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How do you recycle hay?
Pull the wires or twine away form the bale, roll them up and throw them into a trash receptacle. Break the bale up into manageable pieces or flakes. Pick up the flakes and load them into the bed of a pickup truck. Haul the hay to a plant recycling center or nursery and donate it for reuse.
How long does hay take 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.
What can I do with used hay bedding?
What to do with extra hay:
- Bedding & Nesting material for nesting boxes, coops, hutches, and run-ins.
- Filler for the pool the pigs built.
- Seeding.
- Mulch for yard, around trees, or in pumpkin patches.
- Entertainment – chickens and pigs LOVE to scratch, roll and play in fresh hay.
How do you make compost from hay?
Learning how to compost hay is a simple matter of building a square with old hay bales. Lay out a number of bales to create a square outline, then add a second layer of bales to build up the walls on the back and sides. Fill the middle of the square with all the materials to compost.
Is straw hay recyclable?
Some local authorities may allow used hay, straw and sawdust bedding from ‘vegetarian’ animals such as rabbits or guinea pigs to be put in garden waste collections, or accept it with garden waste at Household Waste Recycling Centres.
Can you reuse hay?
Use Hay Bales for Outdoor Displays For example, you can add greenery, mums, or flower pots to reuse the hay bales for outdoor home decor throughout the fall season. When you’re done decorating with the hay, recycle it by using it to mulch your garden.
Can you compost old hay?
Spoiled hay is a natural for adding to the compost bin. Add heaping mounds of it layered with green matter, such as grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peels and cores, and other fresh kitchen wastes to start the composting process. Moisten the pile and turn it every few days to keep the process going.
What can I do with moldy hay bales?
If you can smell mold in the bale, make sure to open the bale before giving it to them. If there is mold on the inside of the bale, throw it away. Usually, horses will not touch moldy hay, unless there is nothing else to eat.
What can you do with old dirty hay?
The best answer is: grow things! Use the straw in your garden as mulch. Use it to plant potatoes. Use it to make compost, especially if you have chickens.
Can old hay be used as mulch?
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.
Can you store hay in a pole barn?
If you need to store your hay in an open field, or under a pole barn, or some other structure that is not completely enclosed, follow these instructions to create a completely enclosed, dry, protected hay storage area; using only tarps, wooden pallets, commercial-sized dessicant bags, and a few poles.
What can I do with old hay bales?
Hay Rides! Building pyramids or forts. Decoration – In fall it’s festive to add a few hay bales and pumpkins to the house, barn, or porch. Create a barrier to stop summer storms from washing all the gravel out of your driveway. BUT – Never put old hay in your garden.
What happens to Old Hay in the garden?
If you put hay in your garden, all of those hay “seeds” will germinate and grow and you will have grass instead of vegetables growing in your planters! Old hay is never wasted at our farm. Sign up to receive weekly updates via email (here ).
How do you stack square bales of hay?
Place the bottom layer of small square bales on their sides so the uneven, non-stringed surface rests on the floor (if pallets are not used) to aid air circulation throughout the stack. Leave space between the bales in each row and alternate the orientation of successive layers so bales are at right angles with layers above and below.