# Oat hay



## Snow Farmer (Aug 30, 2011)

Howdy guys, looking for some opinions here;

I have around 30 acres of oats, seeded as a cover crop for a reworked hay field.

This is common practice around here, in a typical year you can cut the oats and what grass has grown,

and bale it as hayonce it has dried sufficiently. (we call it oat hay)

This has been far from a typical year though, lots of rain through June (normal) but also July (usually hot and dry last 2 weeks of July)

We just managed to get our dry hay in before another week of rain, now I'm worried we won't get the weather to dry the oat hay.

Usually I wait to cut the oat hay until the oats are in the milk stage. As of this morning, I estimate 1 -2 more weeks for milk stage.

What are the possible results if I cut now, as we have a stretch of good hot weather that started today.

Will the benefits of having oats in the hay be negated by cutting it too green?

Will it even dry enough to be safe to bale up?


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Back when I cut oats for hay I like to cut the crop weather permitting shortly after the heads emerged from stalks when head contained fairly clear liquid.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

If you cut it now it will take forever to dry. We made that mistake once doing oat hay, never again. Since then we wait until late milk stage or early dough.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

back in the day (60s) when we did oat hay, it was always cut in early dough stage. The thinking then was you were loosing too much nutrient value by crimping the milk out. We had crimpers, not conditioners and if you cut in milk stage it turned everything white.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Gearclash said:


> If you cut it now it will take forever to dry. We made that mistake once doing oat hay, never again. Since then we wait until late milk stage or early dough.


I know different locations require different methods BUT I find it difficult to believe dough stage will dry faster than just after seed head emerge from stalk which will have very small amount of liquid in forming seeds.. Not to mention every day after heads emerge total TDN(CP) goes down. Plus early dough stage ends up turning into GRAIN which is a rodent magnet. Not for me.


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

Tx Jim, it is the stem that refuses to dry down at boot stage. Those nodes will hold moisture for an astonishingly long time. Now maybe with the conditioner we have now that will mash the snot out of anything it might be different. I know very well there is a feed value loss in waiting, but that is somewhat offset by more feed value in the grain and more tonnage. Nobody around here cares about the feed value anyway, and nobody cares about the mouse problem although it is very real.


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## Hayman1 (Jul 6, 2013)

Tx Jim said:


> I know different locations require different methods BUT I find it difficult to believe dough stage will dry faster than just after seed head emerge from stalk which will have very small amount of liquid in forming seeds.. Not to mention every day after heads emerge total TDN(CP) goes down. Plus early dough stage ends up turning into GRAIN which is a rodent magnet. Not for me.


Totally with you on the mous problem. They have long term memories and stick around hoping that you will make more oat hay


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Gearclash said:


> Nobody around here cares about the feed value anyway, and nobody cares about the mouse problem although it is very real.


I guess you never picked up rd bales that the rodents have made a trail under a row of rd bales that the twine/net was cut into from one end of row to the other end. It makes for messy hauling. If one doesn't care about feed value then why not just wait until oats are ready for combine then just bale the straw & leave seeds in the field.


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## Snow Farmer (Aug 30, 2011)

Some differing opinions, that's good!

I'm not so hot to trot now since they changed the weather forecast just this morning, to thunder showers from

'hot weather next 4 days' yesterday evening.

I think I'll wait for the next stretch of hot weather, maybe we'll have milk stage oats by then.

The most important thing to me is getting it dry enough to bale.

We have some pre-sold, plus we need more feed for the winter as well.

This recent spate of hot weather has helped some of the hay producers in this area.

Many elected to wait for weather, we wanted to knock it down while there was still good nutrition in it.

We chanced it 2 weeks ago and got 70% of our hay raked and baled before heavy rain.

Many people in this area waited, and started their cutting 2 days ago, some of their hay is over ripe,

others are more lucky, and still have some green in the grass.

Thanks all, your opinions are much appreciated.


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

Gear & Tx, could be both right on their opinions for THEIR respected areas. Jim, most likely would have lower humidity/sunnier/hotter temps, while Gear would most likely higher humidity, lower temps.

