Is straw better than hay for bedding?
They look similar, but while straw makes excellent bedding for outdoor cat shelters, hay becomes a soggy mess. Hay is typically used to feed animals, like horses. It soaks up moisture, making it cold and uncomfortable for cats—and has the potential to get moldy.
Which is better for gardening hay or straw?
When deciding on hay vs straw, straw is the better option for the veggie garden. Hay bales often contain weed seeds and you don't want to make more work for yourself!
Whats better for grass straw or hay?
Choose hay from crops specifically planted for forage, such as alfalfa or timothy grass, to feed various animals. Aged hay contains nutrients that can enrich the soil. Fact 2: Straw is the hollow shaft left over after crops have been harvested. The stiff, hollow composition of straw makes it a great insulator.
Is there a difference in straw and hay?
Hay is a crop that is grown and harvested as a feed crop for cattle, horses and other farm animals. Straw on the other hand is a byproduct of a grain crop; in our area it's usually usually wheat straw that we see.
Can hay get moldy?
Mold will grow on hay without preservative at moisture levels above 14% to 15%. The mold growth produces heat and can result in large amounts of dry matter and TDN (total digestible nutrient) loss – a loss of carbohydrates and binding of proteins.
Does straw keep weeds from growing?
Straw blocks out the sun, preventing most weeds from germinating and growing. First, make sure your weeds are gone from your garden bed. Then lay down the straw immediately. It will not only keep weeds from growing, but also keep the soil moist, soft and workable.
Why do farmers leave hay bales in the field?
You might find hay bales left in a field simply because a farmer hasn't had time to stop by and grab the bales yet. Most farmers work overtime during the summer to get the hay in the barn by the time the fields stop producing.
What animal eats straw?
However, straw is a good alternative in rations for cows and sheep if properly supplemented with higher quality feedstuffs. Differences in feeding value do exist among the straws. Oats is the most palatable and nutritious; barley straw is second and wheat straw has the lowest nutritional value of the main grains.
Is straw cheaper than hay?
Is straw or hay cheaper? Straw is way cheaper than hay. The average straw bale only costs under $3 while the hay bale starts at $7 and above.
Does hay stop weeds?
Aside from well-aged compost, hay is arguably the best mulch for a vegetable garden. Like straw, it's a good insulator, effective against weeds, and breaks down quickly to enrich the soil.
Does straw have pesticides?
A: Wheat straw that is not "organic" is usually sprayed with pesticides while it is growing (usually 2,4-d which has a 14 day half life) and then sprayed with a non toxic sticker during the baling process.
Do horses eat straw or hay?
Horses will nibble at straw, but it won't hurt them to eat it. Unlike hay, it provides no nutrients, but the fibrous material can keep the gut moving. Your best choice is probably wheat straw, if available, because horses usually won't eat it.
Whats better for mulch hay or straw?
Alfalfa Hay/Pellets Though more expensive, alfalfa offers all the advantages of straw plus the added bonus of more nutrition. Straw is a carbon source whereas alfalfa contains more nitrogen that moves into the soil.
Is straw good to mix in garden soil?
Do not mix straw into the garden soil, as it will change the carbon/nitrogen ratio of the soil and throw things out of balance; rather, let it break down on top as a mulch. It will work its way in once it has broken down and not disrupt the lifecycles of the organisms in the soil that way.
Is it good to put straw in your garden?
Benefits to the Garden. Straw is an ideal mulch material for many reasons. It is light and easy to work with, fairly inexpensive, and readily available from local farms and garden centers. It helps regulate moisture and temperature, reduces necessary weeding, and builds healthy soil.
Is hay good for vegetable garden?
Aside from well-aged compost, hay is arguably the best mulch for a vegetable garden. Like straw, it's a good insulator, effective against weeds, and breaks down quickly to enrich the soil. Alfalfa hay is especially good, because as a legume, it provides nitrogen to your soil.
How to insulate a chicken coop?
Stacking straw bales along the inside walls and allowing for a nice deep layer on the floor in the winter is an inexpensive way to insulate your coop. Filling your chicken nesting boxes with straw can help prevent frozen eggs. Some say that straw can attract chicken mites to your coop. I don’t agree.
Why do chickens use straw?
Because the hollow tubes retain warm air, straw is also an excellent way to keep your coop warmer in the winter.
What animals eat hay?
Horses, cows, sheep, and dairy goats all eat hay, especially in the winter months when there is no fresh grass available to graze. Smaller animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs also eat hay. Hay is usually a shade of light green and smells good — like a sunny field on a warm summer day.
