Right Hay Moisture Content

An Accurate Hay Moisture Meter

As any experienced hay producer knows, the moisture content of hay needs to be strictly controlled at all times. With too little moisture, hay becomes brittle, loses nutritional value, and become unpalatable for livestock. With too much moisture, not only can hay spoil, baled hay can experience thermal expansion in storage severe enough to cause it to combust, creating a severe hazard.

Because of this, checking the moisture content of hay with a hay moisture meter before baling begins is an integral part of harvesting hay.

With this in mind, the question is, “What is the right moisture content for hay, then?” Just how dry does hay have to be before it can be baled? The answer to this question varies depending on several factors, including what kind of forage you’re using for hay, and how you’re baling it.

Small Square Hay Bales

Of the different kinds of hay bales, small square bales tend to have the highest tolerance for moisture. According to research cited by the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development site, a small square bale’s moisture content can be between 18 and 20 percent and be safe.

Part of the reason for this is because small square bales tend to be much less densely packed than larger hay bales. For example, at 5.5 cubic foot of volume with a weight of 60 lbs. or less, there is less than 11 pounds of matter per cubic foot of space in a small square hay bale (60 ÷ 5.5 = 10.9090). Compare this to a large rectangular bale, which packs 1,800 lbs. of material into 112 cubic feet of space, which means there is roughly 16 pounds of matter per cubic foot of space, nearly half again as much as the small square bale.

The biggest challenge when dealing with small square bales is that processing so many smaller bales is inefficient when compared to simply making one huge bale. To recall the previous example, for a small square baler to match the output of the large square baler, it has to make thirty bales, which means stopping for the baler to finish thirty times to other unit’s single stop.

Large Square Hay Bales

Being more densely packed than small square bales, large square bales have a much lower tolerance for moisture. For a large square bale, the allowable range for moisture content is often between 12 and 16 percent, with 12 being more desirable for long-term storage and warmer climates.

With their very low moisture tolerance, square bales can be much more finicky to get dry enough for storage or transport, but they do have their advantages, such as:

As we mentioned before, using a large square baler is often faster and more convenient than using a small one.

Large square bales are easier to load onto flatbeds for transport than other bale types. With a higher density than small square bales, large square bales are more efficient on space per pound, and are much easier to stack and transport than round bales.

For a hay grower who is looking to deliver large quantities of hay over long distances, large square bales are often the best choice.

Round Hay Bales

Many newer baling machines render hay into barrel-shaped round bales instead of the traditional compacted square shapes. While the density at which these bales will still differ depending on overall size, the moisture tolerance of round-shaped bales holds fairly steady at 15 percent.

These bales are often easy for a single farmer to manage efficiently, but are more difficult to transport over great distances than the other two types of hay.

The Consequences of High Moisture Content in Hay Bales

When the %MC in a hay bale is too high, the hay will undergo a process called thermal expansion. To put it simply, hay bales will become hot as the moisture inside the bale attempts to bleed out.

During this process, bacteria and mold in the moisture trapped in the bale may multiply, using the nutrients in the bale to fuel their growth. In the best case scenario, this may merely strip the bale of useful nutrients and make it inedible to livestock. In a worst-case scenario, the hay will continue to become hotter from the growth of these microscopic organisms until the heat and pressure causes the bale to spontaneously combust.

The higher the moisture content of the hay, the larger the risk will be.

When Hay Doesn’t Have Enough Moisture

Of course, if hay’s moisture content is too low, then different problems will occur. While hay with exceptionally low moisture might not be at risk of growing mold and bacteria, that’s because much of that hay’s nutritional value is already gone.

When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle, making them much more likely to fall off. In many cases, a significant portion of hay’s nutritive value lies in the leafy portions of the herbs used to make the hay.

Measuring Moisture before Baling

Because of the incredibly challenging demands of growing top-quality hay, many farmers are up before the crack of dawn to start collection so that they can get the most hay that they can before it becomes too dry.

Using a hay moisture meter with extended-length probes, these professionals check moisture levels in the windrow before activating their balers so that they know that their hay is ready to be baled. During the baling process, many hay experts attach special baler-mounted moisture meters to their baling machines to continuously check the %MC of their hay throughout the day so that they know right away when their hay is getting too dry to continue baling.

With the right tools and a little know-how, making the best hay bales can be a cinch.

Contact Delmhorst Europe here, it will be our pleasure to assist.

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