Hay are used to feed grazing animals during the winter when the snow covers the pastures. It is also fed in animals in the stables like horses and pigs. Some hay are dried to produce straw that are made into animal bedding. It is very helpful having hay if you are a farmer. Hay making or hay production and harvest involves different steps. It is a laborious process that requires time, a lot of hard work, and money. Hay production have been very profitable especially during winter.
How to Make Hay?
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How To / Instruction
Difficulty: Normal
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Step
1Seeding. First you have to seed your land with different grasses and other legumes such as alfalfa and clover. You can also include oats, barley and wheat.
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2Cutting. Cut the grasses when the leaves are at its maximum and the seeds are not too ripe. Mow the fields and collect the grass.
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3Drying. Hay is very sensitive to weather conditions and must be dried thoroughly. Hays can support spontaneous combustion thus drying it properly should be put into consideration. Make sure that the hay contains only 20% moisture before storing it.
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4Making it into bales. You can make the hay into bales for easy storage. Small bales are stacked in a criss-cross manner. Large bales on the other hand can be square or round. It is more moisture resistant and are packed more densely. Small bales are used by small scale herd raisers while large bales are used to feed large herds.
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5Stacking and Storing. Stack bales in way that it cacn contact the least moisture as possible. Hay does not only support spontaneous combustion but are also prone to molds. That is why it is important to keep the hay in storage rooms that is, if not free, have the least moisture.
Tips and Warnings
You can condition the hay to reduce dry down time.
Always place storage houses for hay away from houses for safety reasons.
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