Can you use straw in a chicken coop?
Hay for the horses to eat and straw for the chicken coop and nesting boxes. I do recommend using straw in your backyard chicken coop, but if you choose to use hay , for economical or logistic/convenience, just be sure to check it frequently and remove any wet or damp hay to prevent mold or mildew from building up in your coop litter.
Can straw attract mites?
Some say that straw can attract chicken mites to your coop. I don’t agree. I have been using straw in our coop in warm, humid Virginia (optimal mite breeding ground!) for more than five years and never had any problem whatsoever. Mites and lice feast on blood and skin tissue, not straw.
Can diatomaceous earth be put in straw tubes?
They are not going to live inside straw tubes for very long, if at all. A good diatomaceous earth use (food grade) is to sprinkle it on the floor of our coop and in the nesting boxes as a natural way to kill parasites and also use lots of dried and fresh herbs in the coop which help repel them.
Is straw cheaper than hay?
Straw is far less expensive than hay in our area, selling for under $4/square bale. So logically, we use straw and hay for their intended purposes. Since hay is more nutritious but more expensive, we buy hay solely for the horses to eat. Since straw is cheaper, dried and therefore less likely to mold or attract moisture, ...
What Is Hay?
Hay is an agricultural product comprised of cut grass, legumes, and other herbaceous plants, dried and stored as animal fodder.
What is the difference between straw mulch and hay mulch?
The difference between a hay mulch and a straw mulch is that hay can decompose faster than straw because it has more moisture content. Straw, on the other hand, will take more moisture out of the soil before it decomposes.
How to tell if straw is hay or hay?
The simplest way to differentiate the two is by saying that hay is a product, whereas straw is a byproduct.
What is the best mulch for a garden?
Both straw and hay are suitable mulching materials for your garden.
What is the difference between hay and straw?
If you have plans to own a horse or take care of livestock and poultry, knowing the difference between hay and straw is very important. Hay is basically a plant-product preserved to become animal feed. Straw, on the other hand, is a waste product of agriculture with a lot of uses.
Why do you feed straw to livestock?
Feed your livestock straw as part of their diet during winter to help them survive the cold. The energy their body uses to digest this roughage can help maintain body heat. Hay has the leaf and seed material that contains all the nutrients that animals need in their diet.
Why do farmers add green cereal to hay?
Sometimes, farmers also add green cereal stems to the hay mixture, but these become straw because farmers cannot harvest the stems without wasting the grains.
What is the best compost to use for raccoons?
Hay and straw are great as compost topping, as they can cover up egg shells, fruit peels, and vegetable ends to deter raiders. In fact, a top coat of hay or straw is essential if you’re trying not to attract the local raccoon to your yard. They’re not interchangeable, though.
How does straw bale gardening work?
Straw bale gardening works because the straw just composts, giving all its nutrients to your seeds. The bottom line to remember is that straw won’t compete with your plants, but hay will. Think of it this way: the hay will say “hey!” to your plants, and you don’t want them socializing.
What is the best material to put in a compost pile?
Both straw and hay are great additions to the compost pile. They’re brown matter, meaning they add a boost of quickly composting dead matter (carbon) to your pile. This is ideal in the summer especially, when most of your compost heap will be green matter (nitrogen).
How to kill hay sprouts?
If you haven’t planted yet, but you’re seeing a lot of little, green hay sprouts, try spritzing the bale with a vinegar-soap-salt solution to kill the seedlings. A solution comprised of 3 parts vinegar, 1 part liquid soap, and 2 parts saltwater should do the trick.
Why do you need to dry straw bales?
They have to be completely dry, because moisture in straw creates heat, and that heat can combust under pressure. Hay’s natural moisture content is significantly higher than straw, though they are both dry to the touch.
What is straw bale house?
Straw bale homes are a popular alternative housing option. Their thick walls hold in heat, and provide sturdy walls to withstand harsh weather. But can you build a straw-bale house with hay?
How much does hay weigh?
They’re easy to transport compared to larger bales, usually only weighing between 50 and 75 lbs. Large, round bales can weigh over 2000 pounds! They provide a lot of feed on large farms, but are obviously more difficult to transport.
What Do You Think?
What is your favorite mulch to use in your garden, and why? Do you have any other tips for getting mulching materials inexpensively or for free? Let us know in the comments!
Why is straw a plus?
Because straw is fluffier and makes less direct contact with the soil, it takes longer to decompose . . . which is both a plus and a minus. If you want to add nutrients, this is a minus, but if maintaining a cover or walkway is important, then it’s a plus.
What mulches are used in the world?
