Initial tedding should be performed after a brief wilting period following a morning cutting while the hay is still moist (two to four hours). In very damp conditions, tedding may need to be done immediately after cutting. A second pass is usually done the next day, and the hay is raked and baled that afternoon.

Are hay Tedders necessary?

Tedders are intended to be used on crops while they are still higher in moisture and pliable. A crop that is overly dry should not be tedded due to loss of leaf material. ... So, for most farmers, a tedder is a needed implement.

How long should hay dry before baling?

As a rule of thumb, wait to rake hay until after the dew has dried and the sun nears its peak, around 11 a.m. If possible, let the raked hay sit for an hour or two before baling to allow more drying time.

How many times should you tedder hay?

Hay mowen early in the morning can be tedded in the same afternoon as long as the mowen swath is dry on the top surface. It may require a second tedding the next day to speed up the drying process. Tedding can be used anytime during field curing, and it typically can reduce your field-curing time by up to 12 hours.

When should I start mowing my hay?

Therefore, the best time to do any cutting is when grasses have reached what is called the “late boot stage”. This stage is typically reached after 6 to 8 weeks of growth in the spring or 6 to 8 weeks after a previous cutting. The “late boot stage” is when the seed head of the grasses first pops out of the sheath.

Using a Tedder to Improve Hay Quality

41 related questions found

Should you cut hay early in the morning?

With all of these factors in mind, it is best to cut hay when there is the greatest opportunity for successful drying, or early in the morning after the dew has dried off. As the old saying goes, “make hay while the sun shines!”

Why do farmers bale hay at night?

Hay Master

Night baling is an option to have enough moisture to save the leave when baling. For you and day time baling, the time of day to rake hay is in the morning when the humidity is above 90%. (Now the hay could care less what the humidity is at the house, weather station, or in the field but at belly level.)

Can you Ted hay twice?

it is rare that we only ted twice. we ted right after mowing as it gets all the hay fluffed up and the driven over parts unmatted. it will dry faster and evener. it is important to ted SLOW the first time so you can pick it all up.

How soon should you tedder hay after cutting?

Initial tedding should be performed after a brief wilting period following a morning cutting while the hay is still moist (two to four hours). In very damp conditions, tedding may need to be done immediately after cutting. A second pass is usually done the next day, and the hay is raked and baled that afternoon.

Can you rake hay with a tedder?

A hay tedder is used to spread out the hay crop as wide as the cut width of the hay conditioner or mower. When fields are damp due to rain or high humidity, the use of a hay tedder helps the crop to dry out before being raked and baled.

Can hay be too dry to bale?

While hay with exceptionally low moisture might not be at risk of growing mold and bacteria, that's because much of that hay's nutritional value is already gone. When hay is too dry before baling, the leaves of the forage become stiff and brittle, making them much more likely to fall off.

Can you bale hay on a cloudy day?

Changing weather conditions are always a source of stress for farmers and ranchers. As many of you know, this is particularly true in hay making, where you need several consecutive days of warm, dry weather to mow, ted, rake and bale.

What do Tedders do?

A tedder (also called hay tedder) is a machine used in haymaking. It is used after cutting and before windrowing, and uses moving forks to aerate or "wuffle" the hay and thus speed up the process of hay-making. The use of a tedder allows the hay to dry ("cure") better, which results in improved aroma and color.

Does hay dry faster in windrow?

Hay will need half as much pan evaporation (dry twice as fast) when it covers the entire cut area (windrow width/mowed width = 1) as compared to covering one fourth of the cut area (e.g. a 12' swath vs. a 3' wide windrow); this is the most important thing a farmer can do to make hay dry faster.

How fast should you run a tedder?

Run the tedder with no more than 350 rpm's better 300 rpm's. The idea is to stir up the hay & not sling it a half mile. Rake or run a tedder immediately after mowing or at first light with a dew. I Note Alfalfa will have less leaf shattering than bermudagrass hay.

Do you Ted alfalfa?

Tedders are commonly used to spread out grasses and speed drying. But many growers won't use them on alfalfa. If the hay is too dry, tedding can knock off leaves, which robs the crop of much of its protein. ... “If you ted 24 hours or so later, your leaf loss is pretty high with alfalfa.”

How do you know when hay is cured?

Breaking stems in half or twisting them in a circular motion to see if the stems break cleanly will give farmers the go-ahead to bale. “If all the stems break and crack that's an indication that the hay is cured and then you can rely on the moisture test that you're getting from the probe,” Yaremcio said.

Why is it called a Tedder?

A horse-drawn implement for fluffing hay after it was cut, and primarily after windrowing. It was intended to stir up and turn over extra heavy hay to help the part near the ground to dry, or to help the drying of cut grass that had been dampened by an unexpected rain.

How long is hay good for?

Storing Hay

You can store hay indefinitely if the stack is managed correctly; although, in humid climates, using hay within three years of harvest is ideal. Hay growers need to bale it at correct moisture levels because if it's baled too damp the hay will generate heat, which leads to molding.

What does tedding hay do?

Simply put, tedding lifts and separates hay in order to hasten dry-down time. Speeding dry-down saves time, gives hay producers greater flexibility and can result in higher quality forage, according to Josh Vrieze, Vermeer Corporation product manager.

Can you cut hay right after rain?

Rain doesn't hurt the freshly cut hay really at all and when the weather clears the ground is much dryer than if you try to cut right after the rain.

Can you mow hay at night?

Though starches and simple sugars accumulate during the day, a substantial amount of these carbohydrates are used up during the night for growth and maintenance (via the processes of respiration). Therefore, cutting the crop at night will likely maximize the sugar in the crop, at least at the time of cutting.

What humidity is best for baling hay?

When hay is baled, it should not be higher than 18 to 22 percent moisture. At higher levels of moisture, bales lose large amounts of dry matter (Figure 1) caused by excessive heating and molding (Figure 2).