covered all the top with loose hay i gathered up and a couple a busted bales, this discoloured a bit but the bales under were 110% dont ever think i had as good a hay,
Pics below ........

Ford4000

Milton09

Ford4000 wrote: »

If hay heatens a little in its own sap its fine,if its heatens from gettin washed by rain its not fine its sh**e

You've hit the nail on the head there, I've often seen hay heat, but because it was baled a little fresh and didn't get rain- it was fine.

lab20

Milton09 wrote: »

I was always told that you could round bale hay slightly fresher than you would need it for small square baling but that you have to bale it fairly loose.

However a neighbour told me last week that you should bale it tight instead as this keeps the air out thus stopping them from going musty.
Theres a certain amount of logic to this argument.

Anybody got experience?
thanks

when hay is being made it should be wilted for a certain extent such as drying etc. when hay is packed tight together it can cause the hay to stay tight even during feeding but this is when hay is made too fast and not let down long enough! hay should be kept loose as it will allow, with proper storage, air to pass through each of the bales thus keeping it dry! animals love loose hay, they always will reject a tight bale as i no from experience. so when your making hay, try leave it down for at least 80+ hours with good sunlight. try to bale around 3.30-5.30 as the hay is driest then. you bale when it is slight;y damp, the bale will pack itself, heat and then that is where serious problems occur. my summary to this: KEEP IT LOOSE AND DRY IN SHED WITH ADEQUATE AIR FLOW!

Ford4000

reilig wrote: »

In my experience, you can bale hay in small squares greener than in rounds. At least you can stack the hay out for a week or 2 to let it season so that it won't heat. Onve you round bale hay, 3/4 of the bale doesn't see the light of day till you open it for feeding so it won't get a chance to season.

Hay that heats is junk!!

Have to completely disagree im afraid as i said if it heats a little in its own sap with a good cover of loose stuff on top it will be 110% perfect, my cattle have no problems with mine this winter anyway there goin mad for it, but like i said rainwashed and heatened.......s***e

pakalasa

I've seen a few lads down my way, cut a few rounds by the ditch first for silage and then save the rest for hay. No farting around then trying to dry damp hay by under the hedge.

FORD4000,
I can nearly smell that fresh hay from here...:D

pat73

What ever about the making of hay its the stress of watching the news for the latest weather prediction that is going to get me in the end.Checking all the internet weather sites about 20 times a day watching sky news for their prediction and then if u want a laugh check out the weather after the RTE news.I Think some times they send out the pretty young lady to give the weather as they dont know what is going to happen and its easier for the older crew if she comes across a farmer that knocked a meadow of hay on what she said rather than them.

Bizzum

Jaysus Lads, those pictures would put ya in good humour!

I can nearly smell the hay, the dust, the diesel, the hot engine, the sweat.............

Happy days:D

Ford4000

pat73 wrote: »

What ever about the making of hay its the stress of watching the news for the latest weather prediction that is going to get me in the end.Checking all the internet weather sites about 20 times a day watching sky news for their prediction and then if u want a laugh check out the weather after the RTE news.I Think some times they send out the pretty young lady to give the weather as they dont know what is going to happen and its easier for the older crew if she comes across a farmer that knocked a meadow of hay on what she said rather than them.

Ha ha your too right, i remember sunday morning rushin over to see the 1 o clock farm weather and check every weather site on the computer !!!

reilig

Ford4000 wrote: »

Have to completely disagree im afraid as i said if it heats a little in its own sap with a good cover of loose stuff on top it will be 110% perfect, my cattle have no problems with mine this winter anyway there goin mad for it, but like i said rainwashed and heatened.......s***e

If hay is baled into round bales before its fit and it heats, the centres of the bales will go orange. Its more akin to bedding than feed. Square bales are normally fine.

maidhc

To answer the question, when making round bales let them looser than you would with silage or the likes. I have experimented with it every year since 1996 when we got our own round baler!

Mur1

looser the better with round bales especially if you have to bale it sooner than you would like to. We then leave in the field for a week or 2 if the weather is half decent.
Also wouldnt stack them straight away, leave them spaced out on the floor of the shed

keep going

i gave up trying to bale hay with a fusion the bales are just too tight .use an old welger instead way better job.i think the secret of making hay is the manure spreader-let it in the shed.;)

pat73

I think the fertilizer u spread will dictate what kind of hay u will get unless u get the hot weather like we got in june 2010.I put out 18-6-12 in my fields and they get no slurry.Last year i had a field that got pasture sward for the cattle but went too strong so i cut it for hay.I cut another field the following day that had been spread with 18-6-12.I got hay on the field with 18-6-12 and i had to wrap the field with pasture sward.I could not get it right.It was too green.When we make round bales of hay we would leave them as loose as possible.no point in having them super tight.It would want to be scorched to have them baled up tight.We dont get the hot weather every year like we got in june 2010.I would always like hay that was going for round bales made a day later than stuff that was going for square bales but that dont always happen.

Milton09

keep going wrote: »

i gave up trying to bale hay with a fusion the bales are just too tight .use an old welger instead way better job.i think the secret of making hay is the manure spreader-let it in the shed.;)

In your opinion is it possible at all to bale hay with the fusion?

Grecco

49801 wrote: »

is there some sort of ryhme that goes...

.... "for Hay close in May"...

I`d say your thinking of this one

"A wet and windy May, fills the barn with corn and hay"