# Oats starting to head out



## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

So my oats are starting to head out on my sand ground. Id say about 35-40% have began to make heads. I plan to cut it and bale it and sell it for cow feed, About how long, with typical temps, moisture, ect, should I plan to be cutting them? I know its at the dough stage some time, but when is that?


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Cut them when they are in the pollinating stage. This is when the plant is blooming and shedding pollen before any grain is formed. Without seeing your oats I would say you would be a week or two away from cutting. I would not let them go past the milk stage for hay. If you let them get to the dough stage it will be more like straw and every rat around will be in the bales. I made some oat hay about a month ago and cut it when it was pollinating and it made excellent hay with beautiful green color, it's good enough to call premium hay. Hope this helps.


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

So youre saying BEFORE the dough stage? My buddy told me today that its just when they start to get firm.....


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Yes way before the dough stage, before any grain is formed in the head that will be when the hay is at its best. If you can shake the heads and see the pollen shedding or the anthers hanging down from the from the individual grain kernels that is when you want to cut. After the pollination stage is the milk stage, that is when you can squeeze the kernels and a milky liquid comes out. The hay would still be okay at that stage. After the milk stage is the dough stage, that is when you do not want to cut it for hay as I said before it will be more like straw and the grain will draw rats that will tear the bales up. I found that out the hard way last year.


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

huh.....Ive never heard of waiting that long, but you seem pretty sure of yourself. What you say makes sense....And, that will let the sun get to the Alfalfa sooner, so maybe I'll actually get 2 cuttings of hay this year, not counting the oat hay....Thanks for the advice!


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## prairie (Jun 20, 2008)

FarmerCline is giving good advice for oats hay. For the best quality and reasonable yield, cut at the boot stage, which is basically just before the head emerges. At the early milk stage, you will get more yield but quality will be lower, but still decent. Anything after early milk stage bales up more like straw than hay, palatabilty and quality really suffer with only a small gain in yield, and the rats and mice will thank you.

When I have oats as a companion crop for a new alfalfa or grass seeding, I like to cut at the boot stage to open up the canopy earlier.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

rjbaustian said:


> huh.....Ive never heard of waiting that long, but you seem pretty sure of yourself. What you say makes sense....And, that will let the sun get to the Alfalfa sooner, so maybe I'll actually get 2 cuttings of hay this year, not counting the oat hay....Thanks for the advice!


 You have me confused a bit now when you said you have never heard of waiting that long. Just to make myself clear I suggested to cut sooner than what you had been told. I would be watching your oats very closely now as they are probably close to cutting and when the weather is right you may need to put them on the ground. They can go from just right to too far gone in a hurry. I hope I did not confuse you.


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

no, I see what you guys are saying...Ive had 3-4 guys say to wait till they have transitioned from the milk stage JUST into the dough stage. THATS when I should cut them they've said....So, we are about a month away from what theyre telling me......you guys are saying cut MUCH sooner, so that would be in a few weeks then....


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

If I was a bettin man I would say a week and a half till ready but that is very dependent on the weather and without seeing them I can't say for sure. You could even cut them now as prairie said the quality will be better but the yield will be lower by waiting till all the heads have emerged the quality will still be good and the yield wont be hardly different than if you waited till the dough stage. I you wait month I would be considering harvesting for grain instead of making hay. Last year was the first year I grew oats and the local fellows told me to wait until the early dough stage also and what a bunch of crap that turned out to be. It looked like straw with the grain still on it and I had to sell it for straw and lost about half the bales to rats and mice before I sold it.


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

ok, its supposed to be good next week. If its still looking like a good week Monday, I may cut them and see what happens. thanks for your advice.


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Around here we grow oat greenfeed. Cut in the milk to soft dough stage. Some of it depends on what breed of oats you have. I grew baler oats last year and you can have seed in the head and the plant will still be green. Made real nice feed and the cattle ate it like candy. A forage oat is way better for anything being baled. But most people grow a grain/milling oat for baling.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Oats hay is harder to dry than grass hay and if the heads are Out take the first opportunity with 4 to 5 days of good weather and IMO never wait,, the next time you get 5 days it will be to late . All cereals make good hay but if you wait until the latest point of maturity for hay you must cut rain or shine


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## Willyd3588 (May 30, 2013)

I have two fields that are about a week apart, the first one has heads of grain hanging down. When I squeezed them I didn't get any white( milk) fluid out of them, on either of the two fields. The second field the heads are few and far between, but the stand is MUCH heavier. Is the first field already past or not to milk stage yet? Although its a lot thinner I still want to have the best (hay) out of it as possible.

Partner thinks we should go ahead and cut it 2morrow morning, but we have 20%chance for rain then rain, dry tuesday and wednesday then raind again Thursday and Friday. We have preservative kit on baler but will the hay turn out ok?

Thanks


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

If you don't get any milk there is a good chance they are not to the milk stage yet if the plant is still green and healthy. How long have the heads emerged and are they shedding pollen? Depending on your weather it might be hard to get them dry enough to bale Wednesday to beat the Thursday rain if you mow tomorrow and if they get rained on after you cut there's no way they would bale before Thursday. Depending on what the percentage of rain will depend on if it is worth the risk to cut, you do not want them to get wet if you can help it.


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## Willyd3588 (May 30, 2013)

No pollen yet, t hey have only been out about a week,


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

Thinking about cutting Friday. Local high dollar cattle guy offered me 75/ton and I don't have to touch it. I think that's F-ing cheap. I can't decide what to do...


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

rjbaustian said:


> Thinking about cutting Friday. Local high dollar cattle guy offered me 75/ton and I don't have to touch it. I think that's F-ing cheap. I can't decide what to do...


 Is the 75 a ton him doing all the cutting and baling and hauling or is that you doing the cutting and baling and him hauling? Would there be any chance you could sell it as horse hay? If so you should be able to get more money than the average cattle guy will pay.


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

That's him doing everything. Says he called the larger hay auction and they said it was worth 75-125/ton.... Seems all the horse people just want grass hay around here for some reason...I figure the trucking is about 25/ton and cutting, raking, and baling is about 25/ton so I can kinda see it. Isn't oat hay done right pretty close to same quality as "normal" hay? Thought about doing it all my self and pulling a sample and then selling it using that.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Oat hay put up at the right stage will be just as good and probably better than most normal grass hay. As far as the price I don't keep up with custom prices that much so I can't tell you if that's a good deal or not, personally it seems a bit low. Maybe split the difference a say 100 per ton? Also you may want to find out when he plans on cutting the oats as the sooner their off the better for your alfalfa crop underneath and ask what happens if the oats get rained on after he cuts, do you still get paid the same amount since it was not your your decision to cut when they got rained on?


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

I decided to just do it. It's my sons birthday this weekend also, so I figured that was worth a little as well as to not have to be making hay. I think it IS a bit low, but it will be off a few days sooner, and there's a few slight chances of rain, so if it gets rained on, it's his baby. If is was high quality hay, I'd be ok with taking the chance. I don't have to store it, cut it, haul it, rake it, or bale it.


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## rjbaustian (Oct 16, 2012)

Plus the wife's happy ill be here for the whole birthday. That's worth $50/ton right there! Lol


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