How long should hay sit before feeding?

So how soon can you feed new hay? If the hay is cut and bailed in perfect conditions with less than 12% moisture in the bale, it should be safe to feed straight away. But due to how hard this is to get accurate; it is recommended to wait 2-8 weeks before feeding.

How long does hay have to cure before feeding?

To be safe, wait at least 8 weeks after wrapping to begin feeding baleage bales. This time will ensure that the forage is fully ensiled and does not begin to deteriorate or heat when it is fed.

Can you feed freshly baled hay?

Any hay that has been properly cured and dried before being baled should be stable and can be fed as soon as needed. There are no nutritional advantages to storing hay for weeks or months prior to use.

Can you feed fresh cut hay to cows?

Can cows eat fresh-cut hay, or should you wait for a few weeks before giving them hay? It should be fine to feed the new hay as long as it has been adequately cured. If the hay is cut and bagged in perfect conditions with less percentage of moisture in the bale, it can be fed straight away.

How long can hay lay before baling?

Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Cut first thing in the morning, ted about 2-4 hours later, do nothing the next day, rake as soon as dew is off (-48 hours after cutting), let dry about 3 hours, and bale. Sometime takes an extra day to dry or occasionally a day less if perfect weather.

When is the best time to cut hay?

Does raking hay help it dry?

Raking tends to roll the wetter hay from the bottom of the swath to the outer surface of the windrow, which improves drying. Following the initial improvement, the increase in swath density can reduce drying rate, so the crop moisture content at raking is important.

How many bales of hay does a cow need for winter?

For a cow needing 8,190 pounds of hay per year and a bale weight of 960 pounds, divide 8,190 by 960 for a yearly need of about 8.5 bales per cow. Multiply this by the total number of weaned cattle in your herd. For example, 45 cows multiplied by 8.5 bales per cow results in a total need of 383 bales.

How many bales of hay does a cow eat per day?

A 1200-pound cow, ready for processing, will require 36 pounds of forage per day based on the formula used here. Thirty-six pounds of hay is close to one small square bale of hay per day, taking into consideration some waste.

Can cows live on just hay?

Hay is the most commonly used winter feed for beef cattle, but it's also the most expensive. Each cow requires a daily intake of 40 pounds of round-baled hay, which amounts to $1.61 if pricing hay at $80 per ton.

How many days does hay need to dry?

It basically takes about three days of good weather to cure hay. This can be a challenge in late May or early June. A good strategy is to mow just before or right after a rain, because of the likelihood of good weather for the next few days.

How soon after cutting hay can you feed it to horses?

So how soon can you feed new hay? If the hay is cut and bailed in perfect conditions with less than 12% moisture in the bale, it should be safe to feed straight away. But due to how hard this is to get accurate; it is recommended to wait 2-8 weeks before feeding.

When should you feed hay?

Livestock often need to be fed hay during part of the winter or in the summer during droughts. Hay, pasture and supplemental feeds contain nutrients needed by both plants and livestock. The majority of these nutrients are excreted by animals in their manure and urine.

Is it safe to feed fresh cut hay to horses?

“If hay is baled with a low moisture content, less than 12%, it can be fed right away, and horses shouldn't have any problem with it,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph. D., longtime nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Can hay be dry but not cured?

Hay will not have completely cured in that time. He said many producers are using moisture probes to decide if hay is dry enough to bale, but probes measure the moisture only on the outside of the stem. Hay that measures 13 percent moisture can jump to 25 or 30 percent a few days after it's put up.

Can 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.

Is it cheaper to buy hay or make it?

In most environments where forage production is based on natural rainfall, you can almost always buy hay cheaper than you can produce it.

How do you know when a cow is hungry?

I look at the cows, and see if their left side is sunken in, if it is, they aren't getting enough to eat. The place to look is below the hip bone and short ribs. Just after paddock shift – they are getting down to the business of grazing, but their sides aren't sunken in.

How do you prevent hay waste in cattle?

Avoid placing hay near streams or lowland areas. To reduce waste, it is advised to provide only enough hay to last for one day. If large amounts of hay must be put out at one time, it is helpful to place a barrier between the hay and animals to reduce waste. Feeding racks or rings can be effective barriers.

What is the best hay for cattle?

Timothy hay is recommended by many experts due to its ease on various animal's digestive system as well as promotion of bowel regularity. Additionally, there have been scientific studies done that show Timothy hay is an ideal feed for pregnant or lactating cows.

How much hay does a 500 pound calf eat per day?

Unless indicated by the person you purchased the calf from, cattle should be adapted gradually to growing rations rather than abruptly put on high-grain diets. When the calf starts on feed, first provide high-quality grass hay for free choice consumption (3% of body weight; 15 lbs per day for a 500 lb calf).

Do hay rings save hay?

These feeders have also shown to reduce the amount of wasted hay as compared to traditional hay rings. Hay rings allow cattle to feed without wasting hay by trampling or bedding in it.

How often should you turn hay?

Hay should be cut when dry at the end of a sunny day when sugar levels are at their highest and tedded immediately after cutting. In good weather the grass is tedded twice daily and in very good sunny, breezy weather haymaking should be achieved in 3 to 4 days.

How often should you Tedder hay?

Initial tedding should be performed after a brief wilting period following a morning cutting while the hay is still moist (two to four hours). In very damp conditions, tedding may need to be done immediately after cutting. A second pass is usually done the next day, and the hay is raked and baled that afternoon.

Does rain hurt fresh cut hay?

Research at Iowa State University found that fresh-cut hay with less than 1 inch of rain took a few more hours to dry, but didn't suffer much, if any, quality or quantity loss. A light rain on nearly dry hay, though, caused significant losses.