Instructions
Buy hay during the baling season rather than the beginning of winter. Hay is cheapest while it is being baled. Some hay sellers allow you to get the hay yourself right after it is baled in the field. This saves them from having to load it in the barn or paying someone to do it.
Have a large area to store lots of hay at one time. An enclosed barn or building is the ideal place. This saves hay from being ruined from wet or humid weather. If hay gets wet or even damp, it will mold and not be fit for consumption. Setting hay on the ground and covering it with tarps is okay, but you will lose some of the hay to mold.
Store the hay on top of wooden pallets or boards spaced 1 foot apart. This allows air to circulate around the hay keeping moisture out. Don't store the hay up against a tin wall; the tin "sweats" from getting hot and cool and transfers the moisture to the hay, causing mold.
Feed hay to a large number of animals at once by putting it into feeders. Large round bales of hay should be placed inside hay rings made for them. These rings allow the animals to reach the hay to eat it, but won't let them walk all over the hay. Square bales of hay can be broken up and placed inside troughs to keep it off of the ground. Hay placed on the ground can be stomped on and urinated on, causing lots of waste.
Buy enough hay to last the entire winter. Buying hay during hay season and storing it until winter is the cheapest way to go. If you wait until winter to buy any hay, the cost is much higher. In many cases, hay can be sold during the winter for more than five times what the price is in the summer.
How to Save Money on Hay
For horse and cow owners, hay can be the biggest expense incurred through the winter. Hay is the main food source for most cows and horses in the winter because there is no grass. There are many ways to store and feed hay, but doing certain things can greatly reduce waste. Follow these steps to save money on hay.