Gone and cut our grass down for haylage 7 days ago and the weather was supposed to be good and guess what no it hasn’t. Spun it out twice so now it’s like wet hay as had sun odd parts of the day and it’s dried and was planning on baling it today but now raining again. So the question is what will it be like if I wrap it will it be any good damp will it go mouldy or am I worrying too much.
Cut grass
- Thread starter gm69
- Start date
- Location
- somerset
What goes in, is what comes out, unfortunately.
and the weather forecasters are not helpful, or accurate.
basically you have to make the best of a bad job, get it as dry as you can, then bale.
and the weather forecasters are not helpful, or accurate.
basically you have to make the best of a bad job, get it as dry as you can, then bale.
- Location
- S E Wales
Get it baled and wrapped, the longer you leave it and try to get it better the worse it will be IMO
davidroberts30
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
just dont leave it sitting festering without moving it,then it will turn black and fit for burning
just shake it out as gently as you can and left it dry and bale and wrap
just shake it out as gently as you can and left it dry and bale and wrap
M-J-G
Member
At 7 days of being tedded and wet several times I'd get it baled and wrapped if you can dryish day.
davidroberts30
Member
- Location
- pembrokeshire
whats it going to be fed to?
- Location
- North Pennines
We had a terrible summer last year and I only had one field that didn’t get rained on , others were down for at least a week, some cut in the rain to try and hit the 2 dry days forecast to get it ready to bale. I was surprised how well it turned out
- Location
- Ceredigion
If its not for horses after 4 days its better in a bale than turning to straw outside
- Location
- somerset
direct cut pit silage, never made 'bad' silage, would stand a bit of rain as well, the downside, was the effluent, never understood why cows would lap it up.
just because we have all got used to higher DM silage, we are perhaps, a bit over careful about baling/silageing wet/fresh grass. Could well be better to wrap/pit, fresher grass, in catchy weather, than wait, lose feed value, and end up trying to get the stuff dry, before baling/pitting.
just because we have all got used to higher DM silage, we are perhaps, a bit over careful about baling/silageing wet/fresh grass. Could well be better to wrap/pit, fresher grass, in catchy weather, than wait, lose feed value, and end up trying to get the stuff dry, before baling/pitting.
- Location
- S E Wales
One of the things that I'm guilty of is wanting drier bales as they are easier to handle if you're running smaller old kit. Bales and balers have come a long way in the nearly 40 years we've been doing it so there's more in them.
- Location
- somerset
the weather is so against us this year, one has to try and work around it, and try and make decent stuff.
wrapping gives us the most flexible way to achieve that, if not pitting.
but its a bugger this year.
wrapping gives us the most flexible way to achieve that, if not pitting.
but its a bugger this year.
Had this conversation with my self this morning when it rained despite the forecast saying a dry day, waited for the top to dry and then rowed up for baler
Cut on Friday night, turned 3 times, should have baled it Sunday night, I m learning, better in the bale than on the floor, forget the DM in years like this I'm no expert on this, but my sheep prefer it damper than drier.
Once cut some short late season and baled 24hr latter, some bale movement, but when i had it tested along with the neighbours dry horse haylage, it was way better
Cut on Friday night, turned 3 times, should have baled it Sunday night, I m learning, better in the bale than on the floor, forget the DM in years like this I'm no expert on this, but my sheep prefer it damper than drier.
Once cut some short late season and baled 24hr latter, some bale movement, but when i had it tested along with the neighbours dry horse haylage, it was way better
1594mac
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
So jumping in here sorry grass not down yet and plenty round in the same boat! Grass going to head trying to decide if just bale it and be done with it or aim to get it drier at least or risk trying for some hay. thoughts please weather not the greatest from what I can see.
in a wet of catchy year I would rather have it dry standing and when I get it mowed I go for the baler. Same way I treat customers, currently giving 3 dryish days, have 6 men looking dry grass. 1 will take a sh1t fit the day before the weather breaks and the next week is looking a lot wetter, 1 man is looking 3-4 dry days but isnt really ready yet so sort of safe enough for a while. another man has 2 acres when it suits beside us, monday is 12 acres for a man and basically not that caring but as myself dry standing is good enough, another man us now tuesday for approx 10 acres and last man would probly like a dry day before and a days wilt. I can see wednesday being booked by mondays man and the 2 acres being done tuesday also.
First come first served here if you cant make up your mind someone else will get the slot. Last year we had grass of our own down for 5 days, real dry, would nearly prefer it to be fresh as too dry although that worked well as there was no seed heads at all.
Always 6 layers of plastic and never waste on damper stuff and very little on dry stuff unless it was too hard and no sugars left, in which case i should have baled it fresh.
First come first served here if you cant make up your mind someone else will get the slot. Last year we had grass of our own down for 5 days, real dry, would nearly prefer it to be fresh as too dry although that worked well as there was no seed heads at all.
Always 6 layers of plastic and never waste on damper stuff and very little on dry stuff unless it was too hard and no sugars left, in which case i should have baled it fresh.
1594mac
Member
- Location
- Northern Ireland
Yes not a great week and showers today brief but heavy like you say its safer standing and I can take a bit at a time and def more layers apparently its to get warmer towards the weekend, Its a game of chance
- Location
- Isle of Arran
Dad’s Uncle used to reckon you might as well cut hay in the rain as it would get wet anyway, certainly seems that way this year. We’ve cut plenty silage in wet years before with the mower on one tractor and the baler following round on the other. Not ideal but it gets it done, if you’re making feeding for cows/sheep I’d be tempted to cut it and leave it drying for as long as possible and bale before the rain. I find wet stuff baled quickly is better than dry stuff that’s been lying a fortnight.
Not picking fight. However when would one class grass as sh1t. When it is hard and past any feed value? In which case this is what we used to call silage but now I prefer to cut it dry standing and bale fresh as close to the preferred groweth stage I want as suppose to wait to it gives a few dry days in a row 2 weeks later
- Location
- somerset
this year hasn't been the 'easiest', to say the least.
grass cuts are huge, we try to pit grass, when its at ideal stage, usually end apr, early may, and will cut IRG before PRG, and old leys, to make sure of quality, quality silage is the cheapest feed, after fresh grass, you can have.
we tend to make hay from 2nd cut, easier to make, and better quality.
this year, 1st cut was late, and isn't growing back quickly. Some leys ear marked for hay, as 1st cut, are in a pit, some wrapped, just over 10 chopped bales/ac.
reality, with warmth and damp ground, cuts like that, it would be a massive, if possible job, to make 'young' hay, it would be july hay, when grass has started to die back, =poor quality.
every year is different, we have made some nice hay from odd light bits, but this year is just a sod, we have to work around the weather, and do the best we can.
grass cuts are huge, we try to pit grass, when its at ideal stage, usually end apr, early may, and will cut IRG before PRG, and old leys, to make sure of quality, quality silage is the cheapest feed, after fresh grass, you can have.
we tend to make hay from 2nd cut, easier to make, and better quality.
this year, 1st cut was late, and isn't growing back quickly. Some leys ear marked for hay, as 1st cut, are in a pit, some wrapped, just over 10 chopped bales/ac.
reality, with warmth and damp ground, cuts like that, it would be a massive, if possible job, to make 'young' hay, it would be july hay, when grass has started to die back, =poor quality.
every year is different, we have made some nice hay from odd light bits, but this year is just a sod, we have to work around the weather, and do the best we can.
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