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+--- Thread: Still confused about the UCReasearch project (/showthread.php?tid=5040)
Still confused about the UCReasearch project - Charlie Horse - 12-31-2022
Due to a death in the family I never had time to deal with the hay and water sample package on the few days I was actually home on the farm. I glanced at the emails and always said I'd do them next week. I've now decided to unprocrastinate this issue!
But in trying to figure out exactly what to do with the kit they sent, I'm finding bits and pieces about the procedure in various emails and I still dont have the big picture. I can see why there hasn't been a 100% rate of participants getting this done and my theory involves confusion, too many emails spread out, and of course, ancient alien astronauts... I have some questions:
The water seems straight forward, so no issues.
#1
But I have half a dozen hay envelopes. Do they want one of the baled hay I use, one of the pasture (its snow covered now so kinda not going to happen till spring). Or do they want some at various times of the year, or various cuttings?
#2
I'm gathering that they want 1/2 lb of hay in the bag. Fine. But they show someone drilling with an auger, the likes of which nobody is going to have laying around. Do I need to do it that way, or should I just grab a handfull from a few bales as I feed and add it to the bag? If I need a giant auger, where can I get one? (link?)
#3
Is hay gathered from a crop circle acceptable for the study, and could it be that aliens only mutilate cows or should goat owners worry?
RE: Still confused about the UCReasearch project - Taffy - 12-31-2022
I just emailed you.
Tlllest results from a crop circle could be interesting! Aliens don't like the taste of goat so they're safe for now.
RE: Still confused about the UCReasearch project - IdahoNancy - 01-01-2023
Charlie Horse. I went to the thrift store an bought a golf club. There were a lot to choose from so I got a 9 iron. Not that I have any clue what I was buying for my $2, I know nothing at all about golf. I took the club home and used a hack saw along with the attached instructions from Chris Gifford and made an easy to use hay prob.
Before I finished sawing all the way through the shaft of the club I got impatient and broke the last little bit of metal off. It left a sharp point where it broke off. This point was a great sharp edge to start the hay probe into the bale. My hands are not strong so I tapped the end of the golf club shaft (now hay probe) with a mallet to get it deep into the hay bale. I pulled the prob out and and put the core sample in the one of the bags. I had hay from 2 sources and I sent a sample from each in different bags. I use a coat hanger to poke at the hay sample and loosen it before I could push it out with a dowel that fit inside the club shaft.