All mulches perform this action, including our straw and hay—but did you know that other mulches used around the world have included wood chips, bark, pine needles, shredded leaves, and even rocks ?
What happens when hay decomposes?
As hay decomposes, it is broken down by various bacteria and other organisms that all use nitrogen, just as we discussed for the decomposition of straw. So what happens is that these organisms get a new food source (your hay compost) and they multiply rapidly, which depletes the soil of nitrogen.
What is the stalk of a cereal crop?
Straw is the stalk of a cereal crop such as oats, barley, wheat, or rye after harvesting has removed the seed heads.
What does hay smell like?
The best hay smells sweet, and if you take a handful and get it wet, it still looks like grass. (Straw has an almost exclusively yellow color when it is baled, and just a hint of a smell.)
Can you use straw mulch instead of hay mulch?
Use hay mulch instead of straw mulch if you can only choose one. If you can use both, do.
Why is hay bale good for gardening?
Hay holds moisture, allowing seeds on top to sprout, which is why some consider hay bale gardening to be such a great thing. But if you’re trying to suppress weeds, do you really want this? And often the hay itself contains seeds that will sprout once they get wet, so you could end up with a living pathway until the dry weather dries out the topmost layers of your mulch again.
Why is straw a plus?
Because straw is fluffier and makes less direct contact with the soil, it takes longer to decompose . . . which is both a plus and a minus. If you want to add nutrients, this is a minus, but if maintaining a cover or walkway is important, then it’s a plus.
Why did the people of Easter Island use volcanic rocks?
The inhabitants of Easter Island recognized that mulching prevented the wind and rain from eroding the valuable topsoil, so they used volcanic rocks spaced out on their fields as a lithic mulch to slow runoff and wind erosion. (But I can’t imagine most of us deliberately placing rocks in the garden, can you? I know that in my own garden, I’m constantly doing the opposite, because every year my garden seems to grow a new supply of rocks.)
What is straw harvesting?
Straw is the stalk of a cereal crop such as oats, barley, wheat, or rye after harvesting has removed the seed heads. Usually a big machine called a combine harvester will come along into the field. In one smooth operation, it chops off the top portion containing the grain and sends the grain in one direction for processing, and then cuts the straw and collects it until a bale-sized block is formed. The straw bale is automatically tied and is then dropped out of the machine, back onto the field for later collection.
What is hay used for?
Hay is used mainly for feeding animals when no fresh grass is available. It provides bulk, fiber, sugar, and nutrients to animal diets.
Why is it important to dry hay?
It is very important to get hay that has been dried to the optimum level, so that it’s not crumbly but is dry enough to discourage mold growth. Overly dried hay starts to compost quickly when it is damp, and composting hay bales have been known to heat up and start barn fires.
Why is mulch important?
A good mulch also helps the soil to remain cool and moist longer in summer and can insulate the soil in colder weather. Mulch creates a microclimate over your soil by essentially acting as a blanket to protect it from the harsh drying effects of the sun and wind.
1. Using Hay to Cover Grass Seed
Hay is typically spread over grass seeds to aid in the seeds’ ability to develop roots that extend downward. Like the straw, it serves as a mulch for the grass seed. In addition, the hay protects the seeds from the sun, birds, and erosion.
2. Using Straw to Cover Grass Seed
Regarding mulching, straw is the most common option for covering new grass seeds. Straw is made from stalks of leftover dried grain after collecting the grain seeds. As opposed to hay, the grain seed heads are collected before it becomes straw. As a result, straw contains fewer weed and grass seeds than other types of mulch.
Hay or Straw on Grass Seed, Which is Better?
It is important to keep grass seed in place until it can germinate and grow its root system. However, if the seed cannot contact the soil, it will probably not grow very well. This is where the question about using hay or straw comes into play.
How Long Should You Keep Hay or Straw on Grass Seed?
There is no stipulated time to keep hay or straw on your grass seed. However, the general rule of thumb is to keep the protection until the seed grass is firm in the soil. This means that the seed’s roots must’ve had enough depth in the soil.
Our Final Thoughts
When deciding whether to use hay or straw on grass seed, you should consider a few things. Hay contains plant seeds and is more expensive than straw. It also decomposes more quickly, making it a good choice if you need to replant soon.
What is the difference between straw and hay?
Hay vs. Straw – What’s The Difference? Hay and straw seem very similar on the surface, but they are actually quite different; each one ideal for its own thing. For example, hay is a feed, while straw is a byproduct, and although both can be used for bedding, straw is the better choice. It’s important to know these differences before working ...
How efficient is straw bale insulation?
