Hay bales are iconic of farming, but one of the limitations of keeping animals on a city lot is figuring out how to store them. Whole hay bales are easy to stack in the corner of a garage, shed, or coop, but once you open it up a hay bale or straw bale, it will be everywhere unless you have a plan. We fortunately have an attached garage that has worked fabulously as a wood shed, rabbit barn, and hay bale storage area. The kids and the cats seem to think that loose straw is a great toy, but the goats and rabbits really don’t appreciate previously used hay, and I prefer not to track it all into the house. So what’s the best way of storing hay without a barn?
Related Posts:
- How Much Space Do Your Goats Need To Be Happy?
- How To Make An Upcycled Goat Hay Manger
- The Best Ways To Feed Rabbits (Besides Pellets)
- How To Make Your Own Animal Feeds
- Fodder Feeding: How To Get Healthy Livestock AND Save Money
3 Ways of Storing Hay Bales on a City Lot
My first hay storage idea was a re-purposed leaky wading pool to keep all the loose hay from spreading everywhere. With a tarp on top it stayed clean, and I can carry out serving sizes in a five gallon bucket. This works well until the kids decide to jump into the hay, and the cats still manage to find their way under the tarp.
A neighbor mentioned they purchased small bales of alfalfa for their rabbits, put it in garbage bags and stored it in the crawl space above the garage. That got me to thinking about a new use for some large garbage bags we had leftover from some home improvement projects. I don’t buy alfalfa because I don’t have a non-GMO source, so I use larger bales of orchard grass. Heavy duty black contractor bags are just the right size for a bale of hay.
The straw bales are slightly larger than the hay bales and one bag doesn’t quite fit a whole bale. I tend to split the straw up between some bags, but I recently upcycled an old garbage can as a more permanent solution. I like this a lot better than the garbage bags because the can has a lid and it also is on wheels.
What’s the best way to store hay?
Anything that keeps your hay off the ground and out of the rain is going to be an excellent choice. Using a plastic can was the easiest and cleanest method for storing hay I have found. If you have the space for a large manger, make it big enough to store a full bale. We made one big enough for the goats, and that was great. I still preferred the can for the rabbits though!
How do you store hay and straw for your animals? Do you have an official hay barn or does it have to share space? Do you have little critters that like to play in it too? Share in the comments!
Want All Our Goat Articles In One Printable Place?
If you want all our goat wisdom in an easy to reference, printable format, check out our guide Jump Start Your Urban Homestead With Dairy Goats.
This 37 page digital resource will help you get started breeding and milking your goats, give basic feeding tips, and help you monitor for common health issues. Digital articles are nice, but sometimes I like having things printed out so I can keep it in my goat barn, scribble notes, or not have to worry about my internet connection.
If that sounds useful for you, check it out!
Want To Raise Happy Chickens?
Subscribe for our newsletter and get the free email course Intro To Backyard Chickens as well as a free printable checklist to walk you through step by step!
I really like the idea of storing the hay in an old wading pool to contain the mess 🙂
Thanks! Until I tried that we had hay EVERYWHERE. Since then I’ve started putting it in old feed bags and then stacking the feed bags in the pool and that works even better.
I’m in the suburbs, so have a garage, but I use a very large cardboard box to store a hay bale for my rabbit. I believe I have read that you want breathable storage, so a plastic bag or air tight trash can might not be good (in terms of concentrating moisture and perhaps letting mold grow). I put the hay bale in the cardboard box, close the top, then keep a folded up tarp on top to make sure dust from garage activities don’t get into the box. I keep the box off the floor to further protect it from moisture. I’ve keep hay bales in the box for as much as year (I probably should replace them more often just for freshness though). The hay bales cost nearly nothing, it just takes effort to drive out to a farm (found on craigslist) to buy one.
Sounds like a good system of they last that long!
Going to do this. Thx for sharing!
Hope it works well for you!
Those are clever solutions to a small problem. The wading pool is such a great idea!
Thanks!
