Hay problems - 🤞sorted
- Thread starter Jessey
- Start date
I mentioned to a friend I was after a big chest freezer, he turned up at my place having picked one up for me, but I think he misinterpreted the big part, the internal dimensions make it smaller than my dustbin ? I’m grateful he tried and looks like I have extra rug storage now ?
I’ve only got 1 steamer, and no time to do back to back loads in the mornings. I’ll just keep looking for a bigger one.
For now I’ve found some haylage which hay very little rye in it which she seems ok on so I’m going to go Tuesday to pick enough up to last well into January.
I hadn’t thought about freecycle, haven’t looked at it in years but definitely worth a try, thanks
She has to be off grass most of the year as she gets laminitis at the drop of a hat so unfortunately it’s not an option.
I’m still struggling with this, I’m soaking 7 nets a day as I can only do up to 4kg in my tubs, and they only go half in so it’s 10 minutes of rolling them over repeatedly and pouring water over, per net. I can’t move my neck and shoulders by the time I get home ?
Tried steaming a bulk tonight in a dumpy bag wrapped with haylage wrap.
The wrap shrunk with the heat, the steamer cut out after 40 minutes and only half the hay was steamed so I then had to transfer it and soak anyway ?
I can do less, but that means separating Jess and I just don’t want that for her, she might be grumpy and bossy but she does love the company in her old age. A friend is dropping a tub over tomorrow that will hopefully take my big nets, so at least it’s fewer to fill, soak and empty out daily. I wish the haylage didn’t make her nuts, it was so easy!
Tried steaming a bulk tonight in a dumpy bag wrapped with haylage wrap.
The wrap shrunk with the heat, the steamer cut out after 40 minutes and only half the hay was steamed so I then had to transfer it and soak anyway ?
I can do less, but that means separating Jess and I just don’t want that for her, she might be grumpy and bossy but she does love the company in her old age. A friend is dropping a tub over tomorrow that will hopefully take my big nets, so at least it’s fewer to fill, soak and empty out daily. I wish the haylage didn’t make her nuts, it was so easy!
It sounds a real labour intensive arrangement. Such a shame like you say that she can't tolerate the hayledge. I am lucky, because whenever ours used to be dusty or just not that nice I could always give ours the bagged Horsehage without any consequences.
It’s ok for a few days, even a few weeks, but then it’s like she can’t contain the beast within anymore ? they’re still getting a little, 2days out of 3 and that’s fine she just isn’t good on all haylage!
not even 2 days worth ?
It’s exhausting and I refuse to accept there isn’t a better way ? it is definitely made harder by not having running water, my current process is this;
Stuff 7 nets, lug 9 buckets of water from trough to soaking area, squish net in soaking tub and roll around for 10 minutes (I’m wetting for dust removal not sugar removal) rinse and repeat for each net. Then barrow them down the field and transfer to small hole nets for eating. Refill the trough every 3 days from the borehole which takes about 4 hours with my little 12v pump ?
But given the colour of the water from rinsing just 1 net it’s clear why it makes poor Jess cough!
I’m going to invent a low water use hay washing tool that doesn’t cost the earth!
You need to magically find a manhole with water pipe buried in the ground somewhere in that field.
I know water is an issue, but have you not got anything bigger than a tub to soak in. Like a bath or an ibc container. Baths dont drain to easy when the plug hole gets bunged with the hay. An ibc with the top cut off if the tap works ok maybe. Maybe an old dairy wash tank.
If you carry on like that your going to put your back out again. Im worried for you.
I know water is an issue, but have you not got anything bigger than a tub to soak in. Like a bath or an ibc container. Baths dont drain to easy when the plug hole gets bunged with the hay. An ibc with the top cut off if the tap works ok maybe. Maybe an old dairy wash tank.
If you carry on like that your going to put your back out again. Im worried for you.
Unfortunately anything bigger requires a lot more water which is hard work too.
I did walk up and down the lane yesterday looking for any hint of a mains supply or standpipe point but no such luck. My neighbour said there’s no mains supply on the lane, to connect his house he had to run through an alleyway to the road that runs parallel the other side of the houses and it cost him a pretty penny.
