Clover hay

[Kelly]

What is the secret to putting up good clover hay? We have some fields that have alot of clover this year and they seem to be a little harder to get dry enough to bale than just the grass hay we normally put up. I would love to get your ideas or opinions. Also, do you save your bales with more clover in them to feed your growing calves since they require more protein or your bred cows?

 

[heiferhoney]

When there is too much clover, like this year, I try to make haylage to keep from trying to get it dry enough. But when I can't do that I use it as cow hay because by the time I get it dry enough the quality of the orchard grass has gone down. Never really protein tested it though.

when I make it as haylage it's for the heifers.

 

[heiferhoney]

Oh, and are you tedding the hay? Sometimes that will help.

 

[dun]

High clover content hay is pretty much like putting up alfalfa. You have to run it through a conditioner to get it to the point that it will dry properly.

dun

 

[Devin]

Kelly,
A conditioner is great for clover hay. If you don't have one then tedder it. If you do that do it early to avoid alot of leaf loss. We feed clover to both our replacement heifers and our fall calving cows.

 

[farminfirefighter]

You can always try wrapping your bales if it is cost effective.

 

[Longshot Cattle Co]

We run our clover through a crusher before we rake it. If it's not drying enough for baling, it goes in the silo.