Cutting the hay...

[Shakey Jake]

When I was a kid we had a baler that did the square bales. Geesh, I would have given up almost anything not to have to shuck hay. Picking up bales, stacking them on the trailer, and then having to stack them in the barn. My, I really don't miss those days at all.
Jake

[dave77]

I still need about 10 bales to get my 2 goats through the winter. Grass hay and most around here have gone to 75lb bales. A lot easier than the 2 tons of 100lb bales I needed when I had my horse and goats. I don't think I could get a 100lb bale 5 high anymore.

[dave77]

We are feeding out now to the cattle, alpaca, goats and deer.

Funny that I see deer around my place year around, they come down to the creek and I occasionally see them in my pasture (they can jump my 5 foot fence like it's not even there) but I've never seen any sign of them getting into my hay.

[Stray Cat]

When I grew up on the farm, the best thing I liked about a hay field was when it saw a moldboard plow! But then the previous year's cornstalks were disced and overseeded with oats, clover, alfalfa, and timothy to start the cycle all over again. It was a great feeling when we had three barns full, you can't beat the feeling of seeing fat content cattle during the winter.

[BrokenolMarine]

We have herds of deer in the pecan orchard year round, but especially heavy in the winter when the old pecans are on the ground. At first the donkey would chase them off if he and the cows were down there, but now they are all best of buds. Fawns will graze right along side his grumpy old butt. Anything Canine is in his sights though.

[Cowboy Gun Fan]

I used to let the deer hang around my land. One time I counted 25. They got so used to me that they would just stand still and watch me. One day walking down a path, a deer just stood there as I was approaching. She wouldn't move and I finally had to stop and tell her to get out of my way. But, I had too much trouble with ticks. I hated it, but finally had to run them off. It took a little while, but they seemed to have gotten the message. I rarely have a couple just once in a while.

[BrokenolMarine]

We don't let them up near the farmhouse, or the coops. They are down in the orchard or in the north pasture. We don't have too many problems with Ticks as we have free range guineas, which can fly really high and the coyotes can't normally catch them. We have less problems with coyotes now because donkey likes to stomp them into paste.

[BrokenolMarine]

He will also kick them like a soccer ball, then scream GOOOOOAL in donkey.

[Vaquero]

Hey, John M, I really like that hay wagon there.
Had horses for many years, so I know all about those square bales.
I do miss them a little. My brother and I had cows for a number of years, we did the round bales for them.
Always liked cutting hay, and all that went with it, as long as we rolling, instead of baling.

RP