| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| Crookham Farm |
Old HayWhen we moved into our new house last august, we discovered that approximately 300 bales of old hay had been left in the big tin shed at the bottom of the hill. It's at least 3 years old, and I certainly wouldn't feed it to any animals unless I was desperate!But what do we do with it, and how on earth do we get rid of it?! 
I've stuck some into the compost, but there's a limit to how much the heaps can take! We've used some of the intact bales to build pig housing (along with some fencing posts and crinkly tin to hold it all together). But we still have about 250 bales (most of which have had thier string chewed by the smallholder's favourite rodent! Does anyone have any suggestions? All ideas gratefully received 
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| Brownbear |
Bonfire night - invite the public, sell tickets, sell food on the night. Build a bale castle or something and put a match to it. | ||
| TheGrange |
don't burn hay,,, it smoulders and smokes .. you'll be more than likely in a lot of bother with the neighbours, the hay after 3 years should be ok as fodder, for something, if not bedding, don't you have a famrer who'll take it for bedding, or a zoo, or an animal shelter near you?
Put it in the free paper, someone will take it off you hands, especially if you offer it for free
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| Brownbear |
Drench it in meths first. That will have the side benefit of attracting lots of tramps who will, when the flame is lit, run out of the hay-fort with their beards ablaze, adding to the 'Ooh!' factor of your event. |
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| TheGrange |
do u appropriate the meths from the tramps first? | ||
| Brownbear |
Are you kidding? They will give up their meths when you pry it from their cold, dead hands. |
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| TheGrange |
aha, so your cunning plan is an expensive solution | ||
| Crookham Farm |
teehee, I wish I was artistic and could draw some of the mental images, but I wouldn't do them jsutice.
We did use some to kick start a bonfire last year (suitably "encouraged" by a bit of 4star) but it's going to take forever to get through it that way. I might try sticking it in the free paper, that's a good plan. Most of the bales fall apart when you try to pick them up, do you think people would be put off? |
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| TheGrange |
possibly, dont tell the sukka's - i mean helpful folk ... no but seriously explain that they will need a suitable truck/trailer/container to remove it.
If no desperate need wait till nearer winter then ppl will be on the look out for bedding - unless u have strawberry plans afoot then you cna use it instead of straw?
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| judith |
Nooooo. Don't use it as mulch. You will end up with a lawn instead of a vegetable bed. Ask me how I know this.
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| Crookham Farm |
I don't think i would mind ending up with more grass.... actually I take that back, if I have more grass I have to cut more grass. hmm, I see the problem!!!
Do you think it's worth sticking a note on teh trading post, or would I do better with local sukkas, whoops people?! |
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| Green Rosie |
We burnt ours back in January although it did go better when we cut open the bales and scattered it a bit. | ||
| Mutton |
Also could offer on Freecycle.org | ||
| dpack |
dont waste it
bedding ,if only we were neighbours ,spread it on the worst patch of land as deep as needed and wait for the worms to do their wonderful thing ,wind break ,etc a good resource not a problem 
make friends with the locals by offering it free for collection ,recon my best thought so far it is unlikely to be "good"hay but it still is lots and useful |
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| nettie |
I used to use old stuff for soaking up the mud round poached gateways in winter, and there was always a nice new crop of grass in Spring 
Mind you 250 bales is a lot of gateways
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| towerhill |
As dpack said use it on your land. Just spread the bails out then plow it back in. Or if you have pigs let them tread it into the ground.
If it's square bails you could always use it to build a shed or stable or something. It may not last as long as a straw bail construction but I'm sure you'll get a few years worth of shelter from it. If the worst comes to the worst you could always use it to decorate a Cajun night and use it as bespoke seating. Anyone on here do Cajun music and food? |
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| bring me sunshine |
Boy, what wouldn't I give for a few bales of old hay right now to put down in my pig pens and along the path across the field! | ||
| Tavascarow |
If it has been well made & stored then it will still be OK for sheep & bullocks. I wouldn't feed it to horses but you should be able to sell it for £1.00 or £1.50 a bale.
Good small bale hay last winter was selling for £2.50 to £3.00 a bale. Remember we have had two very wet summers & might have another yet (or a drought), hay is scarce, sell it. |
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| Sally |
We have a few bales left of 3 yr old hay in our barn. We baled this ourselves and have used it for horses over the last 3 winters.
The good stuff is now all finished & we have about 30 ropey bales left to go. (String is still good - we've no rodents due to a JRT and some kitties.) I have now used quite a few of the "bottom row" bales as mulch round raspberries and other fruits. We had no grass germinate in it. (Perhaps our harvest time was pre-seed-setting?) I also put a half bale under the horse manure in each of my polytunnel beds. I only added epsom salts to counter a Magnesium deficiency and grew great toms and courgettes there. Our last hay will be used round all our newly planted nut trees. Cardboard first then a thick layer of old hay. Works a treat! As a last resort, you could put it out to rot. A farmer once baled around 600 bales from my parent's land and stacked it in the corner of the field. The tarp he put on it flew away (and my parents returned it a few times for him) but eventually the hay just disappeared! Rotted right away. The heap sank in the middle first then fell in on itself. Luckily it was real old twine not the modern plastic stuff. |