r/composting • u/TheDanishThede • 23h ago

Question Hey, hay?

I have a crap ton of homemade hay from our huge lawn, or the parts I let run wild this summer. Cut it down at the start of august with a scythe and let it dry out for a week in the sun (no rain) and have been storing it in the carport in jute sacks since then.

It's mainly regular lawn grass grown to about knee length with a few herbs and flowers like flax, marjoram, bird's-foot trefoil and fennel which grows wild in that area.

It was going to go to a friend who kept rabbits, but a fox got to them and - yeah. He doesn't really have a use for it now.

A good therapist for his kids, though...

So.. would there be a use for this in my cold compost, as winter mulch or, dunno... Mix it into the leaf mold pile?

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u/SkillfulSesame 23h ago

Oof that took a dark turn at the end, hope those kids are doing alright

For the hay, absolutely dump it in the compost, that's gold right there. I'd layer it with whatever kitchen scraps you've got or some fresh grass clippings to get it cooking, since dried stuff on its own can just sit there forever. Using it as winter mulch works too, keeps the soil from freezing too hard and breaks down slowly by spring

Mixing some into your leaf mold pile is a good call, gives it a little nitrogen boost since leaves alone can take ages. Just keep an eye on how much you add at once, a thick mat of hay can turn into a slimy mess if it gets wet and compacted

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u/TheDanishThede 22h ago

Yeah, it won't keep as airy as straw. But it should be nitrogen to carbon 1:1?

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u/TheDanishThede 22h ago

And I think they're ok. Unfortunately they were the ones who found what had happened.

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u/Ohmyfreakinglob99 22h ago

Definitely, put it into cold compost, hot compost, any compost! That's good stuff.

As a rabbit owner myself, sorry to hear about your friend's rabbits. (And the children..) I have to ask though, how did a fox get to them?? Were they being kept on the ground and not in cages/hutches up off the ground?

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u/TheDanishThede 22h ago

I honestly didn't ask. But I know they have a fenced yard the kids coul let them exercise in. Supposed to be under supervision at all times, if out there but I'm guessing the kids had gone inside for some reason?

Only way I see it happening. I haven't asked as it feels a bit morbid to pry when he hadn't volunteered the info.

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u/Ohmyfreakinglob99 22h ago

I see, that's fair. Sorry again about their loss. I was mainly asking to see if they were being kept outdoors on the ground in a "colony" type setting, which I generally would not recommend, I misunderstood, these were pet rabbits being let out to exercise. Aaanyway, happy composting!

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u/MightyKittenEmpire2 18h ago

I have chickens and would be happy to use it for nest box material and bedding. They tear up their nesting material so we replace it every week or two.

But yeah, that's great compost material as well.

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u/katzenjammer08 19h ago

Does it have seeds? In that case I would try to heat it up because those will germinate at some point. If it is in an open pile on the ground you can just turn it to kill the grass that sprouts but those roots can be a bit of a bother so if there are seeds and you can kill them with heat that’s the way to go if you ask me.

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u/TheDanishThede 16h ago

Seeds don't really bother me. I don't mind weeding and for anything that needs sterile foil I use from my hot compost.