CBC Grade 9 Notes in Kenya-What Are Methods of Hay Conservation?

Hay conservation refers to the process of cutting, drying, and storing forage (grasses or legumes) to provide high-quality livestock feed during dry seasons or droughts. The primary goal is to reduce the moisture content of the green forage to below 15-20% to prevent rotting, mould growth, and nutrient loss while maintaining a green, leafy quality.

• Baled Hay: Forage is compressed into bales to minimize storage volume.
• Stacked Hay: Fodder is arranged in piles (often in a crisscross manner) to allow air circulation and protect against moisture.
• Standing Forage: Leaving forage to grow, dry, and mature in the field to be grazed directly during the dry season. 

-Forage can either be eaten by animals directly in the field (grazed) or harvested and saved for later

-When there is a lot of forage, farmers often preserve it to make sure animals have enough food during dry periods or times of drought.

• Examples of forage crops:
  • Grass
  • Legumes
  • Maize
  • Sorghum
  • Oats
  • Millet
  • Clover
  • Napier grass
  • Lucerne
  • Desmodium

Some common methods to conserve forage include:

• Baled hay
• Standing forage or hay
• Stacking straws and maize stovers