Can Rye be made into hay?

Dave from MN · May 19, 2009

I have a 12 acre peice I seeded in rye last fall. Fertilizer is kinda high and rye prices have dropped in the area, so I am thinking maybe I am best off cutting the rye at some stage and baling as a grass. Any one do this? I know it gets stemmy later on, but with this dry weather maybe I can ofset my feed costs by baling the rye and not waitng to harvest a low yeilding crop.

keh · May 19, 2009

Yes it makes hay, better silage. Horse owners say its not good for horses because the long sharp beards on the heads may lodge in the horses throat. You need to cut it as green as possible. I've never had problems feeding it to cows.

KEH

James Howell · May 19, 2009

The rye grass takes a little longer to "cure" because it has a heavier stem than Coastal Bermuda or Cheyenne Bermuda.

Nancy will confirm that if "cured" properly it won't hurt her horses.

Not a problem as cow hay.

Anonymous-0 · May 19, 2009

I've never seen anyone bale it for hay but it should work if you cut it early as in pretty soon while it is leafy.

Nancy Howell · May 19, 2009

For horses you need to cut before it gets stemmy. The coarse stems can cause lots of problems up to puncturing the gut. If you're cutting for horses, make sure you cure well.

I sometimes sow rye in the fall as a winter forage for my horses. I've never had a problem with it.

Mike (WA) · May 19, 2009

How about plowing it under for "green manure", and planting a different crop?

thurlow · May 19, 2009

Is there some confusion, based on some of the answers.............maybe not. I take it this is indeed rye rather than rye grass?

amo · May 19, 2009

some people in Florida have cut, and baled it and sold it for bedding in stalls.

kyhayman · May 19, 2009

I've wrapped a world of it for round bale silage. Makes real cow feed. For dry hay its the devil itself to get cured but it can be done. Got to make sure you get it dead dry though. It carries a lot of water within the stem.

dieselpup · May 20, 2009

Wrap it, makes great feed for cows but bales are awful heavy. We chopped a bunch and put in a bag for dairy cows too. Make sure to cut it at the right stage so you get the most feed value, can't remember exactly which is best but earlier is better.

Can Rye be made into hay?

Dave from MN

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keh

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James Howell

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Anonymous-0

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Nancy Howell

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Mike (WA)

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thurlow

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amo

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kyhayman

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dieselpup

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