Not Haying but How to Deal with Strewn Hay

IronHorseRanch · Mar 11, 2015

I have several places where hay was placed over winter (in rings) that have spilled hay on the ground. What's the best way to deal with that so I can get the grass back growing under it? Disc it in? (that will likely slow down grass growth as the ground will be disturbed). Depending on depth of course.

Spreading it with the tractor doesn't seem to work well as it tends to just clump up. I don't have a tiller but again that would set me back as the ground would be significantly disturbed. nI thought about setting the shredder really low and trying to cut and throw it around. Does that work?

There's got to be an efficient way?

Thanks,

IHR

Walkin Horse · Mar 11, 2015

I use a landscape rake and pull it back just about every time I put out a bale. I have always heard that is a good place for botulism to spawn. Not that the horses eat it after they drag it out but I don't want to take the chance.

IronHorseRanch · Mar 11, 2015

I don't have a landscape rake but that may be a good reason to get one!

I do have a couple of holes to fill from tree stumps etc.... I guess I could pile it up with the loader bucket. Scoop it and place it in the holes then cover it up with dirt. That may get me through this year. If I can get it into the ground, I know it will help retain moisture.

Thanks

IHR

foreman Etexas · Mar 11, 2015

I usually just burn what's left there but in the pasture where I feed 100+rolls I usually run my 74"tiller over it. It will grow back,comes back better,next year will do all over again in a new area.

DT86 · Mar 11, 2015

If you fill in stump holes with old hay you'll likely have another hole when it rots down the rest of the way.

If you've got any bare spots it makes a great ground cover if you spread it out with a pitch fork. I have burned it where it lays and after piling it up and letting it dry out some as well.

IronHorseRanch · Mar 11, 2015

The areas I've been feeding in this year were those I had cleared recently. Like you mentioned, I'm hopeful this will help get things restarted. I think I'll try to spread it around done then lightly disc it in and hope for the best.

The good part is the past few months have been wet ones. The ground is nice and moist and should bounce back quickly. I'll be spreading fertilizer soon.

The best part is I get tractor seat time rather than office desk time

Marveltone · Mar 11, 2015

I use an old dump rake to gather it all up in a big pile, then haul it off to the rotting hay pile with the FEL grapple. Eventually, the rotted hay will be mixed with manure and compost. I work with what I've got.

Soggy Bottom Outdoors · Mar 11, 2015

I usually push it up into a pile(several piles) with a FEL load it in a spreader and scatter it on corn ground. It helps with $450-500 a ton fertilizer and the organic matter helps with some fields with a high clay content. Once an area is "cleared" I over seed with fescue or ryegrass. I'm not concerned about a permenant fix or stand because my "winter grounds" are usually the same every year and it will get torn up again this winter. I have mixed the manure with ag lime in the spreader along with a little ladino clover and spread it on some areas where I had some dozer work done. I have found that the manure is much easier to load if you can find/make some "manure teeth/forks" to go on the bucket.

Wagtail · Mar 11, 2015

I feed my horses from round bales with a hay-ring, what they leave at the end I chain harrow (along with the manure) with the tractor and then use the lawn tractor to mulch it up.

It works a treat for me, but that's only one round at a time... The rest of the hay is stored in the shed.