While taking a ride through the countryside, you must have come across big, round, or rectangular bales on the fields or a sign that says hay bales for sale near me. While some know what they are, most often wonder what they are made out of and what their purpose is. If you fall in the latter category, you have come to the right place. Here you will learn about what hay bales are, how they are made and used.
Hay is one of the most confusing agricultural products and is often confused with straw bales. Hay is a feed source for herbivorous animals like cows, sheep, and goats. Made entirely from plants, it is cut and mowed quite a few times in a year. A hayfield or ground is usually seeded with a mixture of clover, alfalfa, fescue, ryegrass, and other certain legumes.
How to Produce Hay?
The first thing you need to know about hay production is that it requires a lot of nutrition. Hay makes up a significant amount of every ruminant animal’s diet. Too many grains like soybeans or corn can often deter the balance in the digestive system. This can further lead to rumen acidosis, which can sometimes be fatal if not diagnosed soon enough.
However, deciding their diet can also be quite tricky since ruminant animals, especially cattle are raised for meat. This requires them to grow healthier and faster, which grains can help. This is why you have to ensure that you give them the right balance of grains as well as forages.
While hay can be quite a considerable part of a cow’s diet, all hay produced is not the same. Ruminant plants are known to digest all kinds of plant foods. However, certain plants, as well as plant parts, can be harder to digest, for example, ones with high lignin or cellulose. These parts have thick and rigid cell walls.
On the other hand, soft and leafy green plants are easier to digest. You always have to ensure how fast the grass usually grows. This way, you will know the perfect time to cut and bale the hay. You should always cut the hay before it is too tall, has too many seeds, or has become too thick. Leguminous plants, clover, birdsfoot trefoil, and alfalfa.
In Conclusion
To sum up this article, hay bales are the primary source of feed for ruminant animals, which are made from a large variety of forage crops. However, it is quite easy to confuse both hay and straw bales. While both may look the same, they are quite different property-wise.
Straws are not as nutritious and often used as bedding for livestock. If you are looking to buy hay bales, you can easily find them from farmers or other people who maintain livestock. Rest assured, with the right knowledge, as mentioned here, you will surely make the most of your purchase.
