Hay into hayshed

Today I finished putting all my hay bales into the hayshed.  I had left the recent bales outside for one week in case they had further drying to do.  I didn't want to put them in the hayshed and then they overheat and catch fire from further drying.

Since it was only for one week I didn't place the bales on wood pallets and set them on the ground.  Bad idea.  The bales pulled moisture out of the ground as I had irrigated that pasture a little over a week prior to setting the bales there.  So most of the bales I had to turn so the wet spot was to the side or top depending on where the bale was to be located in the stack.  That is why I didn't finish moving all the bales yesterday.

Wet spot on a turned bale.  Fluffed hay from the bale spear used to turn the bale.

Before putting the bales into the hayshed I removed last years bales from the hayshed. And the few bales that no longer were wrapped in twine. Once I had all the recent bales placed into the hayshed I put last years bales back into the hayshed.  And the unwrapped or partially wrapped bales.

Moving the unwrapped or partially wrapped bales didn't always go smooth.  Below is a photo of hay that fell from one of these bales when I tried to lift it high into the stack.  This doesn't look like too much but it actually was almost two pickup loads.  In all I moved four heaping pickup loads of loose and fallen hay into the barn.

Why are some bales unwrapped or partially wrapped?  Sometimes the bale spear catches the twine as seen below.  The more times I move a bale the more chances the spear will catch twine.

This is the hay that came off the bale when the bale spear snagged the twine.

I was picking up the forth and last load of loose hay when it started to rain.  I got the hay into the barn before it got too wet.

All the bales fit in the hayshed except this one bale.  Once the rain quit I moved the bale into the barn as I still had just enough room for the bale.

Unfortunately just as I was putting the bale into the barn part of the bale sloughed off.  Naturally why wouldn't it?  A simple move of all these bales had to have hitches, whether twine snags, wet spots or bale sloughing.

Once I pitchforked all the loose hay into the barn.

The bales just fit: a full hayshed.

Since I have irrigation I forget how dry it has been this Summer.  I have enough hay but not everyone does.  Wyatt cut part of his field that regrew so he would have more hay for his two horse lady friends.  And last night, at a get-together before Cheryl and Leah left to return to Wisconsin, Edley said they were about 30 large bales short.