What to do with too much grass?

[Perissa]

My grass is about 4ft long!! I have 6 and 1/2 acres but I am only using about an acre. I have 2 horses and 3 litle ponies and all are extremely good doers.

Baling isn't an option as the 6 1/2 acres is divided into 14 paddocks! I am not taking the electric fencing down!!

Some I can strip graze but what do I do with the rest of it? Someone suggested a flail (sp?) mower, cutting the grass into little pieces and leaving it on the ground. Good idea or not?

 

[AngieandBen]

Get either some sheep on it, rent it out, If you had it flailed it would still need collecting up as the grass underneath will go mouldy.

Or leave it for them to eat over winter. Before I had my 5 acres cut for hay, I used to let it grow all summer and put my two ponies on it over winter ( It was sectioned into 3 ) they lived out unrugged and it lasted until April!

 

[TigerTail]

Er take the fencing down and have it mown for hay , complete waste of grass and money to do anything else

 

[YasandCrystal]

Could you not let for summer grass livery?

 

[Fransurrey]

It might be a pain in the bum, but I really would get it mown for hay. 5+ acres will probably give you at least enough for yours, plus some to sell! The way hay prices are going, this would be my move.

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

If you can't make hay, don't want the bother of sheep, or liveries horses on it etc, I would be inclined to mow it, then keep it regularly mowed and use it as an area for riding and jumping on.

 

[mandwhy]

Can you not leave it as standing hay?

I don't know much about doing that but here is a random post about it!

http://uknhcp.myfastforum.org/sutra15609.php

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I have 1.5 acres of extremely long (ready for good hay cut) grass.
This is the Fuzzies November/December ration - they will be strip grazed on it & believe me - it will be as bare as anything by xmas.
Another acre is being part time strip grazed - this wont be down till end Aug at this rate with the sun & rain had it been like last summer, it would already be bare dust & the game of 'hunt the blade of grass' for the 2 x tubby Fuzzies would commence in there
2 other small paddocks were rather buttercup filled & overlong - I got a neighbour to the yard to bring his ride-on mower & this did a great job - Tiny Fuzzy is really peeved as tho she is still in her 'Lecter mask, she has no length on whats left.

 

[Pale Rider]

You can leave it and graze through the winter, its called foggage.

 

[Rueysmum]

Leave it for them to eat during winter, but not all at once. Strip graze onto it gradually. That's what I do and it gives them some bulk as well as a reason to gallop up the hill in the mornings in winter.

 

[canteron]

Do you have any farmers locally with cows?

If so, contact them and ask if they would like to make silage out of the grass, they will then cut it and collect for you.

To get someone to make hay for you now will probably be very expensive and you will have to search quite hard, whereas a cattle farmer might well be able to use the silage and so should do it for nothing.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Strip graze over the winter as standing hay. Very cheap hay . (aka deferred grazing. I do it every year with cattle and have done it with horses too).

 

[Perissa]

About 3 acres of it is my summer grazing fields and far too wet to use during the winter. I shall have a go at foggaging my winter fields though.

Rather annoyingly I fertilised my fields this spring, because of poor grass yield last year from lack of rain.

At the moment they are grazing on their spring fields. There is still so much grass in them I am strip grazing. I really can't see them getting out onto the summer fields at all this year.

I suppose I could take in a couple of grass liveries for a couple of months. I am VERY fussy though! My fields get poo picked twice a day with no exceptions

 

[eriskaydales]

Got three fields the same waist high as they have managed to stay in one field this year. As long as it doesn't snow will last our boys all winter.

 

[Muddipaws]

My grass is about 4ft long!! I have 6 and 1/2 acres but I am only using about an acre. I have 2 horses and 3 litle ponies and all are extremely good doers.

Baling isn't an option as the 6 1/2 acres is divided into 14 paddocks! I am not taking the electric fencing down!!

Some I can strip graze but what do I do with the rest of it? Someone suggested a flail (sp?) mower, cutting the grass into little pieces and leaving it on the ground. Good idea or not?

I don't let mine get that far I offer my paddock to other owners to graze it down before I put my horse on it (he easily gains weight). I then put him on it, and rotate the other horse weekly and it works well