Baling Oats?

[ArrowHBrand]

Does anyone bale oats, head and all? When I first met my wife her bro-in-law and his dad would cut oats and small sqaure them head and all. I don't see any problems with it, just not something I've heard or seen anyone else do.

 

[mitch2]

When we seed in new alfalfa fields, our cover crop is oats. First cutting on that new field is usually before second cutting of established fields. We cut the oats at the point of heading out. That is some of the sweetest smelling forage on earth. The cows will eat oat hay before anything else if they have their choice. GREAT stuff.

Bale it with no rain on it. If oats get rained on it really diminishes your quantity immensly... the stem on the oats is a finer hollow stem and rain will really do a number on it.

Michele

 

[Stocker Steve]

Yes.

It is very slow drying down.

 

[Bez+]

Does anyone bale oats, head and all? When I first met my wife her bro-in-law and his dad would cut oats and small sqaure them head and all. I don't see any problems with it, just not something I've heard or seen anyone else do.

Yup - try to put up about 3-400 round bales per year

Bez+

 

[KNERSIE]

We cut the oats at the point of heading out.

Typically we cut at soft dough stage for making hay and in the early milk stage for baleage.

 

[bandit80]

Makes great hay, and the cows will love it. I plan on planting about 10 acres of oats to cut for hay, and then follow it with some pearl millet. Should get 3 good cuttings of hay off of the 10 acres.

I will double what Stocker Steve said. Slow drying down. Get it to where you think it is dry, and then bale it the next day.

 

[Douglas]

Have you ever considered summer oats instead of millet. Last year I planted oats in Early August here in central north carolina and it is still growing. I am strip grazing but it could be bailed as well. It is done a lot in Ohio and surrounding areas.
The oats grow until hard frost and cost much less to produce than summer annuals.

 

[1982vett]

The way I see it, with oats you have 3 chances for the weather to co-operate. If you can get it cut at early boot stage and get it cured, you will preserve all of the leaf and have hay that will rival alfalfa. If that doesn't pan out, you have a chance to get it at dough stage. Will loose some digestability and lower leaves but I suppose that loss is made up by the immature grain in the head. If you can't get it at either of these two stages you can combine it for the grain. Dad used to bale a lot of it at dough stage and cattle do well on it. He even won some blue ribbons at hay shows with it. Biggest problem for us now is that rust hits it pretty hard in our area so I don't bale it for hay anymore, I just graze it out.

 

[gertguy]

no no no
Cut before they head out to get the most leaf.

 

[I luv herfrds]

We always cut ours after the grain is in the head and the ends are white. Has to be ripe.
One problem with oats can be nitrates. Have your local extension office check it. They want the joints of the stalks.
Our cows like oats, but LOVE barley.

 

[Rangenerd]

If you are cutting grain hay after grain devolopes all you have is straw. The sugars iun the stem are pulled unto the head. Trust me you will have better hay if you cut it in full bloom.

 

[TexasBred]

If you are cutting grain hay after grain devolopes all you have is straw. The sugars iun the stem are pulled unto the head. Trust me you will have better hay if you cut it in full bloom.

Depends on what you plan to feed it to and why you're feeding it. If you need energy, cut it in the dough stage, when the crude protein level is 10-12%. If you want it as a protein source, cut the oats as they're starting to head out, when the crude protein level is 14-16%. A lot of horse people like to see the oat seeds in the hay even tho they are imature when the hay is cut and baled.

 

[jka300]

Yes.

It is very slow drying down.

We grow oats up here in Alberta for feed. We never have any trouble with drying time, usually in to 2-3 days after cutting we are baling it. ( tests @ 12% moisture)

 

[jka300]

Have you ever considered summer oats instead of millet. Last year I planted oats in Early August here in central north carolina and it is still growing. I am strip grazing but it could be bailed as well. It is done a lot in Ohio and surrounding areas.
The oats grow until hard frost and cost much less to produce than summer annuals.

The only problem when a hard frost hits it, the nitrates in it sky rock. But usually in a week after you can cut it. But the same goes for alfalfa. We usually try to get it before the frost because by that time the haying season is over and winter is on our door step.

 

[footballjdtractor]

we did this once with big bales. If you are in a high rain fall area I would store them inside or use plastic bale sleeves. We also had a problem with rodents burrowing into the bales and eating the grain. The bales made great feed, we fed them to fall calving cows.