We have some wheat to bale for hay. How do we harvest it?
The more mature the grain becomes, the more hay acts like a grain-plus-straw mixture, and many wheat varieties have awns that stiffen as heads mature, causing discomfort or injury to mouths.
How long does it take wheat hay to cure?
For hay that was baled with more than, say, 22 to 23% moisture, 4 to 5 weeks between baling and ignition is about right.
Does winter wheat make good hay?
The forage winter wheat, like other fall-seeded winter cereal crops, makes a good rotational crop for alfalfa or perennial grass. When harvested for hay at the late-boot or early-heading stages, field tests show a protein content of 14.2% on a dry-matter basis.
Does wheat hay hurt horses?
Horses can eat bearded wheat hay, though it may take some time for them to get used to it because some horses need to develop a taste for it, which can be as simple as stalling mares or putting them in a sacrificial area and feeding them hay.
Do you bail wheat?
u201cWe grow wheat as a cover crop and rotational crop (with corn and soybeans),u201d Wes explained, adding that they leave the tall wheat stubble with its red clover mix in the fall and bale it to feed to their cow-calf herd.
Can wheat be cut for hay?
If the hay will be fed to calves or other livestock that require a high nutrient density for optimal performance, cut wheat for hay while it is still in the boot to very early head-emergence growth stage. If the hay will be fed to dry beef cows, hay yield can be increased significantly by waiting until the grain is in the early milk stage.
Does triticale make good hay?
Both rye and triticale can produce very high single cutting hay yields if grazed lightly or not at all in the spring. Because of its early development and declining palatability, rye should be cut very early u2013 early heading at the latest u2013 or you may need to grind hay to get good consumption.
What is the best moisture to bale hay?
When hay is baled, it should have a moisture content of 18 to 22 percent, because higher moisture levels cause bales to lose a lot of dry matter (Figure 1) due to excessive heating and molding (Figure 2). In extreme cases, spontaneous combustion can occur.
Can winter wheat be mowed?
In terms of maintenance, don’t forget to water winter wheat during droughts; if plants grow quickly enough, you may have to mow several times; in small planting areas, trim winter wheat with a string trimmer or scythe.
What’s the difference between straw and hay?
Hay, on the other hand, is a crop grown and harvested as a feed crop for cattle, horses, and other farm animals, whereas straw is a byproduct of a grain crop; in our area, wheat straw is the most common. Hay is often made up of a mixture of different plants growing in a field or meadow.
What kind of hay do you feed horses?
Alfalfa hay, also known as lucerne hay, is the most common legume hay fed to horses in the United States, while timothy and orchard grass hay are popular grass hay choices.
Can horses eat winter wheat hay?
Wheat is a cool-season annual grass that can be used for winter grazing; it is not a typical horse pasture species, but it, like other cereal grains like rye, barley, and oats, can be planted annually to help extend the grazing period.
Can you feed horses oat hay?
Oat hay is a commonly fed hay, but it can be an effective hay for older horses. The energy and protein content of good oat hay makes it a suitable forage for mature horses at maintenance and early gestating mares.
What are the growth stages of wheat?
Wheat growth can be divided into several stages: germination/emergence, tillering, stem elongation, boot, heading/flowering, and grain-fill/ripening. Several different systems have been developed to identify wheat growth stages; the Feekes scale and the Zadoks scale are the two most popular.
What do farmers do with wheat straw?
Wheat straw residue can protect soils from wind and water erosion, add organic matter to soils, and return nutrients like N, P, K, S, and Cl to soils if left in the fields. When harvested, the residue can be sold as a feedstock for mushroom, fiberboard, and paper production, or as livestock feed and bedding.
Why is Bale called wheat straw?
Let’s say each straw bale weighs one ton and contains 10.8 pounds of nitrogen, 3 pounds of phosphorous, 15 pounds of potassium, and 2 pounds of sulfur.