Why do you bale hay at night?
“Baling from midnight to 8 a.m. may reduce leaf loss and improve the overall quality of the hay. It can also increase overall yield because more leaves are retained in the bale.” Moisture content is critical when storing bales, he said.
What is the best time of day to bale hay?
Is it better to cut hay at night?
Can you rake hay the day before baling?
Can you bale hay the next day?
Can hay be too dry?
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.
Should you 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.”
Can you 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.”
Can you make hay without sun?
“However, with the additives now available, it is possible to bale hay with moisture content from 16% up to 30%. So you can bale hay on those days when the sun just doesn’t come out, or start a few hours early and bale longer after the sun has disappeared, to make the most of haying weather.”
What do you do if it rains on cut hay?
The trick is to get it dry again as quickly as possible in order to reduce the amount of time for leaching of nutrients. Just remember that excessive tedding or raking of hay will result in material loss so be as efficient as possible. Unfortunately, in some cases the hay will not be salvageable.
What is the best way to cut hay?
Wait until you have 3 days of dry weather so you can cure and bale the hay without it getting wet. Cut your hay with a sickle mower or sickle haybine if you have a small or medium-sized field or a disk mower, if you have a large field. Then, use a baler at a steady, moderate speed, which will be the most effective.
Is it OK to 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.
Why do 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.
Do hay bales go bad?
With too much moisture, hay can spoil while baled hay can experience thermal expansion—causing it to combust and creating a severe hazard. Because of this, checking the moisture content of hay with a hay moisture meter before baling begins is an integral part of harvesting.
How late can you cut hay?
The answers to these questions are usually something like… “it is fine to harvest through the first week of September”, and… “we recommend harvesting at least six weeks before the killing frost.” On average, the alfalfa killing frost (24 to 25 degrees F) in northeast Iowa occurs in the third to fourth week of October.
How can I dry hay fast?
Swath width is an easy adjustment that has a big impact on drying time. Lay the crop as wide as practical. Do not cut hay into a tight windrow. A wider swath will dry faster, because more drying area of the hay is exposed to sun and wind.
Does frost hurt fresh cut hay?
Freezing also slows down metabolism in all plants that might result in nitrate accumulation in plants that are still growing, especially grasses like oats, millet, and sudangrass. This build-up usually isn’t hazardous to grazing animals, but green chop or hay cut right after a freeze can be more dangerous.
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.
Can horses eat wet hay?
Wet hay typically goes through a fermentative state, of sorts, and it would not be good for the horse to eat it while this was happening,” she continued. Caution should be used in purchasing hay that was wet when baled. Too much moisture affects the quality of baled hay.
How do hay bales catch on fire?
When hay’s internal temperature rises above 130 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius), a chemical reaction begins to produce flammable gas that can ignite if the temperature goes high enough. Fire is possible in hay that’s loose, in small or large bales or stacks, and stored inside or outside.
How long is hay good for?
If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.