[Rupert the bear]

tommytink.
How did you get on ? Did you get any hay made ?

[tommytink]

Yes I have hay!!

So we started turning by hand, thinking even if we do a portion of it and salvage something it’ll be something. I then saw on a social media site someone I met at the village Christmas meal advertising his small bale hay. I messaged him and asked who did his and long story short he came and turned it for us once a day and then baled it. This guy is the son in law of one of the locals who said he didn’t know anyone that could do it!! So I was very pleased and maybe a little faith has been restored. I don’t think it’s the best quality, it should’ve been cut earlier, but that’s down to us not being able to get things sorted. At least it’s off the field and if they don’t want to eat it we’ll use it as bedding. Whether we attempt it next year I don’t know. We may just graze it and buy what we want in, although if what we got turns out to be a hit, economically (going on this year) it would be better to make it ourselves if we can get it lined up. But an extra grazing field will come in very handy for the amount of sheep we have.
If only you could get quad attachments for doing it - no PTO though so you’d need a separate motor. Got one on my flail mower but it chews up the fuel...

[Rupert the bear]

Thats excellent news, well done , I am so pleased for you .

[Kiran]

I feel your pain, I'm still in a similar situation in Swansea. I am ordering a new topper next week as mine is fit for the scrap heap and I'm going cut 10 acres. I'll see how much I can collect but it's not going to be fun times with a full time job too.

[downthetrack]

We’ve had an unlucky turn of events which has left us with a field of cut meadow grass left lying. It’s been soaked for 10 days now. We will need to buy in hay for our small flock of sheep but what can we do with all the ruined hay/grass?! It’s been a good field over winter as it doesn’t get too bogey but how best to clear it? Or how long before we can put sheep on it again?
Any suggestions appreciated, we have no machinery.

[Buttermilk]

Without machinery it is hard graft with a pitch fork and trailer of some sort.  You can put it into trailer sized piles to reduce driving about but that means forking wet grass twice.

If it is a full crop the stuff will rot and kill the grass underneath it so does need removing.

[Anke]

Without machinery it is hard graft with a pitch fork and trailer of some sort.  You can put it into trailer sized piles to reduce driving about but that means forking wet grass twice.

If it is a full crop the stuff will rot and kill the grass underneath it so does need removing.

Yep, exactly that - been there done that. Ours had already been put into windrows ready for baling, so on my knees and rolling it into just about managable size, then wheelbarrow to a heap - one consolation, it will make excellent compost in a couple of years...
And we got ourselves a topper, only top our fields (2 x 7 acres) a couple of times during the summer (my stocking density is not high enough to get it all eaten off), and buy in hay for the animals over winter. As OH has a full time job with a daily commute of nearly 2 hours no other option made sense...

[sheeponthebrain]

We’ve had an unlucky turn of events which has left us with a field of cut meadow grass left lying. It’s been soaked for 10 days now. We will need to buy in hay for our small flock of sheep but what can we do with all the ruined hay/grass?! It’s been a good field over winter as it doesn’t get too bogey but how best to clear it? Or how long before we can put sheep on it again?
Any suggestions appreciated, we have no machinery.

chuck the sheep on quick. theyll disperse a lot of the cut hay if you graze ir hard.

[Rupert the bear]

^ this