Table of Contents
How do you make hay bale?
Round bales are made by pulling the hay into the baler, which winds or rolls the hay until it reaches the size set for the bale, at which time twine or netting is wrapped around the bale to maintain its shape. The bale is then dropped from the rear of the baler and can be moved by a tractor with a bale spear.
How do you make straw bales?
How to Make Mini Hay Bales Chose a box of the size you would like for your hay bales. Cut several lengths of raffia. Place hay or straw inside the box. Bring the raffia strings up around the hay and tie the ends of the raffia strings together tightly to secure the hay or straw. Remove the hay bale from the box.
Can I make my own hay?
You don’t need a tractor and big farm equipment to make hay, it’s extremely easy to do on your own. All you need is access to grass and somewhere to dry and store it. If you have poultry I’m going to assume you have a backyard of sorts, but you can even dry hay inside your own house you are so inclined.
How can I get hay without a baler?
If you don’t have a barn you can just pile your hay on pallets or some brush and then place a tarp over it.
How do you harvest hay manually?
The proper method cutting hay by hand: stand with your legs apart and knees slightly bent. Three ropes tied around the width and a fourth wrapped lengthwise hold together each 70- to 90-pound bate of sun-dried hay. Swing your scythe and torso from right to left, concentrating on a smooth, whole-body pivot.
What equipment do you need to bale hay?
Hay Equipment A compact tractor is the staple of every operation, but mowers, conditioners, hay rakes, balers, and sometimes hay tedders and bale wrappers are also needed. Pay close attention to make sure your tractor has enough engine horsepower to meet the horsepower requirement for each implement.
Can you make hay out of any grass?
Although you can’t make haystacks as above form suburban lawn (you’ll need taller grass and lots of it), grass clippings are excellent for making hay in smaller amount. The two most important things to check are: The lawn shouldn’t be chemically treated: no weed-killing solution or chemical fertilizer used.
How do you make dry hay?
Another method Kaatz suggests for making hay dry faster is to use a tedder. A tedder, which works especially well with grasses, will fluff the windrow or swath and allow air to flow through it more easily. The additional air dries the hay faster, but Kaatz advises not to use a tedder on partially dried alfalfa.
Is hay ruined if rained on?
Rained-on hay often has relatively high protein values compared to fiber content unless there’s great leaf loss. Leaves contain a lot of the plant’s protein. As soluble carbohydrates leach, structural fibers make up a greater percent of forage dry matter. The digestibility of rained-on hay can decline 6 to 40 percent.
Can you grow hay in your backyard?
Commercial farms have little difficulty raising hay or sourcing out their needs, but smaller farmers and urban hobbyists can also grow, harvest and bale hay even on a smaller scale. Haying can be challenging, and some farmers simply enjoy that challenge.
What is the cheapest hay baler?
As a quality machine and the most affordable in the industry, the Ibex TX31 finally makes haymaking independence possible for the hobby farmer. The Ibex Mini Round Baler is the simplest, easiest to use mechanical baler on the market today and is as close as you can get to a “plug and play” baler.
How do you store loose hay outside?
Store the hay on gravel, rock, or a similar surface that will encourage drainage and minimize standing water. Remember to keep stored hay dry, as rain will leach nutrients away and lower forage quality. Hay stored outside will lose as much as 25 percent of its nutrients due to weathering.
How was hay cut before tractors?
It had to be hand-cut with a sickle or scythe and hand-raked with a wooden rake or fork. On a good day, a farmer could harvest 1 acre of hay.
How short can you cut hay?
According to Gelley, the general rule when mowing lawns is to remove one third of the total leaf area. For hay production of cool-season pastures, mow or graze before seedheads develop, and down to 3 to 5 inches. For warm season pastures, mow or graze down to 8 to 10 inches for proper regrowth.
What month do you cut hay?
Optimum conditions for first cuttings can generally be expected around May 15th in the south and May 25th in the north. Though different cuttings provide different levels of nutrition (a topic for a future blog), the most important determination of hay quality is its state of maturity when cut.
What machine do you use to cut hay?
Mower – These machines are used to mow the hay. There are basically two types of mowers: sickle bar and disc or rotary.. The sickle bar type mower provides a neat, clean cut of the forage. The sickle bar type of mower provides a neat, clean cut of the forage.
How many days does it take to make hay?
Hay should be cut when dry at the end of a sunny day when sugar levels are at their highest and tedded immediately after cutting. In good weather the grass is tedded twice daily and in very good sunny, breezy weather haymaking should be achieved in 3 to 4 days.
