Does anyone know anything about making hay (not a joke, real hay from grass)?

Question

I let my lawn clippings dry and then rake them up to feed to my rabbits. My lawn is a good mix of random plants, clover, etc (*lol* nice lawn, I know).

But this time the clippings got rained on before I could rake them up. Should I be concerned about mold or anything if I let them dry completely again? So much for the weather report.

[And if you are going to say I should feed my bunnies "rabbit pellets" you can just mosey on along. Rabbit pellets are not the best food for rabbits]

Joseph M,

Yes obviously the lawn grass (whatever kind), crab grass, and random weeds in my lawn 3 houses away from the park are *completely* different from the the grasses at the park where these bunnies were born before my dog found their nest right beside the main dog walking path.

Answer 1

When cutting grass for hay it gets rained on. Weather it is grass hay or a specialty grass like timothy or a legume like alfalfa, doesn't matter, just turn it until dry. Even the morning dew must be gone before bundling or piling.
If the livestock was going to die from grazing on the lawn then most of the horses I've ever known would be dead. Of course no one I know sprays their lawns with manufactured herbicides or fertilizers around livestock.
I don't know if tansey [Tanacetum vulgare] is a problem with rabbits but it was the one plant we would keep an eye out for in hay fields. In large amount it isn't good and once dried the horses couldn't avoid it like they would in a pasture. In small amounts it is a vermifuge but large amounts are not good.

Answer 2

Hay production and harvest, colloquially known as "making hay" or "haymaking," involves a multiple step process: cutting, drying or "curing," processing, and storing. 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.

Methods and the terminology to describe the steps of making hay has varied greatly throughout history, and many regional variations still exist today. However, whether done by hand or by modern mechanized equipment, tall grass and legumes at the proper stage of maturity must be cut, then allowed to dry (preferably by the sun), then raked into long, narrow piles known as windrows. Next the cured hay is gathered up in some form (usually by some type of baling process) and placed for storage into a haystack or into a barn or shed to protect it from moisture and rot.

Answer 3

There are a lot of different varieties of hay out there and you sound like you have a good mix of "scratch hay" in the form of greens.

Getting hay down before rain has always been a problem for farmers and ranchers. However, all hay that has been rained on is turned over twice more to dry and then baled. So you won't have any problem with yours. If you do detect any mold growing then discard the affected portions, it's that simple.

Answer 4

If you let it completely dry out in the sun before raking it up into the pile, you won't have to worry about mold. Hay molds when people "bale" it up wet and green. As far as the response about lawn clippings killing horses and cows, that's a good one. Most lawns are fescue. The same stuff that is out in the pastures.

Answer 5

I'm not much of a farmer but I do have friends and family that are. I know that if it is bailed wet you can have problems with it being wet. It will start a fermenting process and make the hay really hot. Can also develop mold. If you let it dry then rake it you should be fine.

Answer 6

Clover is particularly bad to mold. If you had a hay field in this situation, the procedure would be to rake a couple of times to dry thoroughly. You loose a good deal of the leaves in this process. In any case, do not store it with your "good" stock, as it may mold anyway and contaminate the rest.

Answer 7

Lawn clippings are not hay. Hay is actually a certain grass that is specifically grown. Grass clippings from a normal yard don't sound like they have enough nutrition in them though. I am only assuming that you supplement their diets another way? I wouldn't feed them clippings that have been rained on, just to be safe.

Answer 8

If you spread it out and dry it good, it is ok. Just don't bundle it up until it is really dry. The test: Stick your finger in it. If it is hot, spread it out. I agree. Never saw a wild one sucking on a pellet. They almost follow the mower around here.

Answer 9

Don't use any grass clippings that have been rained on, they can get deadly fungi & molds.

I don't know about rabbits, but lawn clippings can be deadly to certain livestock and horses.

Answer 10

I always make hay when the sun shines. Also, when I bail the hay . . . I bail it in square bails instead of round ones . . . that way the cows always get a square meal.