Round Bales- alright for a second winter??

johnpawl

Hi folks,
We've enough round bales left over to last us through next winter, I'm just wondering will they be ok to feed or will they be after deteriorating by then? Its a very small set up and what we'll be feeding is suckler cows that'll be calving next feb/march and a couple of weanling heifers. So will I get away without cutting any silage this year? Thanks, JP.

Bizzum

Hardly a year would go by that we would not have some bales left over untill the next winter. Indeed I'v seen bales kept a untill a third winter.
What we find is, excellent bales well preserved will be fine.
Bales with any deterioration showing up this year will be far worse if kept over. So if its good now I wouldn't be afraid to keep it over. Keep an eye on briars growing up along the silage if there is any danger of it, and use any damaged bales this year.
Maybe make a bit of hay if the weather permits this year. Always valuable stuff to have around!

leg wax

i have had bales in a stack for over 6 years with no problems,ps dont tell the guys who start to panic this time of year and sell them cheap , saves me a lot of money.

5live

If the wrap is ok then no problem. I find the ones wrapped 4 times dont last but the ones wrapped 6 times do. Dearer but worth it if you have a surplus. And bait for rats too the dirty little feckers:mad:

jeff greene

It can be a lottery, it depends on quality of wrap 6 is better than 4 layers, the dry matter of the silage, the lower the better and pest control, bait for rats and net for birds, they can be perfect or you can have compost.

barryoc1

I have found that if the plastic on the bales is black plastic it doesnt last as well as the green/white plastic. My theory is the black attracts the heat more and the bales boil more inside the black plastic. Not sayin they wont last if the plastic is black, but just better if it is a light colour.
Sayin that all the above posts are very true. Ensure the plastic on the bales is sound and the bales should be ok.

Baralis1

If the bales are well wrapped and of decent quality, they should be fine, once they haven't been torn. Keep an eye out for a lot of sagging. That would be a sign that they might be going off.

roosterman71

I find if they've been stacked on their end that they last better