A silly grass question-can you keep lawn grass cuttings for winter?

[chicks & ducks]

I just posted this on byc as well...

Hubby and I were discussing how-if the goats and alpacas eat grass etc in the summer is it possible to save lawn mower trimmings to give in winter in addition to the hay we have to buy? Perhaps a silly question-but we're wondering none the less.

If it IS possible to keep-how do you store it? We normally just chuck ours on the compost pile and it disappears on it's own.

 

[DonnaBelle]

Hi,

Well, I do know that hay has to be left in the field to dry before it's bailed. If not dry, it molds and is not good.

So if you could get the grass dryed out, I would think that might work. But you need to keep if from getting wet.

DonnaBelle

 

[sammileah]

I store mine in garbage bags with as much air squeezed out as possable. couple things tend to happen.
1. if to moist it is compost
2. turns into silage (good protien)
3. molds and it goes to compost
4. drys nice and works great for feed and bedding.

keep in mind most lawns are grass that has little nutrients. now mine is very weedy so

 

[getchasome]

could you save it in those big vacuum sealed bags that can be used to store blankets flat?

 

[freemotion]

I would be reluctant to try to make haylage on a small scale...too many risks for me. But I've dried plenty of "lawn hay" and stored it in grain sacks for my chickens for the winter and they eat it up. The goats show only slight interest in it. They need something a bit coarser than our lawnmower makes, and prefer the hay from the bales.

I just empty the bag from the mower onto the swept driveway on a hot, slightly breezy day, spread it out with a rake into a thin layer (less than an inch) and go out every hour and turn it with a stall-cleaning fork (like a Future Fork, that type.)

When it is crispy-dry throughout, I rake it into a pile and bag it in feed sacks, tie them up with twine, and store them on top of the hay bales. I use NO chemicals, even fertilizer, on my lawn. The fast-growing spring grass is the most nutritious.

 

[chicks & ducks]

I would be reluctant to try to make haylage on a small scale...too many risks for me. But I've dried plenty of "lawn hay" and stored it in grain sacks for my chickens for the winter and they eat it up. The goats show only slight interest in it. They need something a bit coarser than our lawnmower makes, and prefer the hay from the bales.

I just empty the bag from the mower onto the swept driveway on a hot, slightly breezy day, spread it out with a rake into a thin layer (less than an inch) and go out every hour and turn it with a stall-cleaning fork (like a Future Fork, that type.)

When it is crispy-dry throughout, I rake it into a pile and bag it in feed sacks, tie them up with twine, and store them on top of the hay bales. I use NO chemicals, even fertilizer, on my lawn. The fast-growing spring grass is the most nutritious.

Ok we maybe won't give it to the goats but we do have 8 chickens(and 5 ducks((plus whatever mother nature blesses us with this year) so that is definitely an idea!

Thanks everybody for your responses! Much appreciated.