During a late stint of hay baling on my farm , both the primary hay baler and the backup baler run into publication , wedge us to gather glance over hay by paw before a rainstorm could come to .
This get me to call up about loosehayin general , and the good way to handle it and use it .
Maybe you ’re like me and you ’re rescue forage hay off a field when a baler malfunction . perhaps the twine snapped or slipped off a bale during transport , and you ’re left with a ( surprisingly large ) mess of unaffixed hay far from where you intend to feed it . Or perhaps you ’ve been feeding hay for months and your barn has accumulated a spate of loose bits along the way . ( Hay bales do tend to shed , and those modest amounts can add up . )
Regardless , if you have wanton hay on manus , take kernel . There are plenteousness of options for dealing with it and putting it to practiced use . Here are four to get you started :
1. Return Loose Hay to Your Fields
If you ’re dealing with a small amount of hay and it ’s for the most part rubble , perhaps the simple solution is to sweep it up , load it into a trailer ( a pitchfork and tumid shovel work great together ) , and distribute it on one of your field of battle .
You might as well return the nutrients to the territory . Just be deliberate to unfold it thin enough so it does n’t belt down the grass underneath .
Read more : When making straight hay bales , verify they ’re not too loose .
2. Gather It in Boxes & Feed Loose
Last wintertime , I had to deal with a large amount of loose hay bring forth when small square bales kept bursting complimentary of their string . It was mostly in the mannikin of bale flakes , so I receive I could set the bit in box and transport the boxes around like hay bales .
It was , I intromit , a little awkward . But at least the hay remain in a convenient form for feeding .
3. Bale It Back Up
I elect to box up loose hay last winter because I could n’t access my hay baler , which was trapped under a lean - to blocked by snowbanks and related to bit of seasonal equipment . But during the spring , summer , and light , I ’m happy to open loose material on the ground and bale it back up with the speed and restroom of my baler .
The effort is n’t necessarily worthwhile for a small amount . But if you ’ve discover yourself with a large volume of loose hay , baling it can save time and effort compared to other solution .
Read more : Think out front about equipment availability this come winter !
4. Use It for Mulch
If you do n’t require to prey your at large grass , consider put it to use in a different manner . Hay can be desirable as mulch in garden bed and around tree , boosting H2O retention and providing insulation against wintertime low temperature .
A word of warning , though . Hay may control seeded player that can evolve in your soil , so pay attention if unknown plants start grow where you laid down hay mulch .
One matter is certain . There are muckle of ways to utilise lax hay . And you ’re bound to find an option that makes sense for your state of affairs .
