Getting hay is normally something I get a few farm hands to help with.  Normally Mike, Robby and one other.  Never fails the third gets to drive the truck, while Mike and Robby throw hay up to me on the truck and I stack it.  We can get 125 bails in two trips no problem. 

This time I paid more for the hay but they brought it to the barn.  Mike was the only one available, we had another person scheduled but... he didn't feel like it... but didn't tell me till it was time to do it!   I was more than upset and lets just say he is not longer on my menu of hand choices. 

Mike and I double teamed the hay for the first 100 bails.  There was someone that was going to help us load the elevator but he couldn't get it just... right so Mike did it.  That left me getting the hay off AND getting it to the stack area, something that takes me twice as long as it should and I'm better at getting it off or stacking  not so good at carrying it for long distances. 

So I doubled everything, touching each bail at least twice.
Off the elevator...
Over to my stack...
Over to create my stair case up the hay stacks...
 five on the bottom ( side lay, short cut side up and down)
Four... Horizontal  normal... (wider side on the ground)
Four... vertical ... THEN...
Four but;ONE vertical TWO horizontal and again ONE vertical THEN... switch that up too...
Four but; two horizontal and two vertical... and again a switch...
Four but; One vertical TWO horizontal and again ONE vertical...

that leaves us with 25 bails a stack... and easy enough to count with a glance...
5 on the bottom and 5 stacks of 4 is 5 and 20+5 is 25...

Not a big deal but all those switching of Horizontal and vertical really tie them together... otherwise you get the stacks separating in the middle and falling away over time.  Tie them together good and it will last as long as you need it too.

I am lucky the barn is almost open air, second floor so very rarely is the wind going to blow IN and on my hay, but I do keep an eye on it! As it does get really close if I truly have 400 bails at one time, which RARELY happens as I normally go through it as the year progresses, but sometimes I can have that left over several years in a row and like this year... it allowed me to get through most of the year with next to nothing... as the 125 bails I got in April should have been gone by.,.. Aug and it is Sept with a few bails left (only 50 plus 25 at the horse barn)... but no one needs to push it!   No matter how well off you are, it is not a matter of getting hay it is always about having it when you need it!   So use it wisely! and never allow your supply to get below 7 days as it takes that long to work your horse into a new supply.

You think food from another country messes up your stomach... hay from a new pasture wreaks havoc on your horse just as bad! 

Colic is most likely when feed, water, or hay has been changed within a two week period! So only change one thing at a time! not everything at once....

This is why even in an emergency I ask people to bring as much from home as they can possibly afford to bring.  It helps the horse settle, and not get sick.

We got the first 100 ... it was a killer but we did it.
I asked if he had another 100 and YEP! he did... so Mike and I went to get two more men to help, as I was about to pass out from the heat in the barn and double teaming the hay...

We easily got in the second 100 bails, put the west wall back up, ( I had allowed the horses in... )
Sowed the west pasture with seed... and now it has rained the last two days...

All so perfectly!
One plan that worked out for the week.

Yep much more to come!
Saturday is a hoot! I'll post it next.