What is hay! goat feeder hay​ making technology

The practice of making hay and silage to conserve grass is very old. Even though we cultivate grass, we may not have enough green grass everywhere due to various reasons.

Grass grown by cultivating grass crops also has low productivity, especially during winter due to drought, autumn-type weeds, cold and frost, low growth rate of grass, etc. In such a situation, green grass should be conserved during the time when we have plenty of it.

Although there is a great shortage of animal feed in our country, abundant grass is available during the rainy season. If the green grass that is abundant at this time is cut in the right condition, preserved, and fed for the season when there is a shortage of green grass, there is no shortage of nutritious food for the animals.

To avoid the shortage of green grass, all livestock keepers in the world conserve green grass. In brief, the main objectives of conserving green grass are as follows.

• To preserve the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in green grass.
• To maintain the taste and digestibility of green grass.
• To increase or maintain productivity by feeding the preserved grass in times of scarcity.
• To reduce the production cost of animal products.

Grasses can be protected mainly in the following ways.

• Hay: A technique for preserving green grass by drying it in a controlled manner
• Silage: A technique for preserving green grass by mixing it
• Hayage: A technique that combines the properties of hay and silage
• Wasteage: A technique for mixing grass with cow dung, manure, etc.

What is hay and grass?

Hay is grass that has been cut in a green state and dried to a certain extent so that its nutritional value remains intact. The method of making Hay has been practiced in our country since ancient times. In high-mountainous and mountainous regions, farmers preserve the natural grass that grows in the rain and feed their animals with hay in the traditional way.

Hay made in this traditional way is made from locally grown grass with low nutritional value that is too dry or dried only after it has dried on the plant, so the nutritional value of such hay is very low.

If farmers can be made in an advanced way by providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills, the nutritional value of traditionally made Hay can also be greatly improved. The following points should be taken into account when making Hay.

hay​ making technology

1. How to identify good hay?
2. Optimal conditions and time for hay cutting
3. How do you dry hay?
4. How should hay be stored?

1. How to identify good hay?

Although Hay can be made from all types of grasses, high-quality Hay can be made from grasses with soft, slender stems. Grasses with thick, thick stems have a high fiber content and take a long time to dry, so good Hay cannot be made from such grasses.

The best Hay can be made from oat grass. High-quality Hay can also be made from legume grasses such as Alfalfa, Lolium, and other legume crops. Hay made from such grasses is high in protein, vitamins, and minerals. However, a mixture of both legume and non-legume grasses is best.

2. Optimal conditions and time for hay cutting

The nutritional value of Hay depends on the condition of the grass. Very young grass has more nutrients. Such grass has a higher content of easily digestible carbohydrates and proteins.

However, as the grass matures, the cellulose (carbohydrate) starts to change into lignin, which is not digestible, and the proteins also start to bind and are not easily digestible. In terms of yield per unit area and nutrients in the grass, it is best to cut the grass at the flowering stage (after 10 percent flowering).

3. How do you dry hay?

The main purpose of making Hay is to preserve the grass by drying it. In making hay, the grass is dried in the sun or artificially using an electric device or similar machine.

How to make sun-dried hay

In our country and other developing countries, Hay is often made by drying it in the sun. When making hay, the crop should be cut on a bright sunny day. The most suitable time for cutting the crop is in the morning after the dew has melted.

Hay should not be cut on cloudy or rainy days. The cut hay can be dried in the sun in various ways. However, since drying in the strong sun for a long time destroys various elements, it is preferable to dry it in the sun for only a few hours and then dry it in the shade. The following method is usually used.

Spread out to dry in the field

This is the traditional method. In this method, the grass is left in the field until it is thoroughly dried. However, if it is dried in the sun for many days in strong sunlight, the quality of the Hay will not be as good because the strong and uncontrolled sunlight destroys vitamins, and the carbohydrates also become hard (lignified).

After drying the Hay in the sun for 3 hours for 3 days, turn it over and dry it for another 3 hours, and then dry it in the shade. Try to reduce its moisture content to 15 percent. Depending on the nature of the sun, it can be drier, less, or more. When making Hay, the prepared grass should not get wet when you take it in your fist and break it. Also, it should be such that it breaks without making a cracking sound.

To make and dry

The grass can be dried in small bundles. The stalks of the grass made in this way should be somewhat tight. The bundled grass should be dried by blowing off the stem part and making 8 to 10 bundles in a pile. When making hay in this way, it can be kept away from water, and when dried in this way, the damage caused by the leaves falling off is less than in the previous method. It can also be stored in an open place.

Hanging in a sack

After the tied or bundled grass has been dried in the sun for a while, it can be hung in a sack and dried in the shade.

4. How should hay be stored?

Before storing hay, the moisture content should be checked. If the moisture content of the hay after drying is not more than 15 percent, it should be stored safely. The stored hay should not be exposed to rain, sunlight, or other types of moisture. Hay should be kept away from fire as it is prone to catching fire quickly.

A well-prepared Hay should not have the following properties:

• Hay should not have a moisture content of more than 15 percent.
• Hay should be cut in good condition with sufficient nutrients.
• The leaves in the hay should also be intact.
• The hay should be somewhat green in color. Green hay indicates that a large number of leaves are intact and that nutrients have not been lost through leaching or leaching.