When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle, making them much more likely to fall off. In many cases, a significant portion of hay's nutritive value lies in the leafy portions of the herbs used to make the hay.

Can you let hay dry too long?

It may require a second tedding the next day to speed up the drying process. Too much tedding can shatter leaves of alfalfa or clover, lowering the quality of the hay.

How dry should hay be bail?

In general, hay in small rectangular bales should be baled at less than 22 percent moisture to keep molding and heating to a minimum. Large round bales retain internal heat much longer than conventional bales. Therefore, hay should be less than 18 percent moisture before baling in large bales.

What percent moisture should hay be baled?

Much of the original research suggests hay moisture content should be kept less than 20% for small rectangular bales, less than 18% for round bales, and less than 16% for large rectangular bales. These are still good “rules of thumb,” but there are exceptions.

What happens if hay is baled too dry?

When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle, making them much more likely to fall off. In many cases, a significant portion of hay's nutritive value lies in the leafy portions of the herbs used to make the hay.

How Long to Dry Your Hay Before Bailing

What can happen if hay is harvested and baled when too high a moisture content?

Hay baled with high moisture content levels can have negative impacts such as hay spoilage, barn fires, and decreased nutrition. A natural event, commonly referred to as “heating,” occurs when growing forages are cut and continue to give off heat due to respiration.

What moisture should hay be to wrap?

The ideal moisture content for baleage is between 40 and 55 percent. Wrapped bales create a condition for proper fermentation and longer-term storage. Dry matter losses will be lower when harvesting at these moisture levels. Producers can end up with tough hay when moisture ranges between 20 and 35 percent.

What time of day should you bale hay?

With all of these factors in mind, it is best to cut hay when there is the greatest opportunity for successful drying, or early in the morning after the dew has dried off. As the old saying goes, “make hay while the sun shines!”

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.

How dry is too dry for hay?

In some situations, eight to 15 percent moisture is much too dry; the leaf quality will be lost. Leaves will shatter when the hay is baled, and much of the leaf material will not end up in the bale (especially in small bales – you'll end up with stemmy hay and few leaves).

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.

Can you cut hay right after it rains?

Rain doesn't hurt the freshly cut hay really at all and when the weather clears the ground is much dryer than if you try to cut right after the rain.

Is tedding hay necessary?

Tedding hay is an essential part of the hay making process as it speeds up the drying of the hay, this in turn reduces moisture rot once hay is baled and eliminates the possibility of spontaneous combustion of bales due to bacterial decomposition of grass.

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.

Why do farmers cut hay at night?

Though starches and simple sugars accumulate during the day, a substantial amount of these carbohydrates are used up during the night for growth and maintenance (via the processes of respiration). Therefore, cutting the crop at night will likely maximize the sugar in the crop, at least at the time of cutting.

Is it OK to cut hay with dew on it?

Avoid cutting hay until the morning dew has fully dried. “There is enough water that must leave the plants already without adding more from the nightly dew,” Kaatz says. “The bottom of windrows also absorb moisture from the soil, so keep drying hay off of wet soils as much as possible to avoid added moisture content.”

Can you bale hay with dew on it?

Baling hay that is wet/damp is not recommended. You will see better results if you are able to let the dew dry off before baling or bale before dew sets. Damp hay can mold and decrease quality and nutrients.

Will dry hay mold if wrapped?

Wrapping hay that is higher in moisture than about 20% will mold more significantly. Plant & Soil Sciences Dept.

Can you wrap hay at 30% moisture?

Making baleage implies fermentation – as in haylage (think of an ideal moisture content of 50-65%). Wrapping bales may serve as a substitute for storage and can be done at moisture levels as low as 15-30%. Any kind of forage able to be baled can be wrapped.

How long does it take hay to combust?

“Depending on forage moisture at baling and how hay is stored, excessive heating and molding can occur,” Bushong said. “The time required from heating to combustion can vary from a few days to 10 weeks, depending on conditions.”

Is hay ruined if it gets rained-on?

Rained-on hay often has relatively high protein values compared to fiber content unless there's great leaf loss. Leaves contain a lot of the plant's protein. As soluble carbohydrates leach, structural fibers make up a greater percent of forage dry matter. The digestibility of rained-on hay can decline 6 to 40 percent.

How do you save hay bales that has been rained on?

Use net wrap or plastic twine spaced no more than 4 in. apart on round bales to maintain bale shape and provide a smooth surface that encourages water runoff.” Anderson recommends storing hay on elevated, well-drained spots that will prevent the bales from soaking up moisture from wet soil or standing water.

Can hay get wet before baling?

Sometimes, rain will not reduce hay quality significantly if the hay has adequate time to dry and cure prior to baling. The only way to know for sure, though, is to test the hay.

Can horses eat hay that has been rained on?

Rained on hay is actually beneficial for horses prone to laminitis and other metabolic disorders because of its reduced carbohydrate content. Analyzing forage for nutrient content is recommended, but can be especially useful when determining the quality of rained on hay.