Feeding Value of Italian Ryegrass Hay Prepared in a Vinyl House

During rainy season, it is usually difficult to prepare hay, especially that of high quality. Authors conducted a study to enable farmers to prepare good hay economically, with as little labor as possible even during the rainy season. Methods: Italian ryegrass (before heading) was cut with a mower on a fine morning, dried under the sun until the evening, carried into a vinyl house (32m^2) and further dried for two to three days in the house either on the floor or on a wire hay rack. Results: Drying on a hay rack produced very good hay. The upper portion of the hay dried on the floor showed good quality, despite the higher water content as compared with that dried on a wire hay rack. The lower portion of the hay dried on the floor still contained too much water and was inappropriate for long term storage. Upper and lower portion of hay dried on the floor and hay dried on the rack were all taken wall by dairy cows, indicating no significant difference of the amount taken. (Received June 30, 1977)