Question about hay

Nancy Howell · Aug 20, 2009

If you just cut your hayfield and an hour or two later it rains, does it damage the hay? If so, how bad?

ryanwheelock · Aug 20, 2009

It will be almost as good as if it didnt rain just as long as it doesnt rain for days on it and you wait til its dry to bay it.

M Nut · Aug 20, 2009

Four hour shower doesn't hurt a thing. Four day hard rain isn't good for it. If just a light rain, wait for it to dry out and go about putting it up like it never happened.

sotxbill · Aug 20, 2009

may have to rake it over to help dry it.. so make sure its dry before baleing..

Anonymous-0 · Aug 20, 2009

Fresh cut hay isn't hurt by a shower or even a rainy day. After the rain tedd it to shake out the water and fluff it up for good air circulation. You can gain a day if you cut hay just before rain then tedd when the nice weather moves in.

MN Scott · Aug 20, 2009

This year haying was almost impossible without it being rained on for me. I would have two nice days then humid and sprinkles for a few. With this weather pattern I would cut right before the rain then I would have a head start on the two dry days. Rain on green hay does little if any damage. Its when the hay is almost dry and you get the two to three days of swampy weather that really turns the hay to rotten mush.

Pair-a-dice farm · Aug 20, 2009

This year I"ve started cutting hay before it quit raining a couple of times trying to beat the next rain. This has been a challenging year for putting up hay. The short answer to your question is that there will probably not be much if any damage. Like others have said if it stays wet or dries out and gets wet again then there will be quite a bit of damage.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 20, 2009

Nancy, you must be new to baling hay, as the others said, just a little rain, like a few hours or less, it won't hurt, as long as it's nice an dry when you bale it. give it at least two days of drying time.

but if it rains on it for a day or longer, then things start happening to it when rain soaking gets going, and it's not good to have that with hay, causing mildew. hope that helps,,,

kyplowboy · Aug 20, 2009

Depends on how much it rained. A little .25" half inch shower ain't going to mat it down real bad. If it ran over the top of it and got it all dirty your horses ain't gonna like it much. I am thinking yall have posted pics of a tedder before. If you can fluff it up with a tedder as soon as the top of the hay is dry from the rain. This will get the rest of the water out of it before it starts to rot. The good thing is if it has to rain on down hay you are much better have'n it rain right behind the mower than right in front of the baler. Rain on cured hay hurts quality more.

Good luck.

Dave

GordoSD · Aug 20, 2009

Nancy. It's coastal grass hay right? And you mowed with a sickle and didn't rake before the rain. If it's grass, and laying flat not to worry. Just let it dry and then rake and bale as usual.We like a little rain on beer can brome grass hay to wash the dirt off. (Gravel roads)

Gordo

Question about hay

Nancy Howell

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ryanwheelock

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M Nut

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sotxbill

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Anonymous-0

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MN Scott

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Pair-a-dice farm

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Anonymous-0

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kyplowboy

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GordoSD

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