AGR ASSIGNMENT
HAY MAKING
BY:
SETHUNATHAN.S
2019049106
Hay making
Hay making is the process of turning green, perishable
forage into a product that can be safely stored and easily
transported without danger of spoilage, while keeping
nutrient loss to a minimum. This involves reducing its
moisture content by drying the forage in the sun.
This involves reducing the moisture content of green
forages, so that they can be stored without spoilage or
further nutrient loss.
Hay making
Feeding hay to livestock helps reduce the amount of
concentrate feeding, and thereby, the cost of feeding. The
low moisture content of hay considerably reduces cost.
Hay can be fed to sheep and goats, both of which are
selective feeders. This means that, if enough hay can be
made, then the sheep and goats can be fed excess hay.
SUITABLE CROPS FOR MAKING
HAY
Crops with thin stems and more leaves are better suited for haymaking
as they dry faster than those with thick, pity stem and small leaves.
These may include, among others:
Oats
Desmodium
Lucerne
Maize
Sorghum
Napier grass
Rhodes grass
BASIC METHOD FOR MAKING HAY
Forage is cut before it is fully mature (long before it has
seeded) to maximize its nutritive value. Although cutting
hay early will result in lower total volume, the increase in
nutritive value will more than compensate for reduced
yields.
Chopping forage into small pieces after drying will hasten
the dying process.
The drying process may take between 2 to 3 days.
BASIC METHOD FOR MAKING HAY
Leaves are more nutritious than the stems, and so when
cutting forage, it is important that it is cut with as much
leaf and as little stem as possible.
Do not leave cut forage to dry in a moist environment, as
this will encourage the growth of moulds. These can be
extremely harmful to livestock and to people handling it.
The dried hay should ideally be stored in form of bales
when the moisture content is low, ideally less than 15%.
This helps storage and requires less space.
STORAGE OF HAY
Hay must be stored in a dry environment.
Hay can be baled and stored under cover or can also be
stored by creating hay stacks. These may be created in a
field near the source, or close to where the hay will be
required later in the year. Stacks may be covered by plastic
sheets to keep out rain and prevent from exposure to
excessive sun. The surface layer of a stack may also be
"thatched", in the same manner as a thatched roof to a
house.
PROBLEMS WITH HAY MAKING
If hay is dried in a moist environment, for example during
heavy rains season, mould may grow on the hay. These
moulds can be extremely toxic to animals as well as the
people handling it.
In such cases it is advisable to wait till the end of the rainy
season before cutting the forage. This may lead to lower
nutritional content in the hay, but this is better than toxic
hay. The resultant may be supplemented with other feeds.
PROBLEMS WITH HAY MAKING
On the other hand, drying the hay too fast may lead to
shattering of the delicate parts of the plant, causing a
subsequent loss of nutrients.
To avoid this, drying can be done in barns by passing hot
air through the forage. Although artificial drying produces
hay of good quality, it is expensive, but can be attempted
on a community basis in areas where there is a need, and
the necessary facilities.
references
Massawe, N., Owen, E., Mtenga, L., Romney, D., Ashley,
S., & Holden, S. Cut costs of feeding stover. National
Resources International Ltd.
Suttie, J. M. (2000). Hay and straw conservation - For
small scale and pastoral conditions. FAO Plant Production
and Protection Series No. 29 , p. 315.
Thank you
