Dave's Garden - Gardening Community
Sponsored Links: Winter Landscaping - Lawn Care Tips - Mail Order Plants - Flowering Bulbs - Landscape Design - Plant Nurseries

Farm Life: Hay, hand baling and cutting

  Welcome!  
You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants!

Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.

  Login  
If you don't have an account yet, visit the registration page to sign up.

Username:

Password:

Forum: Farm LifeReplies: 9, Views: 152
Print -
AuthorContent
frans530
Rankin, IL
(Zone 5a)

June 28, 2009
09:32 AM

Post #6748844

Not sure if I am in the right place, but it's farm talk..

We allowed the clover/grass field to grow to baling length. We have goats so are not in need of "perfect" hay, but it seems we ended up with some really nice looking stuff.

We have no cutting or baling equipment and are raising animals for their fiber.. so all is being done on a shoestring..
Dh is in the automotive business so has spent most of this year laid off.. part blessing, large financial headache. But he has been along side me learning and daydreaming up new plans everyday.

Ok so with all that.. we HAD to bring in the hay. We tried to make a sickle.. ever seen a hedge trimmer strapped to a rolling hose holder.. LOL epic failure.
Finally a neighbor came and cut it for us.. to be neighborly.. we had never met him.. just stopped by. The only advice he had was to let it sit for three days. During that 3 days, Dh made a small box baler.. with a storm looming we panicked.. spent 4 hours in 105* heat and moved it all to a pile ontop of pallets and covered it with a giant tarp we just happend to have..

Dh still wants to go back and bale... Now that we have moved all that hay.. it will take him until 2012 to finish.. and I hear we can get 2 more cuttings this year. Not sure where we will put more, this cut yeilded us a 6 foot tall under a 50'x30 tarp

So questions... anyone got any ideas how we can cut this stuff...(next time)

Oh.. and it was a great day spent with the family.. doing some major hard work, but knowing what we were doing and why.. it wasn't fun (well there was a few laughs) but it was satisfying!

Thumbnail by frans530
Click the image for an enlarged view.

This thread has 9 replies. This forum is accessible only to subscribing members of Dave's Garden. There are many free features here, and about half of our forums are completely open to all members. Take a tour of our site and learn more about Dave's Garden, and explore the benefits of becoming a subscribing member.

Want to join? Register here. Already signed up? Click here to login!

Other Farm Life Threads you might be interested in:

SubjectThread StarterRepliesLast Post
can chicken and rabbits get along? Minnie 6 Jul 7, 2009 8:56 PM
Let's meet the new folks MaryE 64 Aug 22, 2008 10:40 PM
Seasoning fresh bacon? Lana 3 Oct 27, 2007 3:05 AM
Help! Chickens Won't Initiate Egg Laying.... gidgrower 27 Apr 5, 2008 9:18 PM
This is a Great Forum!!!! JodyC 28 Jul 6, 2007 2:42 PM


We recommend Firefox
Overwhelmed? There's a lot to see here. Try starting at our homepage.

[ Home | About | Advertise | Mission | Acceptable Use Policy | Tour | Privacy Policy | Contact Us ]

Back to the top

Copyright © 2000-2009 Dave's Garden. All Rights Reserved.
 

NameMedia Home and Gardens
Share on FacebookShare on Stumbleupon

Hope for America