# Lawn clippings as hay?



## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

Anyone do this for animal feed? We were thinking of buying a small push mower with a bag on the back of it to collect clippings for hay to feed the rabbits over the winter, and to use as bedding. If this is possible, would we be better off not using a bagger and just raking up the clippings once they dry?

We have a few acres of hay field that a neighbor collects hay on and raking up the remnants is a possibility, but the field is out a bit from the house. Would be nice to collect the grass clippings closer to the house each time we mow if possible. We were thinking of partitioning off a section of our small barn to toss it into.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

If you use a bagger, the grass won't dry and you run the risk of mold.

Most mowers will chop it far too fine to make good hay

You'd be better off to compost the clippings and buy a few bales of good quality hay


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

Agree with BearFoot. Unless you feed the grass clippings fresh, you are risking mold.

Unless you are thinking of letting the grass grow to 12" or more, than cutting, drying, raking and baling the grass.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

I was definitely thinking of drying it first.

Dh went overboard with the tiller this year making the garden way too big, so I was also thinking of planting timothy or something on half of the area he tilled up.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I use a walk behind sickle mower to make hay and a wood peg hay rake. Then move it to the barn with a big garden cart and walk it into a stall. I feed it to rabbits, chickens and 3 goats. Some for bedding....James


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

My nieghbor said he use to feed his fresh grass clippings to his rabbits and they loved it. 

Well, you can look at it this way: you can feed the rabbits the fresh clipping from spring to early fall and get free fresh healthy feed, and then you can buy some good hay for the winter to keep them until the grass comes back. It would save you money. 

Another option is to use the clippings and then take that extra plot you mentioned and grow timothy, let the timothy grow tall then cut it down with a manual weed wacker or a sythe. You could dry and store the timothy for the winter and not have buy any hay for the winter. This would save even more money.

I would spread the grass clipping out so they dont mold quickly. Do an experiement and see how long they will keep. if they only last three days or so, I would seperate three days worth of feed from the clippings pile and then dry out the remainder for bedding. Waste not, want not.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

put the stuff in trash bags then vacuum the air out and let sit for a few weeks.
You should have some fine haylage.


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## ||Downhome|| (Jan 12, 2009)

I did, let the grass get about 8" and put the deck on the lowest point.
mow one way then the other blowing the two stretch's into one row.

let it sit for a day in the sun then rake the two rows together by flipping the wet under side up. continue flipping and combining rows (as long as the pile is easily managed)

once its good and dry rake into stacks and start putting it up. dont get two far ahead of yourself the rows will still need flipping as they will absorb a bit of moisture from the ground. 

I did more or less 3 acres like this. a sickle bar would of been ideal but the dixon 0 turn did the job and any mower with a shoot should also. to rake it I used a big wide aluminum concrete rake.


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

In our experience, dry lawn clippings are excellent for brooding baby chicks and for filling nest boxes. Pigs like fresh lawn clippings.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

JH, the pig like to eat the clippings?


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

I dried bagged grass clipping for my ducks. As long as they are dried they work just fine as hay for poultry. Not sure about using them for large livestock.

I'll be trying buckwheat hay for my rabbits this year if the ground ever gets dry enough for me to till the plot again.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

Our garden is right near the small barn, so i'm going to try to get dh to make a simple drying rack with hardware cloth wire on 4 legs near the barn door.

Now if I can just get all the mice out of the barn...


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

I planted rye for fresh cut use for the rabbits. That way if I want to use the area for garden again it won't be hard to get rid of, like timothy grass would be. I will buy their winter hay.


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## City Bound (Jan 24, 2009)

Haven said:


> Our garden is right near the small barn, so i'm going to try to get dh to make a simple drying rack with hardware cloth wire on 4 legs near the barn door.
> 
> Now if I can just get all the mice out of the barn...



A roof made out of that corrogated clear plastic might help keep the rain off the racks.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

Instead of a push mower, you might try a gas weed eater.
I use an electric one to clip my back yard, and then feed that to my rabbits.
Have you consitered using a rabbit tractor?


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

There is some concern about a diet of only short fresh lawn clippings for big livestock - it might pack up in them. As a part of their diet, works great.

In my climate, it would be very difficult to dry lawn clippings doen dry enough for hay. Can see it working fine, just don't think I could get it dry 'here' reliably. It needs to be really dry. Butwould be good grass hay if you can dry it.

