Hay store

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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I'm bidding on a shed on eBay to become my hay store, I hope. It's 4m long and 3.5m deep, but those are the external dimensions. I imagine I will be able to fit 9 small bales across if they are 30hx 40wx 100 long, allowing for sloppy bales etc.

I'm not so good at envisaging things. If I stack them 4 high (i can't do any higher by myself) I would be able to fit 2 rows of 9 bales across the shed allowing plenty of space at the front to move around and maybe put hay nets and feed bins and stuff in there too. That would be 72 bales if they are 4 bales high. I don't really have any idea how much hay I use - is that a lot of hay for 2 full size horses living out? Could 2 deliveries see me through? Should I plan to stack more hay at the sides? Should I get a big bloke to stack for me so I can go 5 high? (I can get them down, I just can't put them up).

My sniper is primed and ready to go!
 
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I'd be working on at least half a bale a day for a full sized horse, more if he weather is bad and they can't get any grass.

Check the size or the door on the shed, you have to be able to get bales in easily, particularly if you're stacking near the front so don't have a lot of room to manoeuvre the last ones in.
 
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I generally feed hay for 5 months of the year, Dec to Apr.
I use a whole bale on my two for probably the worst 2 months of the year. Some will probably say thats excessive but my two clear it up when its cold, wet and snow on the ground. If there is some left then i obviously reduce it. So 2 months, 60 days @ 1 a day, 60 bales.
For 3 months probably work on 1/2 bale per day. 3 months, 90 days @ 1/2 bale, 45 bales.
The bit i feed over the summer/autumn months is very minimal. Maybe only 10-15 bales at most if even that.

So my total for a year is round about 100 to 120 maybe.
 
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Well I have space for more behind the shelter, so if I can do 80 in the shed I should be able to get a year's hay in one delivery! Hurrah!

Thank you!
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
I'm not so good at envisaging things. If I stack them 4 high (i can't do any higher by myself) I would be able to fit 2 rows of 9 bales across the shed allowing plenty of space at the front to move around and maybe put hay nets and feed bins and stuff in there too.
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Ive got a stack of 40 sitting along in the yard i could go and measure that for you if you want a rough guide. Tape measure is excessable.
 
Just been to measure. I know that my bales which are still conventional are slightly different. The hay dealer who came the other day with his big trailer said i get 40 bales on a layer. Well when we counted up what we loaded he only got 37 a layer, so mine are a different size on our baler.
They do vary 100 x 50 x 40 high. Some are 100 x 54 x 37

The stack of 40 is 5 high.
Measures 200 x 200 x 180 ish high.
Dont forget ideally you should put the bales on some pallets so make sure youve accounted for that height wise on your shed.

There also bigger when freshly made and compress with time.
 
chunky monkey said:
Just been to measure. I know that my bales which are still conventional are slightly different. The hay dealer who came the other day with his big trailer said i get 40 bales on a layer. Well when we counted up what we loaded he only got 37 a layer, so mine are a different size on our baler.
They do vary 100 x 50 x 40 high. Some are 100 x 54 x 37

The stack of 40 is 5 high.
Measures 200 x 200 x 180 ish high.
Dont forget ideally you should put the bales on some pallets so make sure youve accounted for that height wise on your shed.

There also bigger when freshly made and compress with time.
Click to expand...
That's really interesting, thank you. The shed has a wooden floor - would pallets still be necessary?
 
I won it! It has cost £200. A man says he will take it down and put it up for another £200 (which I think is way too little but that's his business). A magic base and gravel will probably be about £300 (I would have had to pay that anyway though if I had bought a new shed). Anyway, loads less than the £1500 + I would pay for a new one - and I will have somewhere to store my hay!
 
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Oo well done, it’ll be great once you’ve got it up. Jess and the 2 little boys do a bit over a bale a day year round (no grass April - dec, and a little in between).
 
Argh there are always complications! The shed has to be moved ON 10 July not BEFORE 10 July. What a pain. Never mind, my hay guy should still have plenty then!
 
Jane&Ziggy said:
Argh there are always complications! The shed has to be moved ON 10 July not BEFORE 10 July. What a pain. Never mind, my hay guy should still have plenty then!
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Oh that’s frustrating, but probably best the hay has had a bit of time to cure before you stack it in a smaller space anyway.
 
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