I’ve got new season hay coming from my original supplier in an hour, I was still using 2019 cut from him before, I’m really hoping it’s nice and clean and perhaps I can just get away with a quick rinse from a watering can but he said it had clover in this year so I’m just hoping that’s not a deal breaker ?
Ah if its 2019 hay then yes it probably would be dustier. Does also depend if its been exposed to the light or if its been moved around even in the barn. Im currently still using 2019 stuff. Yet to get to the 2020 cut.
I was thinking how deep down is your bore hole your extracting from. What sort of pump system are you using. It is submersable or one that sucks up.
Only asking as my friend has a borehole at his place, no electric so its done off battery. I know the bore hole is pretty deep and he pumps water for the sheep into an ibc. Cant remember just how deep it is. But the next time i speak to him I'll ask him his set up. Im sure his doesnt take 4 hours to pump.
Just trying to work out a better way for you to get more water. Im concerned for you lifting all those soaked nets. They weigh a ton. I had to give up trying to soak the hay in bags or nets. It did my back in.
Im lucky it seems to be working for chunky for me taking out 3/4 small bales at a time and leaving them in the field to get wet for a few days.
I was thinking how deep down is your bore hole your extracting from. What sort of pump system are you using. It is submersable or one that sucks up.
Only asking as my friend has a borehole at his place, no electric so its done off battery. I know the bore hole is pretty deep and he pumps water for the sheep into an ibc. Cant remember just how deep it is. But the next time i speak to him I'll ask him his set up. Im sure his doesnt take 4 hours to pump.
Just trying to work out a better way for you to get more water. Im concerned for you lifting all those soaked nets. They weigh a ton. I had to give up trying to soak the hay in bags or nets. It did my back in.
Im lucky it seems to be working for chunky for me taking out 3/4 small bales at a time and leaving them in the field to get wet for a few days.
Ibc is an intermediate bulk container @Trewsers, it’s a 1000l tank on a pallet (most often white with a cage type thing holding it on the pallet).
I’m using a tiny little submersible pump @chunky monkey, it’s crap really ? the borehole isn’t terribly deep, the most I have to lift it is about 20’ into the ibc. It’s location is the pain, opposite side of a paddock to the mains power (I don’t really want to pay out to lay underground cables) and surrounded by huge leylandii on the east, south and west so solar is out and the bigger 12v pumps draw so much power the battery wouldn’t cope for long, thankfully I only have to take it out to charge every 3-4 times at the moment. I did consider a petrol powered pump, but the lane is just the other side of the trees and I think it would get pinched in a flash (I think the noise would draw attention) so I’d have to carry that in and out every time instead. I’m going to revisit the bigger pump option, perhaps they’ve come down in price for the more efficient ones.
I’m really disappointed with the hay delivered yesterday, it’s fine and green and smells good and doesn’t appear to be too dusty, but it’s chock full of weeds and as it’s very leafy it kind of disintegrates when handling it and lots of small bits of hay go everywhere, possibly small enough to upset madam
It’s nothing like the normal hay from him that is very mature stemmy stuff. I’ve got the bale in and open now though so I’ll use this one and see how we go.
I’m using a tiny little submersible pump @chunky monkey, it’s crap really ? the borehole isn’t terribly deep, the most I have to lift it is about 20’ into the ibc. It’s location is the pain, opposite side of a paddock to the mains power (I don’t really want to pay out to lay underground cables) and surrounded by huge leylandii on the east, south and west so solar is out and the bigger 12v pumps draw so much power the battery wouldn’t cope for long, thankfully I only have to take it out to charge every 3-4 times at the moment. I did consider a petrol powered pump, but the lane is just the other side of the trees and I think it would get pinched in a flash (I think the noise would draw attention) so I’d have to carry that in and out every time instead. I’m going to revisit the bigger pump option, perhaps they’ve come down in price for the more efficient ones.
I’m really disappointed with the hay delivered yesterday, it’s fine and green and smells good and doesn’t appear to be too dusty, but it’s chock full of weeds and as it’s very leafy it kind of disintegrates when handling it and lots of small bits of hay go everywhere, possibly small enough to upset madam
It’s nothing like the normal hay from him that is very mature stemmy stuff. I’ve got the bale in and open now though so I’ll use this one and see how we go.newrider.com