What can Hay be used for?

Asked by: Jillian Jones

Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs.

What do they use the hay for?

Uses of Hay
Feeding hay to livestock is the number one use for hay. Almost any animal on the farm – horses, cattle, sheep, goats, etc. – will eat hay. Hay is usually fed to livestock when they cannot graze or be in a pasture, either because it is winter or because of drought.

Can hay be used as straw?

Nowadays people use the terms hay and straw interchangeably, and in most cases, it makes no difference whatsoever.

Can u use hay as bedding?

Hay can be used as bedding material for your animals. While straw is the more traditional bedding choice, hay works just as well for absorbency and animal comfort. The main difference between hay and straw, bedding wise, is that since straw is light in color, it tends to brighten up the pen more than when using hay.

Can hay be used as compost?

Composting Hay: Learn How To Compost Hay Bales
Also, composting with hay bales allows you to construct a completely green compost bin that eventually turns into compost itself. You can find hay for compost on farms that offer spoiled hay at the end of the year, or in garden centers offering autumn decorations.

What can be made of hay?

Straw can be used as bedding for animals, a material for making baskets or hats, and it can even be used a fuel source for bioenergy. Straw can also be used as a mulch, insulation in a house, and of course, fall decoration. Actual hay is something an animal can eat.

Can hay be used as mulch?

Can You Mulch with Hay in the Garden? The answer is yes, and many master gardeners swear by it. It’s not an obvious choice because it is soft, dense, and spongy. It soaks up water and remains moist, which may seem a little unsanitary.

Can you use hay for planting grass?

A common way to protect grass seedlings is to place straw or hay on top of the soil. This practice helps keep the fresh seed warm and moist until they develop a strong root system. This straw blanket also keeps the seeds from being: blown away during windy days.

Does hay get moldy?

Mold will grow on hay without preservative added at moisture levels above 14% to 15%. The mold growth produces heat and can result in large amounts of dry matter and TDN (total digestible nutrient) loss – a loss of carbohydrates and binding of proteins.

Why do farmers leave bales of hay in fields?

You might find hay bales left in a field simply because a farmer hasn’t had time to stop by and grab the bales yet. Most farmers work overtime during the summer to get the hay in the barn by the time the fields stop producing.

Does hay make good fertilizer?

“Hay as fertilizer provides a full nutrient package rather than just NPK,” Gerrish said. Gerrish noted that in much of the U.S., hay can be bought at a lower price than most farmers would pay to produce and harvest it on their land. This includes the value of all the nitrogen (N) and minerals contained in that hay.

Does hay stop weeds?

Aside from well-aged compost, hay is arguably the best mulch for a vegetable garden. Like straw, it’s a good insulator, effective against weeds, and breaks down quickly to enrich the soil.

How long does hay take to break down?

Some growers will leave the hay out for one full year to be fully saturated and partially decomposed. This will help germinate or eliminate some or all of the weed seed.

Do bales of hay rot?

Even if the heat doesn’t cause a fire the build-up of temperature will cause nutrient loss. Even at temperatures of 45 to 55 degrees hay can lose up to 30% of its nutrient content. Mouldy hay can be attributed to stock going off their feed.

What can I do with leftover hay from Halloween?

Donate to a plant nursery – Even if you don’t have your own garden, donating your leftover hay bales to a local plant nursery is a great way to get rid of them. Also, most places are happy to accept your donations free of charge.