Thank you for this post. We are planing on getting chickens in town, so this info will be useful.
Glad to hear! Chickens are awesome.
I put a hay bale in the largest rubbermaidy type storage tub I could find, then cut and remove the twine. The locking lid keeps it clean and dry outside. If the bale is really large I stuff a few flakes in an empty feed bag and keep it in the garage. I also turned a feed bag into a tote for bringing hay to each rabbit hutch without spills.
I completely wrap my hay in a tarp. This works okay. We also live in an older neighborhood and have stairs leading up to our house and backyard. Lol. Imagine trying to dolly a whole bale of hay up. Not easy. But it keeps the pig happy. 🙂
Yikes! I’m glad I don’t have stairs. Yay for happy pigs. 🙂
Thank you for the interesting post.
I live in a small house with minimum footage outside🙃
I use hay and straw and keep it in a large wheelie bin ( I can’t reach the bottom without a rake).
I transfer it to a pop up bin to feed the rabbits and guinea pigs:)
Using a rake to get to the bottom is a great idea!
Have small 4 by 8 she’d, installed shelving, used huge Rubbermaid containers that were on sale at Walmart , folks use to put Christmas decorations in….turn hay bales on end, so I can put 2 per container….my biggest issue is all the hay that the goats waste….made and bought 2 different mangers, but they still waste it….help..
That’s a great way to store it! Mine were terrible at wasting too.
Heads up– as hay decomposes it gives off heat. Too much heat and it will spontaneously combust. This is a fairly common source of barn fires. This method may work fine for the small amount of hay you are talking about, but I certainly wouldn’t try it with more than a bale or two and I’d hesitate to stick it in a crawl space or attic.
That is good to know. Hay does have a certain amount of moisture so it will also go moldy if stored too long.
@MJ, I had no idea this was a thing!!!!
Large appliance boxes (refrigerator, water heater, stove, dishwasher) work well to store Loose Grass for hay
That is a great idea!
I have a small out building with a floor. However I live where the humidity is high most of the time. If I put it in paper feed bags it will mold. Do anyone have a good I idea how to beat the humidity?
Yes, you’ll need to keep as much air flow as you can.
@Kathryn, Store on top of a table, those folding tables from amazon and put them in hay bags waterproof, cut the twine in the bag ..these bags have vent holes…you can by oxygen absorber packages, but you will need big ones and put them in a fruit bag with the holes ..get the ones you use for food moisture …you do not want animals choking on them ..i use them in my feed and hay bags to control moisture. Also, in my flour and food in the house ..I use them in my Jewlry box and where I store my tools and tack ..I live near Houston humidity issues here
Thanks for all the great suggestions!
I keep 2 hay bales in hay bags on a table on my carport I cut the twine ..I have a horse and a barn, but I do not like animals getting n the hay. I buy 2 to 3 bales at a time …. The feedstore I get them at are close by ..I take hay to the barn in a cart and fill her hay bags every morning and evening ..I keep her oats in a Gamma vault in the house pantry ..I protect the food from bugs and animals ..
I built a large plywood chest/ box. With a hinged lid and two clasps to lock it. I can easily place two condensed straw bales in it lengthwise, I only cut the ties on one at a time. Clean, dry, kept in the shade to avoid any heat, on our covered porch. Absolutely gorgeous.
What a great, beautiful solution!
When I camp with my horse I use canvas haybale bags, tough, waterproof and ventilated. They zip up and last for many years.
Great tip! Thanks!
I like the idea of the trash can. Portable, water proof, mouse proof.
Could you say what of trash can you used? How many gallons? Thanks in advance!
Honestly, I just used an old one someone gave us for free. I think it held about 32 gallons and had wheels and a lid. I like plastic for hay storage, although I do keep my chicken food in a metal can from Tractor Supply to deter rodents.
Hay can absorb any toxins in plastic. If you are using the hay in your garden, for pets ( food or bedding) I wouldn’t recommend plastic bags
Thanks for the tip!