baling oats

TAZDOG101 · Jun 19, 2012

New Neighbor stop by and asked if I would round bale his oats that he used for a cover crop on his new ground. Said yes but not sure how short or how tall I should cut. Heads are just coming out so I think I do not not have much time.
It has a little of everything from corn button weed and who knows what but the feed yard said they would take it grind it and feed it.
just a little nervous on nitrate content.
HELP !!

IaGary · Jun 19, 2012

I baled oat hay many times through out the years.

I always waited till the oats were turning yellow but still had some green in them. I mowed it as low to the ground as I could. The cows loved it.

It takes awhile to dry, longer than hay by a day or two.

Gary

twopop · Jun 19, 2012

let the seed head come out.sqeeze the seed between your thumb nail and forefinger.the first stage will be milk out off the seed.wait a few days and check again.the second stage will be dough.in dough stage cut it down

paul · Jun 19, 2012

Hard to dry, but never heard of any special problems with it for nitrates etc - would have to be very young to worry about?

Assuming dry hay? Best to get it now or a little sooner for you, as you are guessing. Once the seed comes out & the stems go woody, has less feed value/ lower protien & palitability and doesn't store well (rodents mess it up badly going after the seeds).

Mine is 90% headed, I'm going to cut a little bit & bale green, feed it day by day. Only a path to get to a back field, I'd not try to store the oats with that much seed or try to dry it down with the stems so woody.

--->Paul

DeltaRed · Jun 19, 2012

I cut them as I would any other hay.Let them get to 'soft dough',them whack em.

JDseller · Jun 19, 2012

You don't have any reason for nitrate concerns with oats. You can bale them anytime and not have any problem with nitrates. The other guys have it covered when to cut them for maximum quality of the oats. Dough stage. The only time I mow them earlier is if the weeds are going to go to seed. Then I might mow then sooner but usually the oats mature faster then the weeds.

thurlow · Jun 19, 2012

Never baled any oats, but have baled lots of wheat and don't know that oats would be any diphpherent. I agree with everyone else; hard dough is best; if you can't get it just right, later (than hard dough) is better than earlier imho. Had about 40 acres one year that had too much annual ryegrass in to combine; grain had begun to dry........would almost shell and did lose some of the grain. Had it tested.......highest TDN of any hay I ever tested.

TAZDOG101 · Jun 19, 2012

Thanks everyone have a better idea now !

Tx Jim · Jun 19, 2012

I guess I'm different as I've cut & baled Oats many different years. I like to cut them as soon as heads emerge from stalk when the seeds still have water(weather permitting) not milk and certainly no dough in them. The sooner in the plants life they are cut the higher the protein content of the hay. I've seen people complain about rat problem with Oat hay and Oats cut in the dough dry into Oat seeds that rats/mice love.

tjdub · Jun 19, 2012

I remember reading somewhere once that it really doesn't matter very much at what stage you cut oats for hay. When you cut it younger the feed value is in the stems, when you cut it later the feed value is in the grain. The only problem is if you wait too long the feed value is in the field

Personally, I try to cut oats anytime between when it heads out and a thunderstorm lays it flat. Finding 3 days in a row without rain is usually more important than the growth stage around here lately.

John A. · Jun 19, 2012

TAZDOG101, Have had oats cut-n-baled every way possible. 98% of people wait Toooooo darned long to cut. Tx Jim is the only person who bales quicker than I.
**As soon as milk appears Swath Oats or Wheat.
+++ here in Texas as most parts Spring is a wet time of the year and a inconvenient timed rain will cause the oats/wheat to get long in the tooth!
+++We run the crimper a little tighter to take advantage of what drying time we have if and when we are in a rainy pattern.
As other have said the longer you wait the further along the seed will be. I have seen toooo many times, Guys just have a trail of seed in the dirt behind the baler, so that seed never made it to any animals mouth!,,,,,Well maybe the mice and rats, birds, squirrels,and other Virmin!!!
Why grow it? If you are just going to throw it back on the ground at baling time never to be utilized by the livestock you baled it for??????
Later,
John A.

baling oats

TAZDOG101

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IaGary

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twopop

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paul

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DeltaRed

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JDseller

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thurlow

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TAZDOG101

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Tx Jim

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tjdub

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John A.

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