They shed rain water better than either small or large square (rectangular) bales, if they're left outdoors without cover. Traditionally, manure has been used on hayfields, but modern chemical fertilizers are used today as well. Hay, in agriculture, dried grasses and other foliage used as animal feed. It is frequently placed inside sheds, or stacked inside of a barn. The stack was made waterproof as it was built (a skilled task) and the hay would compress under its own weight and cure by the release of heat from the residual moisture in the hay and from the compression forces. Large round hay bales present a particular danger to those who handle them, because they can weigh over 1,000 pounds (450 kg) and cannot be moved without special equipment. They evolved to be continuously on the move while grazing, (covering up to 50 miles (80 km) per day in the wild) and their stomach digests food quite rapidly. In many stacking methods (with or without thatched tops), stems were oriented in sheaves, which were laid in oriented sequence. This is reflected in the idiom to make hay while the sun shines. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. [25][29] The exterior may look gray on the surface after weathering, but the inner hay retains traces of its fresh-cut aroma and maintains a faded green tint. Hayfields do not have to be reseeded each year in the way that grain crops are, but regular fertilizing is usually desirable, and overseeding a field every few years helps increase yield. Hay could be stored in a specially designed barn with little internal structure to allow more room for the hay loft. The broadleaf herbicides are used for thistle, plantain, etc., while the fertilizers are used to simply replenish the soil after years of not adding any above ground carbon. Large square bales, which can weigh up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb), can be stacked and are easier to transport on trucks. For other uses, see. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. With the invention of agricultural machinery such as the tractor and the baler, most hay production became mechanized by the 1930s. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [30][31] Haystacks may also be built on top of a foundation laid on the ground to reduce spoilage, in some places made of wood or brush. Some animals, especially those being raised for meat, may be given enough hay that they simply are able to eat all day. Contaminated hay can also lead to respiratory problems in horses. [25] They can be covered with thatch,[29][30] or kept within a protective structure. In some places, depending on geography, region, climate, and culture, hay is gathered loose and stacked without being baled first. Amount must be monitored so that animals do not get too fat or too thin. Although straw is also used as fodder, particularly as a source of dietary fiber, it has lower nutritional value than hay. Hay refers to grass that has been cut while green, dried, and then made into square or round bales. Mowers consist of a long, flat steel cutter bar, with fingers pointing forward, and a thin steel reciprocating knife section with triangular steel blades riveted on. Omissions? Usually hay is produced by using grasses and legumes that are cut before plants get mature and die back. Both types of animals can digest cellulose in grass and hay, but do so by different mechanisms. The Cons. One such structure is a moveable roof supported by four posts, historically called a Dutch roof, hay barrack, or hay cap. I used to feed round bales to my horses. [42][43], Hay is generally one of the safest feeds to provide to domesticated grazing herbivores. Loose stacks are built to prevent accumulation of moisture and promote drying, or curing. [14] One concern with hay grown on human sewage sludge is that the hay can take up heavy metals, which are then consumed by animals. [40] Heat is produced by the respiration process, which occurs until the moisture content of drying hay drops below 40%. Hazards include the danger of having a poorly constructed stack collapse, causing either falls to people on the stack or injuries to people on the ground who are struck by falling bales. eg: Hay tres coches en el aparcamiento = There are three cars in the car park. Silage is pasture grass that has been ‘pickled’. This type of machinery will either have rubber rolls or steels rolls which pressure the hay and crimp the hay stems, leading to cuts without any trouble. While small operations use a tractor to pull various implements for mowing and raking, larger operations use specialized machines such as a mower or a swather, which are designed to cut the hay and arrange it into a windrow in one step. Mobile balers, machines which gather and bale hay in one process, were first developed around 1940. Especially in wet climates, such as those of Britain, the degree of shedding of rainwater by the stack's outer surface is an important factor, and the stacking of loose hay was developed into a skilled-labor task that in its more advanced forms even involved thatching the top. Supplemental feed may be required for working animals with high energy requirements. noun grass, clover, alfalfa, etc., cut and dried for use as forage. Haymaking?). So Hay can be used for feeding animals as a substitute for fresh grass. Combustion problems typically occur within five to seven days of baling. 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