Your area could be completely different, with possible longer days (sunshine / daylight) at time of the year.

Here is some numbers for ya, to show their respected areas are pretty far apart weather wise in my mind:

National Weather Forecast for Tx next 5 days, temp close to or at 100 degrees, PE (Pan Evaporation) 42 - 50. Near Gear's neck of the woods high temps below or at 80, next 5 days, PE 16 - 22.

I know in MY area to get PE's in the 30s is seldom, didn't think a PE above 40 was even possible. My PE's are similar to Gear's, by the looks of things. If my temps get close to 100 degrees everyday, my chickens might be laying fried eggs. 

The only thing I know about oat hay, is it's suppose to be some GREAT feed if put up right. I know a guy who planted 25 acres (PP acres), his plan is to try to get dry hay off, but if weather doesn't cooperate it will go into a bag (oatlage?). His beef cattle will be eating it either way. Maybe you should have a 'back up' plan, similar to this.

As far as the mice, well that's what cats might be good for.

Larry


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## Snow Farmer (Aug 30, 2011)

r82230: Your area could be completely different, with possible longer days (sunshine / daylight) at time of the year.

Different it is, this year. Our weather this year has defied all prediction.

The one constant is longer daylight hours in June and July of course.

It looked like a drought year this spring, the snow evaporated rapidly then May/early June were hot and dry, then the rains came,

and came some more.

This makes it tough on us hay producers, we get one cut only, usually mid July, gotta make it work.

One bright side though, the pastures are green with growing grass, normally brown by now so the cows are happier

(never satisfied, but at least happier)


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## Gearclash (Nov 25, 2010)

You guys in TX need to use a little mouse poison now and then, that or mice don't chew the Pritchett net I use. If we tried to cut oats at boot stage here it would get rained on enough before it was dry that it would be about the same quality as straw.

In my opinion, the best thing a person could do with oats for forage is make baleage with it. No drying problems, no mouse problems and don't have to try to pack that miserable $&@!! in a silage pile.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Gearclash said:


> You guys in TX need to use a little mouse poison now and then, that or mice don't chew the Pritchett net I use. If we tried to cut oats at boot stage here it would get rained on enough before it was dry that it would be about the same quality as straw.
> 
> In my opinion, the best thing a person could do with oats for forage is make baleage with it. No drying problems, no mouse problems and don't have to try to pack that miserable $&@!! in a silage pile.


Yep that is what we do , wrap it


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

We have planted some oats the last two years and treated the two years different. First year was cut in the milk stage and some horses loved it and some others did not care for it. This year the oats were combined and then baled for straw. In my area (near the Atlantic ocean and just south of the North Carolina state line) it dries slow when cut in milk stage. Pop up summer showers are often.

My real reason to be commenting here is this: have a neighbor who bales a good bit of straw and sells it for use on the grass seeding on sides of road in new construction and such. Might be market for some of you. No need to worry about food value or weeds as it goes into grinder and sprayed on the ground.


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## Snow Farmer (Aug 30, 2011)

I believe wrapping is the way to go, and would like to do that.

Problem is, we are gradually thinning the herd as we get older, so will hopefully have

more hay to sell, less to feed. No market around here for haylage, any livestock producer

wrap their own hay, or make sileage.

Our hay customers run horses, so dry hay for them.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Gearclash said:


> You guys in TX need to use a little mouse poison now and then, that or mice don't chew the Pritchett net I use.


I have put out rodent poison in my hay stack lot. Seeing that local rodents can chew through wood you must have a real difficult time cutting that super tough rodent proof Pritchet wrap when it comes feeding time. I've also witnessed local rodents chewing through wiring on vehicles sitting unused for extended period of time. Or maybe Texas rodents have sharper teeth than their Northern cousins!!


