Ranch chores

[Faster horses]

Last I knew they were still staking hay with Beaverslides in the Big Hole country of Montana. They used them in the Blackfoot Valley around Helmville too.

Better take a drive, Alabama. That's a real part of history, those beaverslides.

 

[EastTexasGal]

I would have never known what it was. I have seen them, but that was it. Down here in the South we have never used them in my area anyways. We had a system similar to put hay in lofts but that was it. Little before our time I suppose...lol, we have always square baled then went to round bales. Even pictures I have from when My g.father hayed here, he just put it on a wagon bed and pushed it off into a crib similar to a corn crib. I do find it all very interesting on how differently we all do things.

Just wondering if maybe why we dont do it around her, that the humidity plays a factor? in the moisture? to much rain ? etc? Something that I would love to know the answers to.

Alabama, you up to the research?lol...

Easty

 

[MsSage]

Bama....we cant stack hay with the humidity being so high. I have seen something like it to laod the hay loft.
I dont even remember them from upstate NY. We either had piles of hay or lofts of small square bales. Loved the farms that had piles....got to jump in them from the rafters hmmmmmmm
It is cool to see how other parts have to adjust to thier conditions.

 

[Ranch Mom]

Bama, jinglebob and fh are right. We are stacking hay with a slide stacker. This particular model was fabricated in Valentine NE. It is an all metal stacker, head is powered through a tractor pto and winch system. I too was a newbie to stacking when I met k_ranch, but now I am completely sold on them. The advantages are numerous, 1. humidity is not a problem, you cut the hay with a sickle bar mower and it lays flat until it dries out. Then you straight rake it with a dump rake, bunch it with a sweep, push the bunches to the stacker, load the head and lift it up over and into the cage with the head. We used a weber built wooden slide stacker until a few years ago. 2. The hay keeps in a stack beautifully for years, we just got done feeding stacks several years old that were green and like new inside, bales just don't last quite that long, in our experience. 3. We can feed hundreds of cattle in short order (seven ton stack in 20 minutes stringing the hay out as far as you need it to be, and the hay is then in small bunches the calves can really nestle into for protection). Some places don't stack because they have to move the hay long distances, wind can be a factor moving stacks that have not settled and crusted over (on a truck). plus the size is inconvenient for some people trucking/handling.
Bales have their advantages too, one is that we really need a larger crew to stack well, another would be very hilly ground, and another is for someone that has many separate/far areas to hay. The stacker arms will fold down to go under power lines, but it is a hassle. I am going to post several pics from last summer stacking.... I chose this one because you can see our son brush up in the platform helping gramps. and the hay is flying all around.

 

[Faster horses]

ranchmom, isn't the hay superb quality put up that way, all other
things being equal: time of year, no rain, etc.

I think I've seen more beautiful hay put up this way than just about any other.

We did have a Hesston In-line (little square) baler that did a super job. Because it was a straight shot from the front to the back, there was so many more leaves on the hay. If you threw some over the fence for a horse, you got a lot of leaves in your face.

 

[EastTexasGal]

I still think there is more to it...or we would have seen it here before? not disputing and do understand why you do what you do.

But, our moisture in the ground down here is a lot more, even in drought situations. I guess this is one of the times I admit to being dumb lol..but want to know more ...we have a totally different type of hay to begin with, we do not do straw. We have a bermuda mix for most part. Just like we can not raise alfalfa down here because it will not cure properly or grow for that matter, to much mold. This is more of an education for me I suppose than for Alabama. Being from the Gulf Coast area things here are totally different than up North. I have learned that just by reading this board the last few years. I always am interested in way things are done.

Thank you Ranch mom for your explanation even though it was not really meant for me.

Easty

 

[Ranch Mom]

no problem, easty, it was meant for all :wink:

We really don't know why more areas don't use it (stacking). We put up timothy, brome grass, wheat grass, red clover and etc. in our hay meadows, which are subirrigated and somewhat wet. But we have no idea how hay cures and works in your neck of the woods, so we couldn't even guess how it's different. In this area, the round balers just completely overtook the market and there are very few people that still stack. A lot of the problem is finding good help just for haying season... :?

Alabama (and everyone) I put a whole bunch of pics of stacking in the everything else board so you can see what we are talking about.

 

[alabama]

Thank you for the pictures.
Stacking would just not work in Alabama. I would suspect the lose would be close to 70%.
I would think that a frash stack and a strong wind would couse you to have to restack?

 

[katrina]

Bama,
There's an art to stacking hay. Some loads you put in the front, some in the middle and some in the back. You can evan spread a load...... Some outfits put salt on the hay.. We never did but the neighbor did....
Wind usually doesn't bother the hay. One of the worst things that can happen is that you don't get the loads right and a stack falls.. I've had one side completly fall...... Not what you want....
I've also had the cable break and the stacker head fall to one side. And I have throw the stacker head in the cage before too. Almost lost my job on that one....
Years ago we used to have a hired hand that would sit on the cage and stack the hay by hand with a pitchfork. Any hay not in the right place he would pitchfork it and tromp it...