One of things that we do to manage the quality of the hay outside, especially when rain is in the picture, is consider the positioning of the bales. We place rolled bales on their side because then the water will shed off to the sides instead of pooling on top and soaking in.  Because we store our bales outside, there’s naturally a layer on top that isn’t as good of quality as what’s on the inside but that’s part of the curing process of having round bales and when you store them outside.  That same outer layer protects the hay inside. We also leave the twine on to maintain the integrity of the bale and cut pieces as the sheep and goats eat the bale down.