Old hay piles

[coachg]

What do you do with the waste from feeding round bales ? I have several that have reseeded the spot of ground they were fed on, but I have few that are built up with wasted hay. Burn them, push up with my tractor front end loader, leave them ? Thanks, coachg :cboy:

 

[JMJ Farms]

I don't have that problem anymore since I started unrolling my hay but when I did I would just leave it piled up. If you can come up with a way to spread it out it would help build the organic matter in the soil and possibly redistribute a few nutrients. Maybe push it with the front end loader and spread it out some and then run a hay tedder through it several times?

 

[NolanCountyAG]

I had some in my arena from calving some heifers that I burnt today. It only burns a little off the top, so I'll pile it up with the skid loader and let the rest rot somewhere else.

 

[dun]

I have an old top beater manure spreader that I use to spread the stuff in places with thin soil. That's just about every where except the hay fields.

 

[wbvs58]

I would reckon that stuff is too good to burn. I'd push it up in a heap to compost.

Ken

 

[Banjo]

I would reckon that stuff is too good to burn. I'd push it up in a heap to compost.

Ken

Agreed.....makes great compost.

 

[JSCATTLE]

During the winter I burn each spot I put a hay ring as long as it's dry .. if there is a build up I put in in a low spot and let it rot . Spread it out when it's finished rotting

 

[aaroninga]

At the end of March I scraped mine up with the loader and piled it up.
Turned it over a couple of times.
I'll put it in the garden spot this weekend, till it in and plant....

 

[LongLopeSlowHorse]

is having too much organic matter really a problem down south? some northern guys 'bale graze', think the 'waste' is a definite asset...

 

[chronic]

been told that those hay/urine/manure piles are huge breeding ground for flies. I have the same problem, wondering if this is an issue for anyone? I hope to be able to pile it up and generally clean up the area where I have fed all winter and spring.

 

[Banjo]

is having too much organic matter really a problem down south? some northern guys 'bale graze', think the 'waste' is a definite asset...

Yes if its all in one spot. Especially where a bale is fed in the same spot over and over. If the leftover hay is too thick it won't grow anything but weeds. If the leftover hay is not too thick then it could be left alone, but still it would be better mixed with the soil a little bit. When I used to feed hay in rings out in the field before I started unrolling it.......I would go in there with a disk and cut each spot up in early spring and the grass would grow up there really good and thick.

 

[TCRanch]

We use the track loader to make giant piles around the perimeter of the pasture where we keep the hay rings during the winter. Spontaneous combustion causes them to smoke & smolder a couple days (smells horrendous!). In the Spring we scoop all the piles & relocate to remote areas where it will compost or use it to fill holes in the pastures (generally coyote dens/burrows).

 

[1982vett]

Since the herd reduction in 2011 I haven't had th need to feed much hay but in prior years I moved the rings pretty much each time I fed a roll. I also used an unroller when the ground wasn't muddy. Cleaning up a winter feeding area was left to Mother Nature.

 

[MikeBo]

Well the key is to do something. Either spread it out with a harrow or pile it up. Both will take care of the flies, piling it creates enough heat to kill fly larvae. Spreading it allows it to dry.

 

[Jogeephus]

I leave it to nature. Been moving my hay rings around the sacrifice field for several years now and the soil in that pasture has really turned into something nice. Sometime in the near future I'm going to fence off another sacrifice area on some really poor ground and see if I can't build this soil up as well. Been thinking of possibly growing planting millet and bahia in the old field when I change over. I figure I'll get some quick grazing with the millet and when this finishes out the bahia should be fairly well established and I won't lose any grazing.

 

[TexasBred]

I leave it to nature. Been moving my hay rings around the sacrifice field for several years now and the soil in that pasture has really turned into something nice. Sometime in the near future I'm going to fence off another sacrifice area on some really poor ground and see if I can't build this soil up as well. Been thinking of possibly growing planting millet and bahia in the old field when I change over. I figure I'll get some quick grazing with the millet and when this finishes out the bahia should be fairly well established and I won't lose any grazing.

x2

 

[Stocker Steve]

I would reckon that stuff is too good to burn. I'd push it up in a heap to compost. Ken

If you like dirt work and buying seed - - you can push it into a berm to rot, spray out what is there, grow a cover crop in the open areas this summer, and replant a pasture mix next spring.
Grazing off the annual cover crop should more than pay for itself and leave a mellow seed bed. The "improved" mix you replant may not pay for itself. Really depends on your seedbank and your grazing skill.