Thinking about getting into haying for my own use and for small $$$

[bigbull338]

yeah baling after the dew falls is best of alalfa because it keeps the leaves from shattering off the stem so bad because they are damp.

 

[pacerron]

You may end up sleeping in the field anyway. The best baling is in the late evening and early morning when there's a little dew on the ground. I remember my dad baling until about midnight when the dew got too heavy. He'd sleep under the tractor for a few hours and then start baling again at first light.

Our go by rule is:
Time to quit for the night when the tractor tires start getting wet.
Time to start again next day is when they don't get wet.

All depends on the dryness of the hay and humidity to start. If the hay gets too dry a little dampness rolled/baled in helps, but too much dampness on an already windrowed field can make "not fit for horse hay"
Can also burn your barn down if it is really wet when baled.
Cow hay, not dairy, is a lot more forgiving than horse hay.
Long days regardless, heat, sweat, eyes swollen almost shut, scratches, backaches, equipment breakdowns, and always watching the weather to get the hay in the barn before a rain event.
It's lots of fun though when everything goes right....
If the field you bail is near your horses you will probably see them standing in the shade of a tree or building watching you and grinnining like a Cheshire cat.

 

[MossflowerWoods]

I looked at the list of threads you have started in an attempt to see perhaps what this metal shed structure looked like but 88 threads would be a bit too time consuming to find it.

Ron,

Only 88... I'm slacking off...

My "temporary pasture" thread covers most of the area where the horses are now, and the "Monster Mulcher" thread covers the part about the over all 5 acres I am turning into pasture over time and howI mulched it after logging it. But you are right, the metal shed is in neither of those...

1 & 2 - My metal shed is a large 20 x 50 (approx) metal framed, corregated galv sheet sides and roof, no insulation at all. This shed is near the house, in my back yard (I will take pics tomorrow I hope). The horse pasture is up the hill infront of the house (up by my main gate) and quite a distance from the house. It has minimal venting I fear (Need to look again). There is a large roller door, but not tall enough for the ROPS and Canopy on my tractor to fit. Currently except where the ducks spill water, it is dry as a bone, and it is always dry year round. In fact there is so much dust from the dirt that it slowly coats everything badly with ruddy red dirt. was thinking I needed to avoid the dirt on my hay. Currently all the ducks, chickens and guineas are lodged inside at night, the free range during daylight.

3 - I have not left over hay yet. Everything I have is still good. I might try to buy some of the Hay Bales from my supplier that were the ones stored on the ground that the rest sat upon, maybe I can get those cheaper... Maybe not...

Skids = wooden Pallets, right?

Airflow. I will remove the roller door and cut the opening up higher to allow the ROPS/Canopy in and I will NOT put any kind of door on it. I figured the tractor and attachments will be better under a roof than outside in the rain.

4 - Stacked on end? Is the "end" the cut end side? The sides with twine are "sides", right? I just want to make sure I follow directions properly...

5 - No barbed wire, agreed. No metal in horse sheds, agreed. Horses are always looking for something to cut themselves with because they LOVE to bankrupt their owners and they alo LOVE the Vet...

I have not even started a run-in shed project yet. I need a shed for my 4Harley's first...

David

 

[pacerron]

yeah baling after the dew falls is best of alalfa because it keeps the leaves from shattering off the stem so bad because they are damp.

This can be true but I don't think David is into doing alfala in his thread. No mention of buying or using a haybine mower conditioner.

 

[pacerron]

Ron,

Only 88... I'm slacking off...

My "temporary pasture" thread covers most of the area where the horses are now, and the "Monster Mulcher" thread covers the part about the over all 5 acres I am turning into pasture over time and howI mulched it after logging it. But you are right, the metal shed is in neither of those...

1 & 2 - My metal shed is a large 20 x 50 (approx) metal framed, corregated galv sheet sides and roof, no insulation at all. This shed is near the house, in my back yard (I will take pics tomorrow I hope). The horse pasture is up the hill infront of the house (up by my main gate) and quite a distance from the house. It has minimal venting I fear (Need to look again). There is a large roller door, but not tall enough for the ROPS and Canopy on my tractor to fit. Currently except where the ducks spill water, it is dry as a bone, and it is always dry year round. In fact there is so much dust from the dirt that it slowly coats everything badly with ruddy red dirt. was thinking I needed to avoid the dirt on my hay. Currently all the ducks, chickens and guineas are lodged inside at night, the free range during daylight.