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## Palmettokat (Jul 10, 2017)

Tx Jim said:


> I have put out rodent poison in my hay stack lot. Seeing that local rodents can chew through wood you must have a real difficult time cutting that super tough rodent proof Pritchet wrap when it comes feeding time. I've also witnessed local rodents chewing through wiring on vehicles sitting unused for extended period of time. Or maybe Texas rodents have sharper teeth than their Northern cousins!!


You will have to forgive me Jim: but everything is bigger in Texas! We all know that. Would assume even the rodents are. LOL sorry, could not pass this up. Wait it might be your oat hay is tastier.

I well remember the rats we had in our corn barn when I was growing up. How I learned to shoot a 22 rifle. But those were nothing like the ones at the county trash dump.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Gearclash said:


> You guys in TX need to use a little mouse poison now and then, that or mice don't chew the Pritchett net I use.


I have never had a mouse or rat chew through Pritchett. I have had tunnels under the rolls if left outside for a month or so. 
I did not know rats could chew through any brand of net wrap? Learn something every day.

We always cut oat hay at dough stage. That is what the Extension people always said, not sure why.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Palmettokat said:


> You will have to forgive me Jim: but everything is bigger in Texas! We all know that. Would assume even the rodents are. LOL sorry, could not pass this up. Wait it might be your oat hay is tastier.
> 
> I well remember the rats we had in our corn barn when I was growing up. How I learned to shoot a 22 rifle. But those were nothing like the ones at the county trash dump.


You're confused because I stated the rodent's in Texas teeth ""must be sharper but I didn't state or imply anything about size"". As I previously stated it must take an extra sharp knife or maybe a Saws-all to cut your rodent proof netwrap. ROFLMAO


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## Hay diddle diddle (Nov 17, 2017)

Any of you blokes tried spraying your oats with roundup 3 days before cutting to aid in freezing the sugars and to help with dry down. Also, a re conditioner would speed up drying.


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## Ray 54 (Aug 2, 2014)

Hay diddle diddle said:


> Any of you blokes tried spraying your oats with roundup 3 days before cutting to aid in freezing the sugars and to help with dry down. Also, a re conditioner would speed up drying.


Have not read the label for that kind of use lately. But I know 20 years ago Monsanto had a no grazing for 10 days or something after spraying. Feuding neighbors took one another to the county ad commissioner about one spot spraying a field without removing livestock. It was swept under the rug so to speak but government warned they would not look the other way as we had all been warned. So I would think that may apply to harvesting as livestock feed as well.

Most of the high end horse hay people would worry about the heath of there 1200 pound 4 legged baby too.

So read carefully before trying in most places,you could become the biggest criminal on the evening news.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Ray 54 said:


> Have not read the label for that kind of use lately. But I know 20 years ago Monsanto had a no grazing for 10 days or something after spraying. Feuding neighbors took one another to the county ad commissioner about one spot spraying a field without removing livestock. It was swept under the rug so to speak but government warned they would not look the other way as we had all been warned. So I would think that may apply to harvesting as livestock feed as well.
> 
> Most of the high end horse hay people would worry about the heath of there 1200 pound 4 legged baby too.
> 
> So read carefully before trying in most places,you could become the biggest criminal on the evening news.


Roundup is used as harvest aid in wheat.Spray it and a few days later harvest it,and then we eat it in bread etc.
You can spray a hayfield with roundup,wait 24 hrs and cut it,bale it and feed to what ever you want.Its labeled for it anyway.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

copy and pasted from Roundup website,

Proper translocation prior to animal re-entry is imperative to effective weed control. To ensure proper weed control and forage removal, Monsanto recommends grazing not resume for 3 to 5 days after spraying.

Grazing is safe for the animals as soon as the herbicide has dried. However, proper translocation must occur before grazing is allowed to ensure proper weed control.
When a Re-entry Interval is not listed on a chemical label, it is recommended to wait until the chemical has dried, however, assume annual weeds require a minimum of 24 hours of good weather conditions for proper translocation.
For perennial weed and forage control, wait a minimum of 72 hours for proper translocation of the chemical through the target plants before allowing grazing.
Allowing animals to graze earlier may result in reduced control.


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