Can you bale hay in two days?

Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Alfalfa swath and bale 4-5 days later depending on weather, sometimes 3 days sometimes 8 just depends. Grass swath 1 day bale the next, sometimes 2 days but not real often.

Can hay dry in 2 days?

Since haylage is preserved at higher moisture contents, it is a lot easier to get it to a proper dry matter content for safe preservation than it is to make dry hay. Proper dry matter content for chopping haylage can often be achieved within 24 hours as compared to three to four days for dry hay.

How many days should hay dry before baling?

It basically takes about three days of good weather to cure hay. This can be a challenge in late May or early June. A good strategy is to mow just before or right after a rain, because of the likelihood of good weather for the next few days.

Can hay dry in 24 hours?

Proper dry matter content for chopping haylage can often be achieved within 24 hours or less as compared with 3 to 5 days for dry hay. Proper dry matter content for silage ranges from 30 to 50% (50 to 70% moisture) depending on the structure used.

Does hay dry faster in windrow?

Make A Wide Windrow

A wider swath will dry faster, because more drying area of the hay is exposed to sun and wind. Solar radiation cannot penetrate very deep into the swath. University of Wisconsin research indicates that a 12 foot haybine laid into a 9 foot swath will reduce drying time by 35% versus a 6 foot swath.

Can we bale 80 acres of hay in two days??!!

Can hay be too dry to bale?

When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle, making them much more likely to fall off. In many cases, a significant portion of hay's nutritive value lies in the leafy portions of the herbs used to make the hay.

Can you bale hay that's been rained on?

Hay baled at normal moisture levels will usually heat to 120-130 degrees F. Some mold and mustiness often occur, but usually not enough to affect quality or consumption. If it is baled above 20 percent moisture, though, the bales can heat up to 190-200 degrees F, the point at which spontaneous combustion can occur.

Can you bale hay at night?

Baling at night is nice if your climate will allow. Then the leaves start to toughen up before the stems and the outside before the bottom. “We used to go to the field when the air felt right. That is above 50 percent relative humidity.

Can you wrap hay that has been rained on?

If rain damage often plagues your hay making, you might consider using plastic wrap this year. Try baling it tough, then wrapping it with stretch plastic wrap to keep water and air out while keeping nutrients in. Studies have shown excellent success wrapping bales containing 25% to 40% moisture.

Is it okay to cut hay early in the morning?

With all of these factors in mind, it is best to cut hay when there is the greatest opportunity for successful drying, or early in the morning after the dew has dried off.

Does raking hay help it dry?

Raking tends to roll the wetter hay from the bottom of the swath to the outer surface of the windrow, which improves drying. Following the initial improvement, the increase in swath density can reduce drying rate, so the crop moisture content at raking is important.

How long can you leave hay on the ground?

Ground a little of everything, the hay doesn't blow after its ground, rain or snowfall isn't harmful for the one to two month period. A nice lime or concrete pad would be best.

How can I dry hay fast?

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 it OK to cut hay in the rain?

If hay has partially dried and become brittle, quality can especially be lost to leafy forage when rained on after being cut. The force of the rain shatters the leaves which are the highly digestible and high protein portion of the crop. Rainfall shortly after cutting is likely to be less of a problem.

How early can you cut hay?

On average the entire process of mowing, raking and baling hay takes 3 days—in good weather. Therefore, pastures should be cut when a window of at least 3 days of sunny, dry, hot weather can be expected. Some farmers cut on the last day of a rainy spell in order to maximize the number of hours of drying time.

Can you bale hay the next day?

Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Cut first thing in the morning, ted about 2-4 hours later, do nothing the next day, rake as soon as dew is off (-48 hours after cutting), let dry about 3 hours, and bale. Sometime takes an extra day to dry or occasionally a day less if perfect weather.

How many times should you turn hay?

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. The old farmers rule of feeding the hay is still practiced, if it's cold to feel it's not fit to bale, warm to feel then it's fit to bale.

How tall should hay be before cutting?

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 happens when you bale wet hay?

The first thing to keep in mind when dealing with wet hay is that moisture can easily lead to combustion. Twenty percent moisture is about the highest level that bales should reach. Above this, microbes begin to break down plant matter and mold growth occurs.

Can you stack wet hay?

Actually, wet hay is more likely to lead to spontaneous combustion than dry hay. If wet hay with more than 22% moisture is stored in a barn or stacked then the risk of spontaneous combustion is increased. Further, the wet hay loses in forage quality.

Does hay lose nutrients 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.

Is first or second cut hay better?

Hay is often cut three or more times each season. The first cutting in any cut will have thicker stems, perhaps have flowers (usually called tassel), and is the highest in fiber of any cut. The second cutting is softer, greener, has a higher protein but lower fiber than first cutting.

Do you have to Tedder hay?

Therefore, in moist climates, a tedder, which spreads the hay for increased sun and air exposure, is most likely a necessity. There are situations, however, when a tedder should not be used. Tedders are intended to be used on crops while they are still higher in moisture and pliable.

How wet can you bale straw?

The best way to reduce the risk of a hay fire is to bale hay at a moisture content of 20% or less because at this moisture level, microbial activity decreases.