3 - I have not left over hay yet. Everything I have is still good. I might try to buy some of the Hay Bales from my supplier that were the ones stored on the ground that the rest sat upon, maybe I can get those cheaper... Maybe not...

Skids = wooden Pallets, right?

Airflow. I will remove the roller door and cut the opening up higher to allow the ROPS/Canopy in and I will NOT put any kind of door on it. I figured the tractor and attachments will be better under a roof than outside in the rain.

4 - Stacked on end? Is the "end" the cut end side? The sides with twine are "sides", right? I just want to make sure I follow directions properly...

5 - No barbed wire, agreed. No metal in horse sheds, agreed. Horses are always looking for something to cut themselves with because they LOVE to bankrupt their owners and they alo LOVE the Vet...

I have not even started a run-in shed project yet. I need a shed for my 4Harley's first...

David

Yes, skids = pallets
Not limited to wood. Some are made from molded composition plastic material and much stronger than wood. No nails to worry about.

I was trying to use your vernacular in describing bale end.
Up here we refer to the sides that have no string as "cut sides"; the long sides that have string as "string sides; the small square ends that have string as "ends"

Storing hay and equipment inside is the best option but moisture trapped air is still a big enemey to both, even inside. Moisture in the electronics of modern tractors can really mess them up. It is not even wise to powerwash in some of the areas that collect the most dirt and grease.
Barns are expensive but so is time, fuel, equipment wear, seed, and fertilizer.
The big rolls you see left outside for storage are often wasting 25-33% of this time, fuel, equipment wear, seed, and fertilizer because that much of them become moldy or rotten and have no value as food for the animals it is fed too.
The smaller the roll the bigger percentage of waste.
In recent years many folks have added a wrap to the rolls that store outside to help the water run off or stuff the rolls into a big plastic tube but both these techniques require additional equipment cost, disposable one time use material cost, time, and fuel.
Most horse owners that you might sell hay to in your proposed adventure still prefer small square/rectangular bales because they are easier to handle with little or no equipment. They are also the most labor intensive and time consuming for you to make so they must demand a higher price per ton than rolls. This does not mean you made any more money.
You should also consider the extra insurance costs for liability when taking your tractor equipment out on a public road.

I'm not trying to talk you out of this, by any means. You just appear to be sincerely interested in finding out how cold the water is before jumping in..
If you opt for just making your own hay for your own use, then a small round baler would be much more practical from the standpoint of time, handling, and manpower required per ton if you have a barn/shed that is high enough to store multiple layers of rolls.

 

[forgeblast]

Does anyone store round bales on pallets outside? I would think that they would freeze to the pallet, I guess better on the pallet then to the ground.

 

[scoutcub]

David -

Any updates on equipment purchase?



Frank

 

[rambler]

If we are talking about haymaking, and alfalfa esp, there is southwestern haymaking which is _terribly_ different than any other part of thre USA. That do odd things there due to the ultra low humidity they get into in the heart of haymaking season.

The rest of us, we hope to heck the dew burns off before the sun sets so we can get some relatively dry hay put up....

--->Paul

 

[MossflowerWoods]

David -

Any updates on equipment purchase?

Frank

Frank,

I had a long phone call with Bucktaker and he sent me email pictures. It looks pretty good, I am certain it is a smoking good deal.

Right now I am debating mostly how quickly can I get up to speed, find some fields to lease and so on... I am trying to estimate what my costs will be for food/fuel for the pickup run.

My buddy SLHawkins will get back in a couple weeks an I plan to have a long talk (mostly him educating me) with him about haying and possibly running some cows on a place he knows, etc.

It boils down to finances and time. What can I get done, that I can afford, and do I do it now or later.

I have a couple questions I will PM you about.

How is K-stan?

David

 

[scoutcub]

Frank,

I had a long phone call with Bucktaker and he sent me email pictures. It looks pretty good, I am certain it is a smoking good deal.

Right now I am debating mostly how quickly can I get up to speed, find some fields to lease and so on... I am trying to estimate what my costs will be for food/fuel for the pickup run.

My buddy SLHawkins will get back in a couple weeks an I plan to have a long talk (mostly him educating me) with him about haying and possibly running some cows on a place he knows, etc.

It boils down to finances and time. What can I get done, that I can afford, and do I do it now or later.

I have a couple questions I will PM you about.

How is K-stan?

David

OK, gotcha. Kazak is finally warming up, beautiful weather now....right as I'm getting ready to head West....:laughing::laughing:
Now my future is uncertain, may or may not be coming back here....:confused3: