free hayground is too expensive

[MtnCows93]

for a while now i have been cutting little hayfiends people let me cut it for free but none of them will let me put chicken litter on it, they claim it stinks too bad. so by the time i fertilize/lime it i figure it costs me $90 dollars an acre a year! why on earth dont i just rent hayland ($30 to $50 an acre) and put chicken litter on it which costs me $40 an acre and makes the grass grow way better than fertilizer? plus im sick of the scattered out tiny oddball hayfields! i guess ill still cut them but i refuse to put granular fertilize on them anymore its either chicken litter or nothing! and the fields ive looked into renting will let me use litter

 

[JMJ Farms]

Here, I pay $30/ac and generally spend about $400/ac per year on fertilizer. Would cost about $90/ac to put 2 tons/ac of litter. Question. With commercial fertilizer I usually put 3 applications. Usually something like 120/75/120 then 120/0/120 and then 100/0/0. How much litter would I have to put to achieve the same results?

 

[MtnCows93]

wow your putting down alot of fertilizer! i was figuring 1 application 300lbs if triple 17, and about 3 ton of litter to the acre is my alternative which costs 40 bucks. as far as fertilizer value it depends on the litter if its hen or broiler and mow much shavings is mixed in with it jmj

 

[Jogeephus]

Are you saying 3 tons of chicken litter will get you through a whole year of hay production?

 

[snoopdog]

If someone let me cut for free, I wouldn't be griping about fertilizer cost

 

[MtnCows93]

yea jogeephus it has been so far, i guess i could put more but i generally get around 4 tons of hay to the acre on a normal year. im open to ideas do you put more than that and get better production?

 

[littletom]

Why a lot of people here won't use litter on crop ground. You don't know what your putting, test one load then another and another 3 different results.

 

[snoopdog]

We use multiple applications, generally litter in the fall, and a boost of commercial between cuttings. But 6 1200 lb bales to the acre is hard to argue with.

 

[Silver]

We use multiple applications, generally litter in the fall, and a boost of commercial between cuttings. But 6 1200 lb bales to the acre is hard to argue with.

Per cutting or per year?

 

[snoopdog]

We use multiple applications, generally litter in the fall, and a boost of commercial between cuttings. But 6 1200 lb bales to the acre is hard to argue with.

Per cutting or per year?

He said 4 ton per year, I had to go back and read it again.

 

[MtnCows93]

yea 4 tons total, about 2 ton the first cutting and a ton on the 2nd and a ton on the 3rd thereabouts. or in a drought nothing lol

 

[BC]

What kind of grass? Litter is good, but it slow to release nitrogen so we have to lick start with a little nitrogen (50 units N) and it is short on potassium for Bermuda grass. The best benefit I see is it adds organic matter.

 

[Brute 23]

How many bales to the acre do you get?

$90 an acre doesn't seem bad if you get 4+ to the acre thru the whole hay season.

 

[MtnCows93]

its mostly fescue here, and the bales here are mostly 4x4 6 or 700lb some people have 5x4, all ive got is a square baler i hire my round baling done im lucky enough to have some good friends and neighbors that help me out. with square baling i can estimate how many pounds of hay to the acre i get very easily. some poor hayland i get for free wont make 4 tons more like 3 ton but on normal land its 4 ton. one field did 5+ ton this last year because of all the rain

 

[Jogeephus]

yea jogeephus it has been so far, i guess i could put more but i generally get around 4 tons of hay to the acre on a normal year. im open to ideas do you put more than that and get better production?

I just fertilize per soil test. You may have better litter than I can get because three tons would never provide what I'd need for hay.

 

[1982vett]

I guess you need to do your soil tests at some point after you put out the litter to see what's going on then make an adjustment.

 

[MtnCows93]

jogeephus its a 2 ton spreader truck load per acre and a half. i dont weigh the litter i just guess

 

[MtnCows93]

i plan on soil testing next year again to see how its doin good or bad

 

[littletom]

jogeephus its a 2 ton spreader truck load per acre and a half. i dont weigh the litter i just guess

Paying by ton or truck load?

 

[SDM]

Here, I pay $30/ac and generally spend about $400/ac per year on fertilizer. Would cost about $90/ac to put 2 tons/ac of litter. Question. With commercial fertilizer I usually put 3 applications. Usually something like 120/75/120 then 120/0/120 and then 100/0/0. How much litter would I have to put to achieve the same results?

Is that bermudagrass or similar? 340 units of N seems like a lot.