Hay dealers report no preference in types of hay barns, as long as they can get their trucks close to the bales. However, with heavier bales and mechanical handling, one-story hay sheds will become a necessity.
Typical hay sheds for large-volume storage are generally clearspan structures, 40 or more feet wide, and they often have a lean-to section on each side.
In Illinois, hay producers prefer to have full siding or at least siding on the north and west sides because rain blowing in can ruin stacked hay. Also, sun and heat will cause the outside of exposed bales to bleach out, reducing sale value.
If the hay shed has three or four sides covered, adequate ridgetop ventilation must be provided because of the large volume of moisture leaving fresh hay during the curing process. In fact, one ton of 20 percent-moisture hay will lose about 20 gallons of water (reducing it to 12 percent moisture). Therefore, air flow is important.
Although opinions vary on what makes the best floor in a hay shed, producers and dealers agree that hay should not be stacked directly on a dirt or concrete floor. Both surfaces can become moist and ruin the bottom layer.
The minimum floor protection is a thick layer of loose straw or hay chaff. More protection will be provided if you first put down a sheet of plastic or layer of rock as a moisture barrier before adding straw or chaff. Coarse limestone rock (without fines) is recommended for this use because it provides good air movement; but there can be problems if the rock is too coarse and rolls around, leaving a rough surface.
Producers selling large round bales should understand that the bales need to be stored indoors, especially it there is much legume in the hay. Large bales stored outside uncovered and sitting on dirt will typically lose 20 percent or more of their feed value, and the remaining hay will be less palatable to livestock.
If large round bales have to be stored outside, place them on a layer of rock, railroad ties, or old tires, and cover with plastic. This will reduce losses from 20 percent to about 10 percent per bale.
Large packages are often associated with lower quality hay, but that needn't be the case. High quality is still possible in large round bales or large square bales. Large square bales are a relatively new development in hay packaging.