Most weed herbicides aren't too big of a problem with a week or so of restrictions, but if you wish to collect from neighbors or some such, something to think about......

--->Paul


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

I use my grass clippings as mulch in the garden and when I have enough for that, I dump the rest to the chickens. They love it. It looks great in the garden too.


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## kjmatson (Jul 22, 2008)

Haven said:


> Anyone do this for animal feed? .


Yes and in fact I cut more lastnight. I don't have a sicklebar mower yet, so I use my overkill husqvarna weed wacker, it cuts it at length instead of clipping it little pieces. I also do this and fill the garden with the grass inbetween rows.I have a lot of clover, grass and dandelion in our yard, just about an acre. For 3 years now I have let it get to about 6 inches and cut it all down in rows, let it dry, rake it up and stuff it in burlap feed bags. After the grass stops growing so fast I just use the tractor and mow it.

I use it to feed rabbits and chickens in the winter.


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## Haven (Aug 16, 2010)

kjmatson said:


> grass and dandelion in our yard, just about an acre. For 3 years now I have let it get to about 6 inches and cut it all down in rows, let it dry, rake it up and stuff it in burlap feed bags.


Do you have issues with the dandelion heads not drying out completely?

Squashnut, I do plan on making a portable tractor for pasturing them a bit. Also, I do have a gas powered string brush mower on 3 wheels.


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## postroad (Jan 19, 2009)

I divide the lawn into sections and mow one section each day of the week. This gives enough fresh grass clippings for the hens. Only mow about ten minutes each day because most of the yard is in gardens.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

postroad said:


> I divide the lawn into sections and mow one section each day of the week. This gives enough fresh grass clippings for the hens. Only mow about ten minutes each day because most of the yard is in gardens.


this is what I do for my rabbits too.


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## postroad (Jan 19, 2009)

SquashNut said:


> this is what I do for my rabbits too.


I have taken to fertilizing the lawn with organic lawn fertilizer to increase production of cheap feed supplement.


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## kjmatson (Jul 22, 2008)

Haven said:


> Do you have issues with the dandelion heads not drying out completely?
> 
> Squashnut, I do plan on making a portable tractor for pasturing them a bit. Also, I do have a gas powered string brush mower on 3 wheels.


I haven't. I do a section at a time, a tank of gas every other night. If a few look a little green I just toss them aside.


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

City Bound said:


> JH, the pig like to eat the clippings?


Our pigs will eat them when they are fresh.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

My vet advised against giving my pet rabbit grass clippings. Too much chance of rodents having run through & infecting Buns with listeriosis. Sue


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## CarolynRenee (Jan 30, 2008)

I just fed my goats two bags of grass/weed clippings this evening. In the spring / summer months I supplement the grass clippings with their hay. They all run to the manger when I start up the lawn mower 'cause they know they will be getting fresh greens. I use a push mower with a bag.


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## watcher (Sep 4, 2006)

There are a couple problems with "haying" lawn clippings. One is getting them dry. It take a lot of raking, spreading, raking, spreading and. . . .

The second is the individual clippings are so small and fragile the hay turns into powder if you stack it too tall/deep or move it around much.


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## SquashNut (Sep 25, 2005)

watcher said:


> There are a couple problems with "haying" lawn clippings. One is getting them dry. It take a lot of raking, spreading, raking, spreading and. . . .
> 
> The second is the individual clippings are so small and fragile the hay turns into powder if you stack it too tall/deep or move it around much.


that's why I suggested a weed eater.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

CarolynRenee said:


> They all run to the manger when I start up the lawn mower 'cause they know they will be getting fresh greens. I use a push mower with a bag.


My cattle do that here too - when the wife bags the lawn if it gets too tall, she's going past the cattle yard 75% of the time & dumps the clippings in their feeder. They look pretty disappointed when she goes by & no bagger on. 

Not that this is a large part of the cattle feed in the big picture, but enough that they notice.

--->Paul


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Haven said:


> Anyone do this for animal feed?


I have fed rabbits grass clippings for many years. Just make sure there isn't any milk weed in it.


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## Silvercreek Farmer (Oct 13, 2005)

If you have the time and it makes you feel good go for it. I fantasized about making small scale hay for years but could never come up with anything even remotely efficient. My time is tight and I just couldn't get anywhere close when you can buy a square bale for $4-6 or a round bale for $20-30.


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