# Ryegrass hay



## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

So we planted 20 acres of ryegrass to keep a newly leveled field from washing this last fall. It is tetraploid(sp?) And this field had chicken manure spred on it the past 2 years and kept disced year round for the past 2 years. (Actually its a young pecan orchard it took that long to kill fhe coastal bermuda). Anyways we put another 70 units of nitrogen down about 2 months ago. So we had it custom cut and baled. It was cut 2 weeks ago on a tuesday with a 14 foot john deere swather with flail. That thursday he raked 3 swathes into one and on saturday he baled it. It seemed way too wet on friday evening when I last saw it. Well i guess he baled it loose so it was breathe more and now fhe bales are drooping and getting hot. Bales are still in the field. Put a thermometer in a few of them and read 175 on most and some at 195. What are yalls thoughts on this hay and thoughts on how it should have been preped for baling. Also ground was dry and humitiy was pretty low first few days and it was windy, no rain a few morning dews that were gone by no later than 10am.

Also if all these bales done catch fire where they sit and i can get them out of there it will probably make another cutting soon. I bought my own equipment now a disc mower, wheel rake and rd baler. I was thinking he should have kept turning the windrow over so the bottom would get fluffed a bit and dry. No hay expert here at all but after this i bought my own equipment.

Looking for everyones thoughts on this.


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## SCtrailrider (May 1, 2016)

The rolls are trash and a fire hazard, get them off the field and maybe find someone that wants them for mulch.

If it was anything like some of mine is it would have taken longer for it to cure out. If it's that hot it was way too green to roll... should have fluffed it and let it dry, maybe fluffed it twice then rake once it had lower moisture content ..


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Ryegrass is harder to dry then some other grasses.Definatly shouldn't of raked 3 swathes together on day 2 it should of been tended or fluffed a few times probably to get it dry.

Sounds like you fired him basically by buying your own baler,good move!


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## reede (May 17, 2010)

This time of year, it will take a minimum of a week to dry ryegrass hay. 3 days is way, way too soon.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1115&context=ky_alfalfa

Regards, Mike


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## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

Actually it was cut tuesday am baled sunday pm.

So if I were to get another cutting on my own how would you attempt it? I have a disc cutter and wheel rake. Should i cut it and let the top 3/4 get dry then rake it into small windrows and then after a day flip the wind row over with the rake? Keep flipping each day till its dry?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Can you borrow a tedder?

Regards, Mike


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## skyrydr2 (Oct 25, 2015)

Yup real pain to get dry Up here in NewEngland! we either plow it under early spring or let it just start to head out and cut it for straw. It takes for ever to get dry even as straw. It makes a pretty light green straw bale that is really good for mulch. 
I personally just plow it under as green manure.


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

Where are you located? What was date of baling? I think it's too late now but it should have been wrapped for baleage. I'll bet if baled correctly the % protein would have been very high.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I would move the bales to the edge of the field. Put them in rows with no bale touching the other. There is a slight chance the hay will caramelize.

I have never seen hay in the field reach 165 - 175 degrees. It is a shame someone baled hay that wet.


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## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

Tx Jim said:


> Where are you located? What was date of baling? I think it's too late now but it should have been wrapped for baleage. I'll bet if baled correctly the % protein would have been very high.


It was cut 3/20/18 baled on 3/25/18. Front blew through 3/19/18 monday early had bone dry north wind for 3 days. It was good drying conditions that week.

Field is located just south of Shiner Tx


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Here ryegrass can make very good hay But It's tricky to get dry. Round bales that are outside exceeding 165 degrees that he is garbage it would not even be good for mulch


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

What I do to TRY to get it dry.

Cut it high 5-6"

Lay it out wide as possible.I did 11'wide with 13.4 wide cutter.

When its dried down to around 30%. I then V rake if after dew is off.

The next day I tip it again if I need to after dew is off.

Then I pray I get it baled that day.

Tedder would be a better choice but use what I got.


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## Hay diddle diddle (Nov 17, 2017)

38 years of doing rye grass and clover hay down here. It can take up to 2 weeks to dry it down enough in spring here. Always check the nodes are dry and run your finger nail up the stem. ANY moisture or green flag inside WILL lead to heating. Will the bales burn in the paddock...No they won't. It's like doing cereal hay. Always check the stalks..


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## danwi (Mar 6, 2015)

I would say raking it that far a head was part of the problem, here in the upper midwest the hay in the center of the windrow would not dry out. or even take on and hold moisture. Unless the crop is so dry that you would want a little moisture in it. If you are triyng to get it dry maybe only rake single rows a day ahead and the day you bale if you want bigger rows rake them together.The bales you have I would move to the edge of the field and look at them in 3 weeks. If they are caramelized you can maybe feed to beef cows or steers I don't know whet else. You may even find some almost black in the center. The only way you could have saved that hay after it was baled is it would have had to been wrapped for baleage in about the first 48 hours the sooner the better.


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## StxPecans (Mar 3, 2018)

They are sweet tabacco smelling. Infact the whole field smells sweet. I have bought first cutting hay that had alot of winter grass in it (native rye style grass) and they hadcarmelized cores and the cows loved them. But they were not near as saggy as these bales. He baled them loose.


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## Hay diddle diddle (Nov 17, 2017)

Well. Hope you learned a lesson here and don't use the same Muppet again.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

We tried Ryegrass one year, it turned out great, it was cut and everyone agreed that it was ready to be baled and it was rolled into 4x4's. It started heating even though it passed the crimp test we normally use. It heated but only to about 115 to 125˚. We kept it out of the hay sheds and set it in singles apart from each other and just started feeding it right away. The cows loved especially after about a week or so when it started to ferment and carmelize. That stuff will fool you into thinking it's ready to be baled, it felt dry as a fart but obviously it wasn't.


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## Hay diddle diddle (Nov 17, 2017)

Here's what i do. Late afternoon check that the leaf / stem snaps when twisted. Check the nodes if its long enough to have them. Split stem and check for a green flag leaf. Rake the next morning if all these are fine then bale that evening before the dew comes in too heavy. Also....i NEVER cart and stack these bales immediatley. Normally i have that much too do that i just keep going with my baling program then once finished look at carting. This gives the bales time to heat if they are going too and if they are sticky on the forks they DO NOT get stacked in the sheds.


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