How can I cheaply cut some grass to see if it passes as hay?
- Thread starter beppington
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sweettractors
Advertiser
There is 1 golden rule for putting up your own hay and have a higher percentage of getting quality hay. "Have all your own hay tools and don't depend on good neighbors, friends or kinfolk to help you when you need them." They are going to busy putting up their own hay or bigger fields of hay exactly when you need them. Ken Sweet
OP
beppington
Elite Member
Ken - I went thru most of your eBay sickle auctions last night. Gives me an idea on sickle cost range anyway, if this scheme starts to turn into something.
sweettractors
Advertiser
Beep, I feel that Our Ebay presentation of implements can very educational and informative for guys just starting in farming or food plotting, even if they don't plan on buying from us. Ken Sweet
Obed
Elite Member
Bepp, I don't think you are in danger of doing anything to hurt your parents' horses with the hay you feed them. Dry, wet, old, new, damp, whatever hay, plastic bags, etc. aren't going to put them in the grave. You obviously want to use common sense and not purposely feed them hay that has visibly gone bad (lots of mold, rotting, etc.).
I hear lots of stuff about "that'll make your horses sick", etc. Also, you have to have special "horse fencing" or your horse will will hurt himself and die. I believe horses are more hardy animals than some people give them credit. You can literally spend a fortune making special environments for horses. Our Tennessee Walking Horse ran with our cows, ate the same stuff the cows ate, and used the same fences. We had no problems. She never got sick and never hurt herself on the barbed wire fences. Horses are smart animals, much smarter than cows.
If you have $100K+ prize horses, then maybe you don't want to risk a horse's scratching his neck on a barbed wire and maybe don't want to feed him hay from a round bale. But for the average horse you use mainly for riding on trails, etc., I'd treat 'em just like cows and not loose a moment's sleep.
I realize my suggestions run counter to what you commonly hear. However, there are a lot of broke horse people who end up spending a mint by following the advice of the "so called" experts. I have difficulty spending $20K to take care of a $2000 horse.
For a 3 acre lot, the cheapest thing you can do is either get someone to bale it or just buy hay from someone else. My dad hires out the hay making on his 110 acres because it's cheaper than doing it himself. In fact, depending on the price of hay, some years he justs buys the hay from someone else and uses his fields for pasture.
Just my opinion.
Obed
I hear lots of stuff about "that'll make your horses sick", etc. Also, you have to have special "horse fencing" or your horse will will hurt himself and die. I believe horses are more hardy animals than some people give them credit. You can literally spend a fortune making special environments for horses. Our Tennessee Walking Horse ran with our cows, ate the same stuff the cows ate, and used the same fences. We had no problems. She never got sick and never hurt herself on the barbed wire fences. Horses are smart animals, much smarter than cows.
If you have $100K+ prize horses, then maybe you don't want to risk a horse's scratching his neck on a barbed wire and maybe don't want to feed him hay from a round bale. But for the average horse you use mainly for riding on trails, etc., I'd treat 'em just like cows and not loose a moment's sleep.
I realize my suggestions run counter to what you commonly hear. However, there are a lot of broke horse people who end up spending a mint by following the advice of the "so called" experts. I have difficulty spending $20K to take care of a $2000 horse.
For a 3 acre lot, the cheapest thing you can do is either get someone to bale it or just buy hay from someone else. My dad hires out the hay making on his 110 acres because it's cheaper than doing it himself. In fact, depending on the price of hay, some years he justs buys the hay from someone else and uses his fields for pasture.
Just my opinion.
Obed
Last edited:
slowzuki
Elite Member
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I have to say, horses are not as hardy as cows. They don't deal well with fences and bad feed. Cows seem to be able to be in a field for years never have trouble with fencing, put a horse in and in the first week they've got the friggin skin peeled open on their legs from getting into the fence or and old roll of wire somewhere. They also get wheezing and sick off bad hay as they seem to have no sense not to eat stuff thats bad for them.
OP
beppington
Elite Member
Fortunately we're not dealing with show horses here ... & they're already kept in a fence that's part 4-rail wood & part field fence (no barbed wire) ... so I only need to be concerned with keeping my "hay" from molding & determining whether or not they like it enough to bother with in the future ... or maybe sending off a sample of it (or a soil sample) to determine what adjustments are needed to make it quality hay.
firemanpat2910
Platinum Member
why not take the horses to the hay ? instead of the hay to the horses. How far is it fom your parents place to yours ?
OP
beppington
Elite Member
4 miles one-way. Could be done. Although my fence would need some serious work, partially because it's an old 4-strand barbed wire fence along the property boundary, & also because there's no fence at all to keep the horses from going down into the extremely overgrown prairie area. Unless they cooperated by staying only where the eatin' is good, it could be hard to find them later! And maybe hard to corral them, too, once I do find them
Plus I wouldn't learn about hay making that way
Egon
Epic Contributor
Scythes are cheap. Saves you money on fitness equipment - gyms etc. .
They are not hard to use. Just make sure you get a hay blade to mount onto the Snath and keep the blade sharp.:thumbsup:
Green Too.
They are not hard to use. Just make sure you get a hay blade to mount onto the Snath and keep the blade sharp.:thumbsup:
Green Too.