A typical straw bale wall is roughly three times as efficient as conventional framing. Over the life of a typical thirty year mortgage, this superior insulation can reduce energy costs by up to 75%, saving money and vital natural resources.
How does straw affect the environment?
The use of straw bales can have a huge impact on our natural resources and air pollution. Each year, the U.S. alone burns or disposes of 200 million tons of ‘waste straw,’ producing massive amounts of carbon dioxide. The use of straw as insulation reduces the need for initial energy outputs in regards to manufacturing.
What is straw made of?
Origin: – Straw is made from the leftover shafts of grains like rye, oats, and wheat, after the seed heads have been cut off. – Hay is often the combination of several grasses and grains like alfalfa, brome, and timothy; clover and rye are often components.
What color should hay be when bailing?
– Straw should be yellow or golden grain shafts. – Hay will be green to brown with a ton of seeds. – Straw has little nutritional value and most animals don’t care to eat it.
Where were straw bale homes built?
Bale homes built in the 1800’s till exist in Nebraska and Europe. Straw bale homes have consistently withstood severe weather and wind in Wyoming as well as major earthquakes in California…Many architects and engineers consider straw bales to be the ideal “seismic-resistant” building material.
When is hay cut?
Hay is cut when it’s source is still green, capturing nutrients in the cut-off plants. Harvesting: – With straw, the grain is harvested first, with the straw stalk baled later. Straw is considered a secondary crop since they are comprised of the remnants of a crop and are not intended to serve as food. – Hay is cut when it reaches the desired ...
What Is The Difference Between Straw & Hay?
The main differences between straw and hay are where they come from , how they are made, and how they are used.
What is straw made of?
Straw is made from grain crops by removing the grain and chaff, while hay is made from dried grasses and legumes. Hay is often used to feed animals, while straw is often used as bedding. Straw can also be used as mulch, or to make compost.
What is the best crop to use to make hay?
Then, the harvested crops are cut and dried out. They are then made into bales and transported wherever they are needed. Alfalfa (Lucerne) is one crop that can be used to make hay. Hay bales often have more moisture than straw bales. Unfortunately, this can lead to mold or rotting, which is not good for livestock.
Why use straw as mulch?
Leaves. Straw has many benefits when used as mulch in the garden: Insulates soil – straw helps to retain heat from the sun and air in the soil. This keeps soil and plants warmer on cold nights, which can protect your plants from cold damage.
How does straw help weeds?
Controls weeds – if you put down some straw over existing weeds, it can smother them and stop them from growing back. It can also keep new weeds from growing by preventing them from getting air and sunlight.
What is the part of the grain crop that we eat?
Next, the farmer harvests the grain crop and threshes it. Threshing separates the grain crop into these parts: Grain – this is the part of the grain crop that we eat. It is really a dry seed, which is sometimes ground into flour (such as wheat, rice, or oat flour).
What is hay used for?
Hay is mainly used as feed for animals, since this is the main purpose of making hay.
What is the best dog bedding?
Hay and straws are not the best dog bedding in the market. If you want to reuse your straws as dog bedding, you may consider using other materials instead. Linens, rugs, wood chips, and dog beds are some of the best dog bedding in the market.
What are the pros and cons of wood chips for dogs?
Pros: Cedar and pine have insect-repelling properties. If used, it can prevent bugs, fleas, and other insects from ruining your dog’s bedding. Wood chips also provide outstanding insulation and cushion for your canine pet. Additionally, costs are lower compared to other products.
How are rugs made?
Rugs are made by combining multiple pieces of cloth through weaving or sewing. Other rugs used a woven material made with fibers or even animal skin. If you are using rugs as dog bedding, make sure to select a size that can perfectly fit your pet.
What is linen used for?
Linens are plant-based fibers used to make household goods such as blankets, bedding, tablecloths, aprons, and some clothing. If used as dog bedding, it is ensured to provide the necessary cushion for your pet.
How to use cedar wood chips for dogs?
How to use: Prepare a box that is larger than your pet. Fill the container with cedar and pine chips. Use your hand to identify its softness. Once satisfied, your pet can use it right away. Replace wood chips once it is not soft to touch.
What is a yoyipet?
Yoyipet is a specialty pet supply company that endeavors to enhance the bond between pets and pet owners globally. Discover a world of joy with Yoyipet today.
Can you provide bedding for a dog outside?
Providing dog bedding for your pet is not necessarily meaningful. If they stay indoors, as long as the home offers a sound heating system for the cold season, it is not an issue. However, if you keep your dog outside the roof, you must provide bedding for them.
