DISCLAIMER: These posts contain hints, tips and ideas from folks that have had some experiences dealing with this. It is NOT meant to be professional advice here - just related experiences. Please consult with a reputable professional if necessary. ============================================================ From: Picabo02@aol.com Subject: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri Jul 07 12:25:25 2000 >Have any of you ever heard of square bales combusting because of an >excess amount of nitrogen if the hay is not dried properly? Here in Nashville, TN that can be a big problem! We have a barn full of hay in the loft. But it goes through careful scrutiny before being put up. We have several people inspect each bale, and if there is any question regarding its' weight, smell, color, dryness, the hay is NOT allow in the barn. We also have a really neat device that NASCAR (and others) use for detecting heat. We periodically take the "heat gun" up into the loft to make sure there are no "hot spot". If there is a hot spot detected, the bales are removed from the loft and broken open. We have also used the salt as a means as well and the horses love that! Johanna Baxter Nashville, TN ============================================================ From: DOGCRAZY Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 08:44:01 -0400 >Generally not a problem with round bales, because they are rolled up more >loosely than square bales are tied, and thus have more air flowing through. I don't know about them combusting, but they still get hot inside and you can see the "mold" later in the season when you go to use it. It is one of the reasons why round bales aren't suppose to be fed to horses. It is pretty tough to have them baled and cured properly for horses. When I was forced to feed round bales, I would shake out the parts that I found lightly molded, and luckily I had no troubles. But I guess it is always a risk. Diane W NC USA...the Lord Blesses all http://www.equinenet.org/dogcrazy/index.html Check out my site ============================================================ From: horsesaver Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 08:44:58 -0400 Yes, a lot of barns have caught on fire from it. karenp. in ny. >Have any of you ever heard of square bales combusting because of an >excess amount of nitrogen if the hay is not dried properly? ============================================================= From: horsesaver Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 12:39:03 -0400 Where did you get this device and how much did it cost? karenp.in ny. > We also have a really neat device that NASCAR (and others) use for >detecting heat. We periodically take the "heat gun" up into the loft to >make sure there are no "hot spot". ============================================================ From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 07 Jul 2000 18:46:15 -0400 > >Generally not a problem with round bales, because they are rolled up more > >loosely than square bales are tied, and thus have more air flowing through. > > I don't know about them combusting, but they still get hot inside and you >can see the "mold" later in the season when you go to use it. It is one of >the reasons why round bales aren't suppose to be fed to horses. Ask local horse people (the good ones) and see if there's a farmer that does round bales specifically for horses. There is a difference in baling methods. Cows can tolerate more than horses. Diana ============================================================ From: Dar09911@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 19:58:50 EDT Yes, this can and does happen. A farmer friend of mine lost his barn and over 3 tons of hay that was stored in his hay loft because it wasn't dried properly. Be careful how you put this kind of hay away for storage. Darlene ============================================================ From: Picabo02@aol.com Subject: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 21:00:07 EDT >We also have a really neat device that NASCAR (and others) use for >detecting heat. We periodically take the "heat gun" up into the loft to >make sure there are no "hot spot". Honestly I do not know where he got the item... the manager of the barn used to work for a pit crew for a race team here in Nashville and just had it laying around. I'm sure a co-op or farm supply store would know how to get a hold of one..or as a last resort, call a local race track...good luck in your search! Johanna ============================================================ From: "s.pel" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 18:25:43 -0700 Here you go.. http://www.afcoracing.com/products/getproduct.cfm?CategoryID=1&ClassID=7&Sub classID=933&ProductID=2644 There is a higher $ one but, this should do the trick for what you want. Shelly > >We also have a really neat device that NASCAR (and others) use for > >detecting heat. We periodically take the "heat gun" up into the > ============================================================ From: "Windfield Farm" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 23:30:27 -0400 > > I don't know about them combusting, but they still get hot inside and you > >can see the "mold" later in the season when you go to use it. It is one of > >the reasons why round bales aren't suppose to be fed to horses. *** I use round bales when I close of my large pastures for the winter and restrict my horses to smaller 1 1/2 acre turnout areas. I buy round bales that are baled carefully and are intended for use with horses (timothy/grass mix - little or no alfalfa). The hay is not baled until it is well dry using a moisture meter, and once baled it is stored under cover so that it does not deteriorate out in the weather. I have seldom found a musty or moldy spot in this hay. The only problem with feeding round bales is that I do think you have to have enough horses to eat a bale within a reasonable amount of time once it is set out in the feeder, otherwise it can mold as it sits out and is exposed to rain, etc. Nanci Shanley ============================================================ From: keith_wheelis@webtv.net (Keith Wheelis) Subject: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2000 22:41:20 -0500 (CDT) Thanks to all of you who responded to my question about square bales combusting. To those of you who replied saying that you check your bales for heat, do you bale your own hay or buy it? When I was a kid, we filled our barn with square bales we'd done ourselves every year. My dad (he passed away in 1990...that's why I can't just ask him about this) always let the hay dry well before baling it, but he said it was because he didn't want it to mildew. I didn't know about the fire hazard. We will be baling our own hay on our farm now. We just had round bales done to sell, but the next cutting will be square bales for our horses. Should we feel more confident if we're doing it ourselves, or is this a problem with even a very low level of moisture? Thanks again-Rae ============================================================ From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 00:59:04 -0400 >We will be baling our own hay on our farm now. We just had >round bales done to sell, but the next cutting will be square bales for >our horses. Should we feel more confident if we're doing it ourselves, >or is this a problem with even a very low level of moisture? The best thing for you to do is to get hold of your Agriculture Extension Agent. Your local feed store can tell you how. This person will even come out to your farm to take a look at your fields. He can tell you about moisture content, how to judge it, how to make hay properly.... If you are new to growing hay, ask him about it. Also, your soil should be tested and your fields fertilized according to the test results. Many farmers do not do this, and the hay they produce may look pretty, but it also may have very little food value, and/or be out of balance for minerals. And the guy doesn't charge anything to advise you. The tests are inexpensive. Diana ============================================================ From: "Jackie Rice" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 07:20:19 -0700 We have no other place but our barn loft and an extra stall to store hay. We use salt between every layer. Also, I don't lock the horses or cows in their stalls for about 3 months after we put up hay. They can go in and out of their stalls to their turnout. Just in case there was a fire and we were at work, they could escape. ============================================================ From: "Windfield Farm" Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 10:59:12 -0400 Rae wrote: Should we feel more confident if we're doing it ourselves, >or is this a problem with even a very low level of moisture? *** The safest bet if you are unsure is to invest in a moisture meter (sold at larger dairy supply places). The moisture meter can be used in the field to measure the moisture in the hay in a wondrow, or it can be inserted in bales that you buy. I use one when I check out a wagon of hay, testing bales randomly that I can get to easily, befor I commit to taking the wagon home. I also use it if I get to a batch of hay on a wagon that looks/feels suspect. I thnk the meters are an excellent investment, especially for those of us working out of older banrs with haylofts over the horse stalls. Nanci ============================================================ From: keith_wheelis@webtv.net (Keith Wheelis) Subject: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 10:24:05 -0500 (CDT) Hi all. Diana had suggested contacting the County Extension Office and our local feed store. This goes back to the reason for my concern/amazement. We had the guy from the County Extension Office out to evaluate our entire property right after we bought the place. We told him what we were planning, and he never mentioned anything about the hay combusting. The local feed store does all of our soil samples, weed killer, fertilizing, etc.... We know those people VERY well now, and they never mentioned it. Also, the guys who do the cutting and baling.....you get the idea. Everyone knows we're doing this for the first time. Most of the people here (Texas) have cows, and they do round bales. There aren't too many horse people in our immediate area. Maybe that has something to do with it...? It was this guy down the street who just kind of mentioned in passing the other day that our hay could cause a fire. Both our house and barn were built in the mid 1800's, and we have worked hard on the restoration. (of all this WOOD!) I am floored that not one of these people said anything. That's the reason I was skeptical about the truth of it. Now we have to work on re-building an old 4H shed out there so we'll have someplace to put our hay. Also, we will be buying one of the moisture gagues (sp?) that Nanci suggested. That sounds like an excellent tool to have. Thanks to you all for enlightening us! Rae ============================================================ From: dlinkous@radix.net Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Sat, 08 Jul 2000 12:33:53 -0400 >We know those people VERY well now, >and they never mentioned it. Also, the guys who do the cutting and >baling.....you get the idea. People tend to have so much knowlege if they've done something a long time, they just don't realize they have it -- they subconsciously assume everyone knows. I bet this is the case - probably no one deliberately didn't tell you this, just thought everyone knows. Diana ============================================================ From: CC40058@aol.com Subject: Re: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2000 14:47:23 EDT You can check with your local county extension offices...ours has all kinds of little testing gadgets they lend out to folks...lend out...no charge. Caroline Kentuckiana Equine and Animal Rescue, Inc. ...dedicated to the animals CC40058@aol.com or Kyianaequ@aol.com http://msnhomepages.talkcity.com/NonProfitBlvd/kyianaequ/ ============================================================ From: Faith Vis Subject: EQ-ResQ: Hay Combustion Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 12:19:58 -0400 I store hay in the loft of my barn. Fortunately there is plenty of space so I can take precautions: 1. Before stacking I open a couple of bales to feel the inside for moisture (we are not modern enough to have moisture content gauges!) or heat. 2. The bales are stacked neither too tightly nor too high in blocks with wide aisles between them so that if necessary each block could be turned over (just letting air in can remedy a minor heating problem). 3. For the first few weeks I go up periodically (at first every day then gradually lengthen the intervals) and test random bales for heat with an iron rod or any metal object that can be thrust into the middle of a bale (e.g. garden shears): hold for a good minute, remove and feel with your hand. I also push my arm in between bales here and there, but if you can feel heat outside a bale that is going to be a RED ALERT. On the farm in Devonshire (in the days when hay was stacked loose!) the men were careful to use the iron rod test frequently. Just occasionally a whole hayrick had to be turned over and rebuilt on a new foundation, and that was enough to remove the danger. Every now and then, though, a farmer would lose his winter forage to fire. And here in Pennsylvania barns do sometimes burn down. I have seen spontaneous combustion with my own eyes, when my husband piled fresh lawn clippings in a pile near the house. Seeing smoke rising from the pile I went out with a pitchfork...and found red smouldering embers in the center! If you have hay bales heating so badly that you have to cut the strings it can make a real mess. Had to do that once with a small load, so now I am VERY careful. Happy haying! Faith in the Endless Mountains where the hay is spoiling because uncut ============================================================ DISCLAIMER: These posts contain hints, tips and ideas from folks that have had some experiences dealing with this. It is NOT meant to be professional advice here - just related experiences. Please consult with a reputable professional if necessary.