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How long does hay sweat after baling?
This sweating process is the normal respiration of the cut plants that are still giving off some moisture, carbon dioxide and heat from the plant cells. This process can continue for two days or more after mowing.
Does hay cure after baling?
“Some traditional horsemen believe that fresh-baled hay should ‘sweat’ for two to four weeks before feeding. This allows the hay to cure, which might be important if the hay too wet when it was baled. Caution should be used in purchasing hay that was wet when baled. Too much moisture affects the quality of baled hay.
What moisture should a round bale be?
For example, small square hay bales are generally less densely packed than large hale square or round bales, so moisture heading towards the higher side of 18-20\% may be acceptable, whereas large square or round bales may need to be between 12-16\% to ensure stable longer-term storage.
Does hay retain water?
The bales don’t retain moisture well; in a dry year you’d have to be watering them every day—perhaps several times a day.
What happens if you bale hay too early?
Hay that is cut and baled with high moisture is at risk for spontaneous combustion for up to three weeks as the plant cells are still respiring. Most fires occur within the first six weeks after baling.
What is the best moisture for baling hay?
When hay is baled, it should not be higher than 18 to 22 percent moisture. At higher levels of moisture, bales lose large amounts of dry matter (Figure 1) caused by excessive heating and molding (Figure 2). In severe cases, spontaneous combustion is possible.
Can horses eat freshly baled hay?
Any hay that has been properly cured and dried before being baled should be stable and can be fed as soon as needed. There are no nutritional advantages to storing hay for weeks or months prior to use.
How long after baling can you feed hay?
Answer: New hay can be fed just after harvesting. Any hay that has been properly cured and dried before being baled should be stable and can be fed as soon as needed. There are no nutritional advantages to storing hay for weeks or months prior to use.
How do I know if my hay has moisture?
Weigh the dry hay to determine the “dry weight.” Divide the dry weight by the wet weight, and convert to a percent number. Subtract this number from 100 to get your moisture content percentage.
How do I know if my hay is dry enough to bale?
Breaking stems in half or twisting them in a circular motion to see if the stems break cleanly will give farmers the go-ahead to bale. “If all the stems break and crack that’s an indication that the hay is cured and then you can rely on the moisture test that you’re getting from the probe,” Yaremcio said.
How long does it take hay to decompose?
Some growers will leave the hay out for one full year to be fully saturated and partially decomposed. This will help germinate or eliminate some or all of the weed seed.
Is hay good for soil?
But using hay as mulch has some surprising benefits. It does indeed break down, but unless you have a very wet environment it shouldn’t get moldy. Instead, it will start to compost, creating a rich layer of nutrients for your plants. They thrive in the warm, moist and nutritious cover and soil provided by the hay.