Do those very large rolls of hay convert to silage?

Question

When we city dwellers drive along the rural landscape, we often see large cylindrical rolls of hay in the fields. If left in the field, will the interior turn to silage? If so, is the process more efficient if the rolls are brought into a barn? More efficient if enveloped with a plastic cover? Is it considerably cheaper than putting the hay into a silo? They look rather expensive.

Answer 1

We live out in the country here in Texas and it is quite common for hay to be rolled into those cylindrical bales.  Each bale weighs about 1000 pounds, equal to 8 or 10 of the rectangular bales.  They're wrapped in a polyprolene cover that helps to shed the rain, which is a big problem with the regular bales--they get wet inside and rot.  

Also with the round bales, there is very minimal waste when it comes to feeding livestock.  The bale can be opened and put inside a round pipefence feeder where the horses or cattle will put their heads in and eat toward the center.  With the regular bales, the livestock will waste a lot because the bale gets trampled.  The regular bales have to be put out every day, too, whereas the round bales (once they're put in the round pen) can be left until they've been finished and the rain won't rot them.  

As for expense, I guess they would cost what the equivalent would be in 8 or 10 of the rectangular bales.  Hay prices can really skyrocket in a bad year (meaning little or no rain).  Sometimes hay has to be trucked in from other states, which can make it expensive for livestock raisers.  Often they're forced to sell off stock rather than pay for the hay to feed them through the winter.  (My husband's grandfather was a cattle rancher in California, and his wife used to call the Navajo rug in his study "Joe's prayer rug" because that's where he would sit and worry about getting enough rain for a good grass year.)

As for me, I'm pretty much a vegetarian, as is my husband, so we don't raise any cattle on our place.  Only spoiled dogs and cats.  :)

Answer 2

yes large bales of hay or straw will slowly compost down.

if kept covered in my loft they will last a couple of years

I have never kept hay in a silo I keep grain there

large bale are more economical do do than small square which are labor intensive

Answer 3

While what you see is hay, it is possible to make silage while in the bale, but it's instead called baleage.  The hay is rolled into big round bales like hay, except it's baled at a much higher moisture, around 35% compared to 15% for hay.  The bales are loaded onto a special machine that wraps white plastic round and round in a spiral manner around the bales, which are end to end with no space between them.  When finished, they look like a big, long sausage.  The plastic excludes oxygen, so the hay ferments rather than heating and molding.

Later:

Hay catches fire because it isn't dry enough when baling takes place.  Micro organisms begin breaking down the moist plant fibers and produce heat in the process.  Moist hay will go through a "sweat" and get warm, but doesn't always catch fire.  If too moist, the sweating process continues until temperatures get high enough to combust is oxygen is present.  That's why hay sometimes doesn't catch fire until the hay is moved, and with the sudden supply of oxygen, it bursts into flames.  That's why fireman want to be extremely careful when moving hay away from a burning area.  Moving the hay could cause it to burst into flames on the spot, injuring the fireman.  

The plastic covers are to shed rainfall and keep the hay from rotting, not to keep it from cumbusting.  The plastic actually promotes combustion since it helps retain heat in the bale.  Hay that has been rained on and then baled too wet usually molds or rots, while hay baled with too much moisture initially is the stuff that catches fire.  

On the 35% moisture baleage, if baled up and left set, it would rot or burn.  However, the plastic covering excludes oxygen, thus resulting in fermentation instead.

Answer 4

No, Those round bales are dry hay, whereas hay silage has to be moist enough that it will pack down to exclude air.

If one is making silage one cuts the hay and either chops it into small parts immediately and deposits it into a silo or mound that is kept tramped down to exclude air. No baling is done, no baling twind, no polyproplyne covers.

Hay as silage can be a very low cost way to store it, but if done badly silage can overheat and burn or be too damp and rot.

Hay silage is rarely held over from year to year, whereas dry hay in bales, be they round or rectangular, may be stored for several years if protected from rain, Hay stored a long time is not optimal nutrition. but it can avoid starvation.

For this reason farmers who make haylage typically also store hay dry as well when they have a surplus, or if they have to  move it about from farm to farm. Once the silo is opened it is not usual to transport the silage far. Decomposition sets in too quickly.

Because hay silage may be put into a big mound rather than into a silo, the big mound is one very low cost way to store hay. It is a way to deal with enormous quantities of hay that needs to be stored in relatively rainy weather, when  the farmer would have to wait for the hay to dry for baling.

The cost of providing buildings to store dry hay is high, so too is the silo. Among the highest capital cost are those  glass lined steel silos that can provide an airtight seal, and stor damp hay with very high chances of hay not spoiling.

Farmers who trust their skill in silage making will avoid the cost of the steel silo. Those with more experience cringe at the thought.

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Answer 5

Silage implies certain changes taking  place such as the fermentation taking place with limited oxygen and low heat. Some silage/silo processes require an infusion of carbon dioxide to start the fermentation process.

The bales of hay ferment differently and sometime produce enough heat to set the bale on fire. Both render the materials into something easier for the animals to digest. The bales are more likely to overheat if they are too moist, hense the covers. The covers also prevent take up of water after fermentation that results in mold and rot. The large bales are fairly waterproof and even if a small amount of outside hay has to be removed, the inside is usually OK. Regular 60-100 lb. bales will rot much quicker and have to be protected.

Answer 6

No, those large rolls of hay remain hay. The plastic sleeves you are seeing is to keep the bales from spoiling. If there was room to put them inside there would be no need for the plastic. The large rolls are the most economical way to bale hay, and they can be handled by machinery to save labor and expense of hauling it in. The plastic is not real cheap but is a lot cheaper than having to build a shelter to keep the hay in. Making silage is a whole different process.