Mark C
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Made a start , baled 1500 Tueday afternoon. Didn’t want to push it with the first field in case of any machinery glitches.
Hay Making 2021
- Thread starter ffukedfarmer
- Start date
kiwi pom
Member
- Location
- canterbury NZ
Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
What we have done up to now is only just ready as only really grown in may and that wasn't a lot due to it being cold.
- Location
- North Wiltshire
My biggest prob this year is damp ground after wet May.
Knocked 30ac in 3 fields, that come back for cattle grazing.
Gave up on one of them and wrapped it, just couldn't beat the damp coming back into it and starting the damage surface.
Knocked 30ac in 3 fields, that come back for cattle grazing.
Gave up on one of them and wrapped it, just couldn't beat the damp coming back into it and starting the damage surface.
Devil's advocate
Member
- Location
- Posh side of Barnsley
Did 430 small bales off 3 acre paddock, all arkward corners to test the equipment.
Not winter grazed so was fully mature at its optimun stage, not my best grass, but with the hot sun & got young smelt lovely.
Not winter grazed so was fully mature at its optimun stage, not my best grass, but with the hot sun & got young smelt lovely.
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
‘Not winter grazed’ and ‘got young’ don’t go in the same sentence in my head, whether it’s silage or hay.
Agree with that, ours will be young got at end of July, grazed up until a week ago‘Not winter grazed’ and ‘got young’ don’t go in the same sentence in my head, whether it’s silage or hay.
Ali_Maxxum
Member
- Location
- Chepstow, Wales
Lots of excited folk about last week making 'hay'. Older, meadowy stuff just isn't there yet, plenty of long bents but still very little in the bottom. With it being so young still I should imagine it wasn't all it was cracked up to be to get it fit. Dry April followed by a cold, wet May has scuppered growth considerably.
Could be a similar tale to last year however, slow but steady growth meaning nice, green hay well into late July, early August. With that comes another tale of quality and not quantity!
Could be a similar tale to last year however, slow but steady growth meaning nice, green hay well into late July, early August. With that comes another tale of quality and not quantity!
- Location
- Mendips Somerset
Noticed a distinct lack of clegs (horse flies) this hay time , the cab is usually full of them cutting grass only seen a couple so far recon that late frost killed a lot of the emerging ones off
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- Location
- Aberdeenshire
As someone else said 'too much nature for hay' here. Our mad March hares don't start boxing till May and I watched a roe doe giving birth on Tuesday evening in my hay field. I can't bring myself to start the mower till I'm sure all the wee critters are big enough to get out of the road of the mower. I'll sit on my hunkers for another couple of weeks rather than mow a leveret or fawn.
- Location
- the brecks norfolk
There's been some monster crops around here. Some has made lively hay some has been baled too soon despite looking ok, I dread to think what the bales will be like inside come winter time.
I find july hay easy cut one day bale the next, not enough sugar or moisture left to make it mouldy or fire so doesnt need to be bone dry, early june hay I feel always needs to be that bit drier or it heats, result mold/ dust or fire
Skintagain
Member
- Location
- Perched on the Pennines
That has never happened here. Ever
Simon Chiles
DD Moderator
- Location
- Surrey/ Kent Border, UK
Snap, I thought the same, just cut a few thin bits just to test for glitches. However the thin bits didn’t work out thin an averaged 90 bales an acre so we ended up doing 2300.
Have you switched from the Massey baler to a Welger? How do they compare?
Devil's advocate
Member
- Location
- Posh side of Barnsley
So no one appears to know how to make hay, apart from the poster him/her self.
To be fair, I do think I'm the expert when it comes to hay.
To be fair, I do think I'm the expert when it comes to hay.
Grassman
Member
- Location
- Derbyshire
Iv been at it for over 40 years and am still learning
Mark C
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
None of it is 100% ready, but I just wanted to get something in the barn as virtually out of last year's and there will be a big push when the weather does come right or we'll be doing hay, second cut haylage and combining and baling winter barley at the end of july. A week of unsettled weather is a long time at this time of year. Probed it 24 hours after baling and it's all under 10%
It's some of the best stuff i've made off these fields as we can't graze it but took a small late cut last september so there's no dead in the bottom. Sod's law the horses won't like it!
Mark C
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Yes, I only kept the massey a season and a half. Couldn't get on with it at all. it was an 1839, maybe the 1840's are better. Maybe I was unlucky. It just broke stuffer shear bolts for fun and was 1/2 hour each time to unblock it. I love the Welger, I just wish they still made them! I nearly bought a nice secondhand one to keep in the barn until I need to replace mine.
Mark C
Member
- Location
- Bedfordshire
Imagine the swearing if an unexpected thunderstorm turned up just before baling dont think I'd want the stress, impressive thoughNow this is how to do small bales... 3 balers, one trailed baron and 2 wagon and drags carting, 6400 bales in 8 hours
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