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  Discussion on Hay and Mice
Author Message
Member:
Bodie

Posted on Wednesday, Jan 26, 2005 - 7:36 pm:

Hi!

I'm in a situation where I supply the hay for my horse where he is boarded. There is not enough room at the place to store all the hay I have purchased, so I bring up bales as needed. I may need to find another storage place for the hay, and one option is the garage at my house. Would I be asking for problems with doing this? My house is in the city and there is no other food in the garage. Would hay alone attract mice or other "things"? And if I do this are there any suggestions for making it work best?

Thanks!
Julie
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Jan 27, 2005 - 7:40 am:

It does not automatically follow that mice will be a problem. I think a big deal is if there are grains or seeds in the hay as they will provide a ready source of food. On the other hand a ready source of water and easy access and the hay alone will attract them.

If you do this, you should not place the hay on the floor directly, it will mold where it contacts the ground or concrete. Best is a layer of pallets, a sheet of heavy plastic, then another layer of pallets. This creates a vapor barrier and allows air circulation under the bales. The bales should be stacked to not be in contact with a concrete wall also, leave some space for air circulation.
DrO
Member:
Leilani

Posted on Thursday, Jan 27, 2005 - 10:58 pm:

I buy hay for my 2 mares and store it in a large hay bag in the laundry room; my husband loves this. I'm not sure what the hay bales in the mainland measure, but I have yet to buy a bale of hay that fits completely in the hay bag.

Anyway, I think I bought it from Equine Direct. I did a Google and picked the site with the best price.

Full size bales fit in the bag with 3 or so flakes on top, but compressed bales fit in their entirety. I have to be very careful because of the humidity here in Hawaii.

I have 4 cats, so I don't have many problems with mice or rats, alive that is. Good luck.

Leilani
Member:
Bodie

Posted on Thursday, Jan 27, 2005 - 11:16 pm:

Thanks for the advice from both of you. It is looking like my current storage will remain available, so I can clean out my garage to park my vehicle, not store hay. But I think I will start searching for some pallets and plastic just in case - a back up plan is always a good thing. The easy access for mice could be an issue - there is one side of my garage door that doesn't completely seal due to settling of the concrete. Maybe this will give me motivation to finally fix it, just in case.

Thanks again for the quick answers.

Julie
Member:
Imogen

Posted on Friday, Jan 28, 2005 - 4:40 am:

You need to get the hay off the floors using pallets, that's for sure. Also where storage does not have good ventilation be sure to leave about 2-3 inches between the walls and the hay, do not pack it against the walls or it will get damp and rot.

Best of luck

Imogen
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