Sqft of a bale?

[chickenwhisperer]

I asked on the easygarden site, but maybe more farmers here.
What sqft of land grows a bales-worth of hay.
I have some orchard and oat grass seed to plant once I get my soil in good condition.

My plan is to grow my own hay for my rabbits, using compost made here and a rototiller.
All said, I paid about 25$ for dozens of acres-worth of seed.

 

[DesertChickens]

Well, that's a highly variable thing to try to come up with. We raise alfalfa here on the farm. Our yield is about 3 tons per acre, which comes out to about 16 bales per ton. Now, that number varies from my neighbor a few miles away because we have different soils, different irrigation, and different fertilizing techniques. Then, if you factor in time between cuttings, that can change it as well.

I guess the answer here is that there is no steadfast rule. I would recommend asking neighboring farmers what sort of yield they are pulling off. Check with your local cooperative extension service as well- it's a really underrated resource.

Good luck!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

What kind an size an weight of bales.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Thankyou, that gives me lots to think about actually.

This is my backyard Im talkin about, I have about 15,000 sqft to work with, whats that bout 1/2 an acre?

But, theoretically, it sounds like this might just be possible.

Im really getting in to this backyard farming, I cant have everything I want here, but I got alot to work with and if I can make this yard provide for my animals and myself, thats really what its all about . . .

I was attempting to regain control of the lawn here and its been fairly good, but i got these grass-hay seeds here and Im not feedin a herd of cows, I got about a dozen or so rabbits.

Its not that hay is too expensive, it gives me a project and I dont have to drive anywhere to get feed.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Quote:
I dunno, standard 3-twiner I guess . . .
Im not looking for exact numbers, just roughly how many bales can I get if I plant say a 200' x 50' patch of hay-seed?

 

[DesertChickens]

Yes! I'm sure the bunnies would love it so much! Good luck!

 

[lynxs1981]

I bale hay in 4x4 600lb round bales. If I remember correctly, and depending on how tight the bale is, it takes roughly an area 10ft by 600ft for a bale.

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Quote:
See thats perfect, thankyou so much!

Thats roughly 100lbs of hay(wet or dried???) per 1000sqft . . . unless Im wrong, math was never my strong point.

Granted, like DesertChickens said, there are variables to factor in . . .

 

[chickenwhisperer]

Ps- I obviously dont have a baler or any of that real hay equip, I see myself stooped over with my gas powered hedger mowing my "pasture" 3-4x next year.

If I could get 600lbs of hay, Id be a happy guy!!!
That would supply me with hay for a year for the bunnies!

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Dry.... Wet hay should not be baled. Its a fire hazard.