The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Smallholding => Techniques and skills => Topic started by: Rollicker on April 03, 2009, 09:54:02 pm
-
Don't laugh! It occurred to me today as I was topping a spare paddock that I could leave it and then cut for hay.
Whilst I have a tractor and a topper, I don't have a hay spinner or a baler. Would it be a ridiculous amount of work to do it by hand on a 1 acre paddock?
-
An acre is quite do-able by hand, we've done it! Trouble is that a topper is not the ideal tool, a mower will cut much lower and give a bigger crop. You'll need pitch forks and hay rakes to turn it and row it up, plenty of spare time especially if it rains, and somewhere to store the loose hay when done.
I think there's a good description of "how to" in John Seymour's Complete Self Sufficiency.
Good luck.....take photos and post them!
Dave
-
Why not make small bale hay, find a local farmer will prob charge you £9/10 per acre to mow, the same to ted it and row it up and 40/50 pence per bale to bale it, or some charge a flat rate to do it all of £1.00 to £1.50 per bale to do the whole lot. Cheaper than paying £3.00 plus for it, and if you dont need it all you have a cash crop you can sell, small bales are getting harder to find every year.
Firstly you topper is no good for the job, and turning an acre of hay twice a day for four plus days is a lot of work, the first day is exciting, the second day so so and the rest just plain knackering and all your friends will suddenly dissapear when asked to help!! Nice rectangular bales, easy to stack/store and to move around when needed.
Good luck...
-
Thanks for the replies. I half suspected my topper would be no good. Trouble is my local farmer only has the gear for big bale hay and I've nowhere to store it. Perhaps he'd store it for me if he kept half for his trouble. Hmm, I might ask him that !
-
Ive know quite a few who big bale hay, net wrap it and leave it out to the elements until they are ready to use it, they say it sheds most of the rain and is still useable, saying that all our big bale hay stored in barns, what about big bale haylage, which is wrapped and can be stored outside and suitable for most animals and always sells well.
-
I saw awebsite www.rekord.com which has hand driven balers. Might be US rather then UK and no idea what the prices are.