Moving and Storing a Bale of Hay Made Easy

Probably the hardest physical job in having rabbits is buying and handling a bale of hay every so often. Moving a king size mattress is easy by comparison.

Rabbits should always have as much hay as they want to eat, but keeping them well-stocked could be an exhausting chore.

This method shows how to do it easily without hurting your back or having the bale fall over once it is opened.

Push the bale to far edge of your tailgate where it balances to nearly falling off.

This is a critical step to easy handling:

add a storage tub to fit the bottom of the bale snuggly. Shown here is a 28 gallon Rubbermaid tub. Measure the dimensions of the bale to get the right size.

The tub give a structure and provides handles to a formless mass of hay once you cut the bands open.

Place a cart where the bale will land when you tip it over from the tailgate.

The bale drops gently on the ground since half the weight is still on the tailgate. The fall will be a little harder if you have an SUV or full size pick up. You can reposition it by grabbing the tub or moving the hand cart. The bottom of the bale can take some abrasion because of the tub.

The bag is open on top to let moisture evaporate and prevents the hay from getting moldy.

The cart tips over at just the right height on the platform and the tub bottom helps slide the bale on the plywood. Use the handles on the tub to position the bale where you want.

The bag keeps nasty garage stuff away from edible hay.

Fold the top of the bag loosely to keep dust and junk out.

The bale is kept neatly, ready for hungry rabbits.

At no time do you lift the weight of the bale or put any strain on your back during this process.