DUTCH BARNS FOR HAY

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24911, 26 June 1946, Page 9

DUTCH BARNS FOR HAY

PLANS FOR CHEAP STRUCTURE

Detailed plans for the construction of a Dutch type hay barn are contained in the current Agricultural Bulletin pre-: pared by Canterbury Agricultural Cob lege and issued by the Chamber of Commerce. No estimate of the cost is given, but alternative materials of ,ypes which can be found round many farms, are suggested. One estimate is that using a certain amount of material available on the farm, such as saplings, a good permanent structure could be put up for about £lOO. Hay saved as against storing in the open would bay this amount Off in a few years. Much of the hay made each year is spoiled because of inadequate covering, the Bulletin states. Such waste is preventive and the adoption of the Dutch barn for hay storage has much to recommend it. In other countries, Europe, America, and Australia, the provision of a permanent hay storage barn is regarded as essential for the adequate protection of the winter feed reserve, but in New Zealand we have been slow to adopt the idea, preferring to stack “loose” hay with a good pitch on the roof and covering the stack with straw or thatch —when any cover at all was used. More often the stack is topped off, tied down, and left. In the months between harvest and winter the stack settles and, depending on the skill of the stack builder, becomes more or less water tight. with baled hay, stacking in the open still goes on, the stack being covered with straw or a sheet cover. Good wheat straw which, if well laid on can give adequate cover, is becoming scarce as the heading of wheat crops is now general; sheets for covering are ex-, pensive not only because of their high initial cost but also because of their high rate of depreciation due to “wear and tear” under wind and rain. Since hay fpr wintering is becoming more widely and extensively used, and oat sheaf chaff is on the wane and turnips are diminishing in area as the years go by, we could well begin to take the question of hay storage seriously and provide permanent barns in which both loose and baled hay may be stored free from damage whatever the weather may be. The Dutch barn is suitable for the job. It is relatively cheap to erect, its construction is not beyond the ability of the average farm staff, and if well built it will serve the purpose for many years. One of the main problems is the selection of a site for the building. Un? like the hay stack it cannot be moved about from year to year but must remain permanently on the spot. The following are some of the alternatives to be considered in determining the site: (1) In the hay paddock; Where a paddock is regarded as a permanent hay paddock as with lucerne, the erection of the barn close to a gateway in the paddock may be adopted.. This has tfle advantage of easy haulage of bales or sweeping in of loose hay with a minimum loss of time at a season when farm work is proceeding under pressure. It has disadvantages, however. It takes up a valuable area of hay-pro-ducing land: the hay may be stored in such a position on the farm that long cartage in winter is required to feed out to the stock*, carting out in winter may be held up by the wet condition of the land. (2) At the homestead: Where the homestead is centrally situated this has the advantage of storing the hay where it is “handy” for both carting in from the hay paddock and carting out to the stock. Should the homestead be so placed that the carting in and out involves undue haulage this location of the barn is not good. (3) On padddeks where winter feeding is generally carried out: This site is most suitable on farms where the ; hay is grown on heavier or wetter land : while the sheep or cattle are run on , lighter, well-drained areas in winter, i It has the disadvantage at times of long • haulage from the hay paddock at a busy time, but with motqr transport ! and the fact*that-the land is normally ■ dry at haymaking time, the disadvan- • tage is not severe. The fact that much I of our hay is baled makes it much 1 easier and quicker to transport than is 5 the case with loose hay. Winter carting—always a trouble on farm 5 — is " eliminated and with it the cutting up of 1 paddocks which so often occurs. *The ■ hay is handy to the stock and so the | burden of winter work is considerably ; lessened. The building should be in a 1 dry, sheltered spot. " The selection of the site must of a necessity be one for the individual • farmer to decide for his own farm, but p if is important to realise that nothing e is worse than a badly located barn • Which winter after winter causes inconvenience to the man who is feeding . out hay to his stock. The following are some ideas which d may be taken as a rough guide to the r size of the Dutch barn:

(1) Hay to be stored. On any farm the amount of hay saved each year should tie in with the stock carried. Where hay alone is fed the provision should be 2J bales of good hay per ewe, i.e., 2500 bales or 70 tons for a 1000 ewe flock. Where other supplementary fodder crops—turnips, chou moellier, green feed, and so on—are provided, the quantity of hay required is lessened, but it should not be below 1000 bales or 30 tons for 1000 ewes if the dry feed and green fodder are to be in balance. For dry cows the allowances should be 30-35 bales (1 ton) per cow and for winter milkers 2-3 tons per cow. For store cattle the usual allowance is A to 1 ton depending bn the grazing available, while handfed fattening bullocks will require up to 3 tons for the winter. Having decided how much—or how little—hay it is advisable to save, then the size of the barn can easily be worked out. When hay is first made it usually requires about 16 cubic yards for each ton, but once the hay has settled it runs out at about 12 cubic yards per ton. On the basis of 30 tons for 1000 ewes—or 30 dry cows—the space required would be approximately 500 cubic yards. There is a certain measure of variation in the number of bales per ton of hay—depending on the way the press is worked, but an average figure would . be about 30 bales per ton. Bales from a standard baler measure 3ft x Ift 'Bin x Ift 3in and so for 1000 bales the Space required would be about 200 to 250 cubic yards allowing 10 per cent- for waste storage space. The economy in space where baled hay is used is well worth considering since one ton of stacked loose hay requires as much storage space as two tons of baled hay. Reverting once again to our 30 ton figure, it may be seen that for loose hay the size required for storage—soo cubic yards—would require a barn 45ft long, 24ft wide and 14ft high. For a similar quantity of baled hay (1000 bales) the size would be 30ft long, 15ft wide and 14ft high. The height—l4ft—is considered to be the average for economy in building material and for efficiency in avoiding undue weathering of the side bales where an eave is provided along the sides of the shed. It is not wise, however, to make the barn too high, especially when the floorspace is small, as the building becomes top-heavy and liable to wind damage. Again beyond the 14 foot mark the handling of bales becomes unduly hard work which can be avoided by a slight increase in the floor space.

The barn should be built on a welldrained site with its end turned to the south so as to limit the exposure to weather. It may be worthwhile to board in this southern wall so as to give complete protection from the southerly, but this is not essential. The paves of the roof should carry spouting as the water in heavy rain can do considerable damage to the upper bales if a direct run-off is allowed. Storm water can be led off clear of the barn so as to keep the site dry.