Fall Hay Prep in Washington: Getting Your Supply Ready Before Winter Hits

Estimate What You Actually Need

Before you order or stack a single bale, do the math. A good rule of thumb: horses eat roughly 1.5–2% of their body weight in hay per day when pasture isn’t available. For a 1,000 lb horse, that’s 15–20 lbs a day or about 2,700–3,600 lbs over a 6-month winter feeding season.

Multiply that out per animal, add a buffer for a longer or harsher winter than expected, and you’ve got your target. It’s always better to overbuy slightly than to be hunting for quality hay in February when supply is tight and prices are up.

Buy Early, Buy Local

Washington hay markets tighten up fast once the weather turns. Buying in early-to-mid fall means:

• You get the first pick of this year’s harvest quality
• You avoid winter price spikes
• You give yourself time to source more if your supplier runs short

Local Washington-grown hay (think Kittitas Valley, Columbia Basin, and other Eastern Washington growing regions) tends to be a great value and cuts down on transport-related quality loss.

Inspect Before You Stack

Not all hay is created equal, and a quick inspection at delivery saves headaches later:

• Color: Look for a good green color, faded, yellow, or brown hay may have been stored improperly or is older than advertised.
• Smell: Fresh hay smells sweet and grassy. Musty, sour, or moldy smells are a hard pass.
• Moisture: Squeeze a flake. It should feel dry, not damp or warm. Damp hay is a mold and combustion risk.
• Weight: Bales that feel unusually heavy for their size may be holding excess moisture.

Get Your Storage Ready Before the Hay Arrives

This is where a lot of winter hay problems actually start. Good hay, stored badly, turns into wasted money and moldy feed. Before your fall delivery shows up:

• Elevate it off the ground. Use pallets, a raised platform, or a dedicated hay shed floor. Ground contact pulls up moisture and invites rot from below.
• Cover it, but let it breathe. A roof or tarp keeps rain and snow off, but avoid wrapping hay in plastic that traps humidity; that’s a fast track to mold.
• Keep airflow moving. Stack bales with small gaps rather than jammed wall-to-wall, and leave clearance from walls so air can circulate.
• Control pests early. Rodents and other pests love a dry, undisturbed hay stack in fall. Check your storage area for entry points and set up deterrents before hay is in place, not after you spot droppings.
• Watch for hot spots. Freshly baled hay with any residual moisture can heat up internally. Check new stacks for warmth in the first few weeks; this is a real fire risk, not just a quality issue.

Rotate and Track Your Stock

Use older hay first (first in, first out) and keep a rough log of purchase dates. This keeps your supply fresh and makes it much easier to spot if something’s degrading faster than it should.

A little fall prep goes a long way toward a stress-free Washington winter. Know your numbers, buy early, inspect what comes in, and give it a storage setup that keeps it dry, ventilated, and pest-free. Your animals and your wallet will thank you come February.

Need help estimating your winter hay needs or want to talk through storage setup? Reach out, we’re happy to help you plan your fall supply.