How often 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 often should I cut my hay field?

The first cutting in the spring should be when grass has greened up and reached 12 – 16 inches tall. This should clean up all the old growth of winter weeds and such. Then each subsequent cutting is at 3.5 to 5 week intervals.

How many times can you harvest hay in a season?

In most areas of the country, grass hay can be cut twice, sometimes three times, per year. The first cutting generally has the largest yield.

When should you not cut hay?

In hay fields, 24 degrees F is often considered a killing frost. In pastures with plant growth of a shorter stature relative to a hay crop (closer proximity to radiant heat from the soil) may require a colder temperature. But even 26 degrees F will cause some frost damage.

How many days does hay need to dry?

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

When is the best time to cut hay?

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.

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.

Why do they cut hay at night?

Though starches and simple sugars accumulate during the day, a substantial amount of these carbohydrates are used up during the night for growth and maintenance (via the processes of respiration). Therefore, cutting the crop at night will likely maximize the sugar in the crop, at least at the time of cutting.

Is 3rd cutting hay OK for horses?

Hay of the third cutting is thick, green, and very nutritious, containing more legumes and high protein and fat content. It is also leafy and soft, so the horses will find it appealing.

Do you have to replant hay every year?

Planting and growing

Some fields are always used to grow hay, and don't require re-planting every year. In other cases, hay is a part of a crop rotation, where farmers plant different crops on the same field in different years.

How often can you bale hay?

Unfortunately, weather and other commitments don't always let you cut hay at the optimum time. In most areas of the country, grass hay can be cut twice, sometimes three times, per year. The first cutting generally has the largest yield.

Is first cut hay better than second cut?

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.

At what height should hay be cut?

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.

When should you rake hay?

As a rule of thumb, wait to rake hay until after the dew has dried and the sun nears its peak, or around 11:00 am. If possible, let the raked hay sit for an hour or two before baling to allow more drying time. Haymakers have several types of rakes available.

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.

Will horses stop eating when they are full?

Horses do not have the ability to control their eating so that they will stop eating when they have met their nutrient requirements. They will continue to eat, which can lead to digestive and lameness problems.

Is timothy or orchard grass better for horses?

Orchardgrass and timothy hay are both excellent, but orchard grass gets the nod as the best of the two. It has a higher protein and calorie content and balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus.

Is 4th cutting hay good?

The third cutting is good hay, and the fourth and fifth cuttings begin to have more stems and fewer leaves. As more stems are present, the quality of the hay decreases and palatability declines.

Is it OK to cut hay with dew on it?

Avoid cutting hay until the morning dew has fully dried. “There is enough water that must leave the plants already without adding more from the nightly dew,” Kaatz says. “The bottom of windrows also absorb moisture from the soil, so keep drying hay off of wet soils as much as possible to avoid added moisture content.”

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.

Should you cut hay when its wet?

Tip #1 – Cut hay after the morning dew dries.

Wet fields will also add to the moisture content of drying hay. Moisture gets soaked up from the soil into the bottom of the windrow if it is contact with wet soils, so keep drying hay off these soils.

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.

How can I improve my hay field?

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.