Hay: Pros and Cons?

[fuzzi]

Hay is a compost green, where you normally want a compost brown to react with and neutralize the manure, which is a very strong green.

However, "Free" is a fabulous word so if the bales are not moldy inside or pre-infested with rodents or other pests, it's worth giving it a try.

It might take more management to keep it from packing, matting, and developing anaerobic pockets, but, again, there is that word "Free".

I can break them apart once they arrive, to check for critters. I'm sensitive to molds so my nose will let me know if I should skip using it in the run. If so, I can still use it for mulching or amending my gardens.

I've been active in composting since the mid 1980s, but always appreciate input from others.

 

[3KillerBs]

Good chance huge round bales of hay is molding.

Yep, that could be the catch in the arrangement.

 

[Raptor Chicken]

There is a difference between hay and straw. Hay is what livestock eats. Straw is used for bedding in a variety of situations.

So thats the first thing.

As far as the mold issue folks have been mentioning I haven't run into that after switching to straw for a few months.

Second thing is my birds kick most of the straw out of the coop into the run or even their extended run. They leave most of it in the nesting boxes though.


I suspect come this spring our extended run is going to "intially" have some of the greenest grass this side of flyover country.

 

[Kiki]

I've been reading numerous threads about having hay in or around the run, and the comments run the gamut from good to bad.

Some think hay is the best, others warn against it harboring rats, mice, mites, and disease.

Why I am asking is that a friend has access to free hay bales, the large round types. They've apparently been sitting in a field for a while, weathering.

I wouldn't have to haul them, but they'd be delivered for free to my yard. I could use them in the garden area as mulch, in the compost pile (mostly grass clippings and leaves right now) and in the chicken run. I could place them behind but not directly next to the coop, on the woods side of the yard. See inserted photo of the current state of the coop/run construction (cold and wet conditions have stalled the project) to get a better idea of my layout.

So, what are your thoughts on whether having a couple large hay bales in the backyard for garden and chicken use would be a good thing, or not?

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I'd vote no on the hay and yes on buying some peat moss I stead.

 

[fuzzi]

I'd vote no on the hay and yes on buying some peat moss I stead.

I have two big bags of peat moss I bought last year. They're stored under cover, 4 cu ft each I think, they're HEAVY.

 

[WI chickens]

I like hay. I don't really use it for bedding. I tear it apart and just spread it out thinly. The chickens like to play in it and eat seeds and stuff out of it.

If it's moldy, I would still take it, I would just use it as mulch around plants or compost it. I'm always on the look out for any organic matter I can find that isn't sprayed with anything. You can never have too much. If you do nothing but leave a big round bale of hay sitting out in the weather, it will break down and make great compost. That's a lot of free compost in one of those bales.

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I'm not sure I understood what your thought on benefits might be? You didnt say you planned to scatter it around the run so you'd place bales around it for..... ?? For chickens to goof with or do you mean as a run floor material, scattered like wood chips? Actually either way, bales or scattered - I see no benefit. I live in a very wet climate and it only takes trying hay as a run material once to never do that again. It's alot of work raking up wet smelly composting hay. But like everyone else, if the person needs a place to get rid of it, I'd take it and use it in my compost.

 

[Percheron chick]

Round bales are a completely different beast from square ones. They are baled in a way to shed water minimizing spoilage and nutrient loss and to be stored outside. How tight they are baled, environmental conditions and storage impact how good the bale is a year or two down the road. If left outside for 6 months, you can pretty much be assured that the first 2-4 inches are marginal in quality. At a year it could be 6-8 inches. Spool off a few wraps and use that hay to mulch trees or add to the compost pile. However the interior of the bale is good quality feed ( if it was good to begin with). If the bale has sat at the bottom of the hill all bets are off as it has probably been sitting in a pool of water. A super heavy bale is a wet bale. Pass.
If you have not dealt with round bales, they are like giant rolls of paper towels. If you place them on end, they unwrap in big sheets of hay. Cover it and place it on a pallet if you have to leave it outside or the rain will penetrate the bale and it will spoil.
You should be able to salvage 50-75% of the bale. If there is a lot of decomposition, you can direct sow seeds into it and expand the garden. You might get 2-3 years out of it and will end up with a mountain of good garden soil. You can also use it as a primer for a compost pile either in the run or outside it. Stand it on end. Inoculate with a high nitrogen tea and start adding compostable materials. Should turn into a bug farm for the girls.
Free is free. I would probably go for it but realize you might be looking at a big rotting bale for a few years.

 

[JonD]

A friend of mine grows hay and just told me the difference between hay and straw. Big eye opener. I just bought a ranch with 14 bales of ? in the hayloft. I was happy to learn it’s straw and I won’t have a big moldy mess up there. I’ve been using it on the ground of our run to help keep the mud down. When I get some livestock this year I’ll use it for their bedding as well. Good topic.

 

[Dragonfly Farm]

Hay is a compost green, where you normally want a compost brown to react with and neutralize the manure, which is a very strong green.

However, "Free" is a fabulous word so if the bales are not moldy inside or pre-infested with rodents or other pests, it's worth giving it a try.

It might take more management to keep it from packing, matting, and developing anaerobic pockets, but, again, there is that word "Free".

Hay rolls are actually huge. I have horses and get my hay by the bale which usually weigh about 40 pounds each. I will put some small amounts of the good horse hay in nest boxes or in the run for scratching but I would not get a whole hay roll, free or not. Mold, bugs, rodents are things I don't want at mine...