Store Bales of Straw and hay?

[vancheese]

Hi lovely people

My ever expanding collection of Goats/rabbits have required me to buy a large number of Straw and hay bales. I've enough physical space on my land to keep them but my question is what is the best way to keep them fresh/dry? Should I put them under tarpaulins individually or as a group? I'm in hungary so it doesn't rain as frequently as the UK but it isn't a desert. Do people have any other suggestions?

Thanks

Andy

[Green Aura]

Anything that keeps rain off the top and a little air circulation through the sides would work, so a tarpaulin should work fine, I would have thought. You often see them in large barns, with or without sides, stacked almost to the roof.

[vancheese]

Any suggestions on how to keep a tarp on them? My attempts using rivoted tarps have resulted in large tears

[ina]

Weigh it down with old tyres? Or tie heavy articles (plastic containers filled with water, for example, or bags with sand) to the corners.

[ojay54]

I might be stating the b------g obvious,but seeing as you need them off the ground,and the best way to do that is to use pallets,Tarp the top,and (say)halfway down the sides,then secure the tarp to the pallets with hospital corners.