Small scale DIY hay

[BJ37]

Has anybody tried making hay using the lawnmower? How about when cutting long grass, it was picked up and put on a wire screen in a thin layer. If needed, put a fan blowing air up and through it to help dry. Once it was dry, just pile it out of the way and make more the next time you mow some good grass. It seems like I could get some good hay by doing something like this. (Looking for methods to minimize the cost and reliance on commercial businesses for raising rabbits.)

 

[RyansRabbits]

I have wondered that myself but was unsure about trying as I don't know if any residues from mowing with something that uses gas and oil would be left on the grass.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Most hay is cut with machies that run on gas and oil or diesel...along with grain being harvested with gas/diesel burning machinery.... My guess is that it would be fine as log as the mower doesn't have a gas or oil leak..

 

[bjjohns]

We've fed out rabbits hay using a lawnmower, powered hedge clippers, and just scissors (as well as bought hay). We are currently supplementing ours with fodder. We have grass tolerant bunnies, so we can also put litters out in a rabbit tractor to reduce feed costs spring-summer-winter.
Rabbit tractor

 

[Sycamore27]

My concept for the future, when I have a yard of my own to experiment with this, is to use an electric mower (preferable charging not corded after watching others struggle with the corded) and dry on wire racks for winter food cost cutting as well as feeding fresh to supplement during the summer. Hopefully the electric mower would cut the amount of residue left on the hay to some extent.
I would pair that with cutting cover crops of clover, alfalfa, oats and so forth off of my garden beds and drying those to get a hay yield from my garden rotations as well.
Cheers,
Jessie

 

[nmred]

We are thinking of doing something along these lines for our goats as well. The lawn mower cuts things into really small/short pieces which are great for rabbits, but not for the goats, so we bought a sythe which we are going to use to cut the weeds when they get tall enough. We'll dry those like you said, and feed this winter to goats and rabbits alike. Hope it works! It will save lots of $$$. (We're lucky--there aren't any poisonous or dangerous weeds growing around here, so we don't have to worry about feeding it)

 

[secuono]

I do it all the time and store it in large moving boxes for winter use.

Just mow the lawn, leave it 2-3 days in the sun to dry and then rake it up. Store in a breathable container. Pick a weekend that will stay dry for the whole process.
Make sure deadly weeds are removed or not growing in the area, too.

 

[bubba1358]

We are thinking of doing something along these lines for our goats as well. The lawn mower cuts things into really small/short pieces which are great for rabbits, but not for the goats, so we bought a sythe which we are going to use to cut the weeds when they get tall enough. We'll dry those like you said, and feed this winter to goats and rabbits alike. Hope it works! It will save lots of $$$. (We're lucky--there aren't any poisonous or dangerous weeds growing around here, so we don't have to worry about feeding it)

I second this. I've got a scythe too, which is great for getting a nice, clean cut. It naturally deposits the hay into windrows, which dry in the sun for about 2-3 days before they're ready to store. My donkey and sheep LOVE the resulting hay, and it's easy to ration so none is wasted like with those big rolls. It's quiet, clean, and "runs on breakfast" - nice little workout too, and fast once you get the hang of it. I have a short blade for heavier grasses, but if I give it a really good sharpening, it'll cut "lawn" grasses, too. But you can get grass blades designed for shorter grasses that will leave the resulting hay smaller.