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Barnyard Buddies:  Difference between old hay and straw by sight?  |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 04:39:58 AM
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The farm we are hopefully closing on this week has a big red barn and the hay loft is full of...hay...or straw? The first time my husband saw it, he said it was straw. The next time he saw it, he said it was old hay. It's a lot of rectangular bales...with many of them busted open. Is there a way to tell (by looking) which they are? And if its old hay...what do we use it for? (Um...very *new* farmer here....)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 04:49:58 AM
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Hay is more like grass, straw is more like a drinking straw. Hay is green, straw is yellow. Break open an intact bale. I would put it over muddy areas you have to walk on.
Animals don't eat straw. Straw is for bedding and pooping on.
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
Edited by - one_dog_per_acre on Nov 28 2011 04:52:11 AM |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 04:57:22 AM
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See, I think its straw because its more coarse and it looks like bedding to me. But my husband came up with this story about how old hay can look exactly like straw (I don't know how...since like you said, grass doesn't look anything like a drinking straw) but I thought I would post here to get opinions. Anyone else?
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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windypines
True Blue Farmgirl
4260 Posts
Michele
Bruce
Wisconsin
USA
4260 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 05:00:06 AM
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Old hay and straw.........hay you may find more leafy stems, maybe clover flowers. Straw will usually be more coarse stems. Hard to tell, if your new to it all.
Cows love to eat straw. Mine think it is a treat when I put out a bale for them to break apart and lay on. They will eat that before their hay!
Michele |
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one_dog_per_acre
True Blue Farmgirl
1572 Posts
Trish
Sandpoint
ID
USA
1572 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 05:02:55 AM
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What are you going to raise?
“It always looks darkest just before it gets totally black.”-Charlie Brown |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 05:10:10 AM
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Oh a bit of everything. We already have chickens that will move there. As for spring...for sure goats, probably some pigs (it was originally a pig farm and all the stuff is still there), eventually a couple cows and a few horses. Oh...and sheep maybe! Wouldn't be surprised if Mom drags home some alpacas. Of course, my husband says he won't be surprised to come home from work and find an elephant or a giraffe. ;) Anything is fair game at this point.
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 06:49:47 AM
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If it is old- I would not offer it as feed for animals. Straw often times has large knotty joints almost like you see on corn stalks. Staw you will see flat leaves and dest more solid stems. Hay can bleach out to yellow- especially if it has been in the sun, but a bale that has not been broken should still have some remnants of green in it.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 06:54:16 AM
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Thanks for all the tips. I'm 98% sure its straw. BUT just to make sure I asked the realtor to ask the seller today for confirmation. :) That, of course, would seem the obvious answer instead of me guessing!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 07:01:32 AM
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one thing to keep in mind with straw is --it does not absorb moisture. it makes great bedding yes my cows like traw too. it is very hard to scoop poop from stock if tangled in straw. very heavy by the shovel. when they pee or it gets wet it is hard to move around. i am happy to hear you have a place. it is so exciting. could you post pics? happy days for you sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 07:06:24 AM
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SherryE closing on the place is supposed to be Wednesday but there is a possible delay because someone hasn't finished the new plat/deed map. The place we are buying is part of much larger original farmstead and the new plat/deed/survey has to be complete before we can officially close. :)Hopefully it will still be Nov 30th but we were told to be prepare for a couple days late possibly. I will post pics after its all official!
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 07:21:35 AM
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also straw is slick to the feel & shiny whereas hay is course & duller/darker......Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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Megan
True Blue Farmgirl
155 Posts
Megan
Hudson
South Dakota
USA
155 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 08:53:28 AM
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we use old hay or straw in our chicken coop. My calf barn i use good straw as she tries to eat it, im not sure why she has free choice hay. And my grandma has horses that eat straw like its hay if she beds the stalls with it. i would use it in a chicken coop or to clean up muddy walk ways.
good luck on your new farm!
www.rockriverexoticsandkennel.net |
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vegetarian farmer
True Blue Farmgirl
249 Posts
Jane
Freedom
pa
USA
249 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 09:22:28 AM
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The real question here is how old is old? If it is anything older than a few seasons you will not want to use it for livestock, no matter if it is hay or straw. Especially for animals that get respiratory problems at the drop of a hat like chickens and horses. It can be contaminated with bat dug, barn dust, raccoon waste, fungus if the barn has leaks, etc. You also dont know what fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides have been used when it was grown and it can effect the health of your livestock. It is best to just use it in the open air as a mulch for the garden or if you do any landscaping use it as a ground cover. Also remember that any old hay and straw left in a barn for a long period of time can become a fire hazard as it has been know to create heat and combust depending on how it is stacked. Best to get it out and start with a clean slate of a product you know how it has been stored. Best of luck on the closing.
http://hardworkhomestead.blogspot.com/ |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Nov 28 2011 : 10:15:15 AM
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no matter what it is, don't feed it, its not worth the chance....
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2011 : 08:09:33 AM
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If you have veggie gardens its also good for putting down on top for the winter when it snows...you may have to weed a bit more the next season but I love all the benefits from it once its broke down & tilled in so i don't mind the extra work...I also take old hay or stray & lay it out during the summer months in the sun to dry & heat up enough to kill some of the bad things that might be in it for using in the runs & under the purch areas where it gets changed more often....also that old hay/straw can be used to make cold frames with or put around the outside of the coop or small barn area outside as extra insulation & wind block....also use as the walls to your compost area if its still baled.....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2011 : 7:18:53 PM
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I would second Michelle's suggestion and use it for garden mulch. Or building with the bales!
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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farmmilkmama
True Blue Farmgirl
2027 Posts
Amy
Central MN
USA
2027 Posts |
Posted - Nov 29 2011 : 8:01:36 PM
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Well we met the seller today (now not closing until next week) and he confirmed that my HUSBAND was right! It's very old hay. So looks like I will have to be doing some creative using of it. There is a TON of it up there...so we will put it to good use somehow. :) (Hanging head in shame...having to eat my words...sorry, hubby!)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
www.farmfoodmama.blogspot.com
www.thehmmmschoolingmom.blogspot.com |
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Dusky Beauty
True Blue Farmgirl
1108 Posts
Jen
Tonopah
AZ
USA
1108 Posts |
Posted - Nov 30 2011 : 1:49:17 PM
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If it were mine I would use the bales to build windbreaks/doghouses for dogs and my ducks. I'm also kicking around the idea of making a greenhouse using straw bales, wood pallets and old framed windows.
"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress can be judged by the way it's animals are treated." ~Gandhi
http://silvermoonfarm.blogspot.com/
"After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.” ~Will Rogers |
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Barnyard Buddies: Difference between old hay and straw by sight? |
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Difference between old hay and straw by sight?
