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Cattle Boards
Grasses, Pastures & Hay
Clover and rye hay
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<blockquote data-quote="CJohnson" data-source="post: 920607" data-attributes="member: 13695"><p>There are 2 problems with clover hay, getting it baled without rain in the spring and leaf shatter. When you let it dry completely a lot of the leaves will shatter off and you just bale the stems. I cut the clover at half bloom stage and put it into balage. You cut it one day and bale then next at 50% moisture. Leaves don't shatter this way. I rent an in line wrapper that makes baled silage. Feed like regular hay bale but have to put it on a trailer to take from the stack to the field because it falls apart real easy. Protein content is more than 20%. Extra cost for plastic and machine, bales are real heavy due to moisture (>2000 pounds/bale) so gotta have a big tractor to pick them up. You have to wrap immediately so only bale what you can wrap. However if you do it right it will be as good as any alfalfa. My cost including fertilizer was somewhere around $50/bale and these were 5x6. Not sure what the cost / ton on dry matter basis would be but way cheaper than alfalfa. Too much cost and trouble for plain cow hay. I feed it to weaned calves / yearlings and use it as a protein supplement to plain grass hay for cows.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="CJohnson, post: 920607, member: 13695"] There are 2 problems with clover hay, getting it baled without rain in the spring and leaf shatter. When you let it dry completely a lot of the leaves will shatter off and you just bale the stems. I cut the clover at half bloom stage and put it into balage. You cut it one day and bale then next at 50% moisture. Leaves don't shatter this way. I rent an in line wrapper that makes baled silage. Feed like regular hay bale but have to put it on a trailer to take from the stack to the field because it falls apart real easy. Protein content is more than 20%. Extra cost for plastic and machine, bales are real heavy due to moisture (>2000 pounds/bale) so gotta have a big tractor to pick them up. You have to wrap immediately so only bale what you can wrap. However if you do it right it will be as good as any alfalfa. My cost including fertilizer was somewhere around $50/bale and these were 5x6. Not sure what the cost / ton on dry matter basis would be but way cheaper than alfalfa. Too much cost and trouble for plain cow hay. I feed it to weaned calves / yearlings and use it as a protein supplement to plain grass hay for cows. [/QUOTE]
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