I always try to delay first hay cutting as long as possible. The alfalfa money making fields can wait only so long however, quality declines rapidly. Usually when we cut alfalfa we find about a third nesting, a third just hatched and a third baseball sized fliers. This year alfalfa in northern Iowa is maybe 10 days-2 weeks ahead of normal, most everything will still be on the nest, hopefully they will fly and renest. Pheasants love to nest in alfalfa fields.
The grass hay fields can wait longer, most of the nesting birds have fledged by the time it is cut. I have an Audubon fellow come out with his buddies and tell me if the ground nesting birds have fledged. He isn’t interested in ditch chickens but the timing is the same.
Winter survival was good, seeing lots of hens out eating the young corn seedlings. Dad told about going out with cars and clubbing them at night because they at so many seedlings. We don’t have that population anymore.
The grass hay fields can wait longer, most of the nesting birds have fledged by the time it is cut. I have an Audubon fellow come out with his buddies and tell me if the ground nesting birds have fledged. He isn’t interested in ditch chickens but the timing is the same.
Winter survival was good, seeing lots of hens out eating the young corn seedlings. Dad told about going out with cars and clubbing them at night because they at so many seedlings. We don’t have that population anymore.
