What is tedding hay?
Rachel Hernandez
Updated on May 19, 2026
Similarly, what is the difference between tedding and raking hay?
In order to speed the drying time of the hay, tedding is generally done the second day after the hay has been mowed or after a heavy rainfall. Raking, however, is not done until the hay has less than 35 percent to 45 percent moisture content. Raking is usually done right before baling.
Additionally, why do you Tedder hay? A tedder (also called hay tedder) is a machine used in haymaking. It is used after cutting and before windrowing, and uses moving forks to aerate or "wuffle" the hay and thus speed up the process of hay-making. The use of a tedder allows the hay to dry ("cure") better, which results in improved aroma and color.
Thereof, why is it called Tedding?
To strew or spread (newly mown grass, for example) for drying. [Middle English tedden, ultimately (perhaps via Old English *teddan) akin to Old Norse teðja, to manure, and Old High German zetten, to spread, scatter, both from Germanic *tadjan; see dÄ- in Indo-European roots.]
Is tedding hay worth it?
Tedding offers many benefits to farmers and is advantageous for drying hay. Tedding hay after cutting mixes the crop to break up clumps of forage and distribute the hay over a field's surface. These clumps of hay break up more effectively after two to four hours of wilting than immediately after mowing.