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How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing??

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old

09-13-2007 20:25:22




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Well I should have baled some hay today but had other things to do so now I have real dry hay in the field. So how dry can it get before its not worth the time and fuel to bale it. I figure on doing it tomorrow but I also know is getting real dry. I plan to do squares if that matters.
Thanks

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Tradititonal Farmer

09-14-2007 13:48:04




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
Bale it the stock will choose it over a snowball everytime this Winter.You may need to feed a protein supplement while you feed it.



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Tom in Mich

09-14-2007 06:54:26




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
Not such a thing as too dry in my part of the country. I bale and sell horse hay in small squares. Even with a little moisture, the hay could end up smelling musty or worst yet get dusty from mold. This is no good for horses. If you are baling alfalfa, then a slight moisture content would be good so you wouldn't loose the leaves.

Tom



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Steven f/AZ

09-14-2007 05:24:30




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
When Dad and I bale in ND there is no such thing as too dry. I agree with the others - if you are loosing leaves, bale early morning with a dew on it.



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Allan In NE

09-14-2007 05:27:59




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to Steven f/AZ, 09-14-2007 05:24:30  
What did your dad decide on the 2290? Is he gonna buy it?

Allan



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JD9295

09-13-2007 22:37:17




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
if your rolling it it may get to dry to make a good roll or even get a good start.
Thats in southern il.
If its that dry we start in the morning when there is a little dew left on.
Havent burned up any bales or barns yet.



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banjo

09-13-2007 22:09:17




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
We let our hay dry to the point if you pick up a big handfull and twist it , it should crackle. We want our hay dry so the barn doesn't burn down.We only have grass hay.

My hay wasn't dry enough today due to clowdy humid days. Maybe tomarrow i can bale if it doesnt rain. the other 10 acres might bale Sat or Sunday.

Never heard of hay too dry around here. Might not get the weight in it if really dry.

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El Toro

09-14-2007 04:01:27




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to banjo, 09-13-2007 22:09:17  
There was a barn fire in se PA a few days ago and they think the green hay may have caused it. They lost 9 horses too. The news said the lost horses were worth over $ 200,000.00 each. Hal



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JRT

09-13-2007 20:51:23




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
If you have good quality hay it is not so bad for it to get too dry but it you have short, poor quality hay , letting it get too dry can make it close to worthless. This year in my area we are in a severe drought. My second cutting hay was short and had a lot of trash in it but I decided to cut it anyway because there is such a hay shortage. I would mow hay everyday from 10 AM to 12 noon. With no tettering, if I did not get started baleing by 12:00 noon the next day it would be so dry and brittle it would not pack in a square bale and looked like crap. If I timed it right and baled with moisture left in it , it baled out some really nice looking 50 to 60 lb. bales that still had a green color. I am selling them for $5.00 to $6.00 per bale and my customers say their horses don't leave a straw. The secret to putting up good hay is not getting it rained on and baleing at the right moisture level.

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msb

09-13-2007 20:42:02




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
Put it in the barn and stack it on edge. It will pick up some moisture this winter



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caterpillar guy

09-13-2007 20:36:33




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 Re: How dry can you let hay get before its not worth baleing in reply to old, 09-13-2007 20:25:22  
Old I'm not sure that it is really bad if it's too dry just the leaves will all be off by the time it gets to the plunger . If you let a dew get on it then bale it, it will help to keep the leaves on be careful not to over due it on the dew.



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