[OhLaLa]

All you makers of hay out there - I really need your tips and techniques for how to tell when the grass is dry enough to bale..........

 

[robert waddell]

it is one of these senses that you pick up and has so many variables that it would be TOTALY wrong to give guidance on here for you to be successfully without mouldy hay

[OhLaLa]

All variables will be taken into account!   

[VSS]

If you are turning with a tractor and tedder, the hay makes a kind of hissing noise as the tedder goes through it when it is ready to bale. It might be one of those rather subjective things though, so please don't hold me responsible if your hay heats up too much!

[OhLaLa]

The variables are many, it's not our first time making hay, just the more tips / techniques the better. Will be investing in a probe too no doubt.

[Fleecewife]

Another helpful test is to take a handful of hay and wring it tightly - if there is the least bit of soggytude there then it's not quite ready - it should be totally crisp. Try in many places, and take samples from the underside of the windrows as well as the top.  If the ground or air is damp, your hay will not be baleable.   Our neighbour told us always to leave it another day if you possibly can once you think it's ready, just to be sure.  Also stook the bales (stand them on their ends two together in an upsidedown V)  before stacking to reduce the chance they will heat up, and leave air channels between the stacked bales.  All this depends on perfect weather of course.

[robert waddell]

variables  1  what time of year you cut  2  leafy or stemy   3 volume is it so light you can see the sparrows walking through it or is it so heavy you have to take it into the next field to dry it  4 type of grass  meadow, ryegrass or timothy   5 type of machinery used to aid the drying process     6 WEATHER  BEFORE DURING AND AFTER  7 the best tips is learning from your previous mistakes and not repeating   8 of the subject but relevent       the old advert for dealing with burst pipes in winter  the punch line was why did you let it happen in the first place                   so 9 would be preparation and dont panic 

[Coley]

Given the price of hay we are thinking of a bit of DIY is there any good websites covering haymaking for beginners? we have two tractors but how is it cut? also we have 40 acres but there are a lot of trees on the land so it would involve cutting lots of nooks and crannies is there any way fo dragging it into the larger meadow areas for drying?

[belgianblue]

hay should wring dry and crisp,  don't pick up and piece of grass from the top of the row, always from the base.  If the grass is dry but still have that damp feel turn it again, always test the grass from different areas of the field to see it ready or not.  if you're not sure ask an local farmer.  fields will trees and hedging. where does the sun comes up and goes down (shadows) hence you spread that grass first to get it dry.

[OhLaLa]

See! I knew you guys wouldn't let me down!!

Every little helps!

[SallyintNorth]

A lot of good stuff already, I can't add much (and what I am adding is gleaned from BH, he's the expert, I'm just quite reliable at stooking...)

• you need it much drier for small bales than large, round bales can take it more damp than Hestons - if you do bale it slightly damp leave it in the field to airdry some more - round bales can be left on their sides for quite a while, and will even shake off a few showers
• the advice about give it another day would suit those of us in the north of England and in Scotland, some parts further south you might just end up with powdered crackle!
• BH tells of folks moving here from Yorks and not realising you need to work grass to get it dry enough to bale - they were used to just leaving cut grass in the sun and it dries right through.  (Those folks only make silage now.)
• I repeat, I am not the expert, but watching BH it seems that you want it not wet but still green; if it's losing a lot of colour and tending to straw-coloured rather than green get it baled pronto (and don't let it get so dry next time if you can)

Best of luck OhLaLa - we are nowhere near expecting weather good enough to make hay yet  so I am very envious of you!

[robert waddell]

with my list of variables no 1    the time of year  if you tried to make hay in Scotland at this time of year it would be in the east coast
in the old days(horse and carts)haymaking was left to the end of July/Aug  they used to cut in the morning turn it during the day and ruck it at night   ruck=small hay stack         if it gets to dry we refer to it as winnowed sticks

[belgianblue]

i think we have moved on from the 1850 robert. donkey and cart went out years ago....

[robert waddell]

try 1940 or thereabouts

[Fleecewife]

Where we are, 1000' up in southern Scotland, we don't cut our hay until the second half of July - and then only if a suitable 5 day High Pressure system is forecast.  By the time August comes along the day length is getting a bit shorter and the nights are more dewy, so haymaking becomes increasingly dodgy.  About 1 year in 4 we don't get a  crop, or we have to adopt some out of the ordinary measures to get one.

Winnowed sticks Robert?    Up here?  Hasn't happened yet