Quick answer: Red clover (Trifolium pratense) makes high-protein hay, but it is one of the trickiest crops to dry-bale because the leaves shatter off the stems the instant they get too dry. The winning recipe growers repeat: cut at early bloom, condition hard, lay a wide swath, and do not ted it — rake once with a rotary rake at low speed. Plan on about one extra drying day versus alfalfa (3–4 days), and bale in the cool of the evening or with a preservative so the leaves stay on. Because those leaves fight to come off as the bale spins, net wrap beats twine every time on clover. Watch for "black patch" fungus, which causes slobbers in horses, and remember red clover is a legume, so it carries a bloat risk on lush pasture.
Red clover is a paradox: it is easy to grow, fixes its own nitrogen, and puts up protein numbers close to alfalfa — yet ask a room of hay makers about it and half will groan. The problem is never growing it; it is drying and baling it without losing the leaves that hold most of the feed value. Here is how the growers who make good clover hay pull it off, in their own words, plus the two health issues every clover producer should know.
Why red clover is worth the trouble
Red clover is a short-lived perennial legume — most stands run two to three years — that yields well, tolerates wetter and more acidic ground than alfalfa, and delivers crude protein commonly in the mid-teens to high teens when it is made right. It is excellent cattle feed and fixes nitrogen for the grass it is grown with. The catch is entirely in the harvest. As one grower put it after wrestling a field into the barn:
"Clover is also harder to dry down than Alfalfa."
— ButchAutomatic · HayTalk thread 13299
Count on it taking longer than your alfalfa off the same weather:
"I find it usually takes one day longer to dry than alfalfa normally does around here."
— Don Pine · HayTalk thread 17670
The core problem: leaf shatter
Almost all of red clover's protein lives in its leaves, and those leaves detach from the stem the moment the plant is fully dry. Rough handling — especially tedding or double-raking — knocks them onto the ground and leaves you baling stems. The most experienced clover maker in the thread was blunt about it:
"Rake gently to avoid leaf loss. We use a rotary running at reduced PTO speed and only one time to windrow because multiple raking or tedding... will cause the leaves to detach leaving you stems and little else."
— ARD Farm · HayTalk thread 17670
And the visual tell that it is ready — a little leaf shatter when you squeeze a handful:
"It will take 3-4 full days to dry with normal temps and humidities. The evening before baling check to see if it has some leaf shatter when you squeeze it....if so it is probably ready to bale the next day."
— Vol · HayTalk thread 17670
The playbook that keeps leaf on the plant:
- Cut at early bloom (about a quarter to half bloom) — best balance of yield, protein, and regrowth.
- Condition aggressively and lay the widest swath your machine allows, so the whole windrow dries together instead of you having to turn it.
- Do not ted dry or half-dry clover. If you must move it, do it very early while it is still tough with dew.
- Rake once, with a rotary rake at reduced speed, ideally while it is still slightly damp so leaves flex instead of snap.
The same leaf-first logic applies to alfalfa; our guide on round-baling alfalfa without losing the leaves covers the raking and moisture details in depth, and a rake that handles gently is worth real money on legume hay.
Why net wrap beats twine on clover
Here is where the crop and the wrap meet. As a finished round bale rotates in the chamber to be tied, a twine wrap makes the bale spin many extra times while the strands lay on — and every rotation is another chance for dry clover leaves to shake loose. Net wrap closes the bale in two or three turns instead of dozens. The grower who runs clover every year spelled out exactly why he nets it:
"As soon as the bale reaches wrap size, reduce PTO speed and net... why net is preferred over twine. Twining any clover bale is an exercise in futility."
— ARD Farm · HayTalk thread 17670
That is the practical case for bale net wrap on any leafy legume: fewer rotations at wrap time means less leaf shatter, a tighter and better-shaped bale, and a cleaner-looking product. It is the same reasoning we lay out in net wrap vs twine — only more so on clover, where the leaves are actively trying to leave. Reduce PTO speed as the bale finishes and let the net do the work.
Starting the bale — and the color you'll get
Clover's other quirk is that bone-dry, slick stems can be hard to start rolling in the baler. Growers get around it by baling in the cooler, damper part of the day or leaning on a preservative:
"Its kind of science and art and if you do not have a way to test for humidities and moisture....its alot more art."
— Vol · HayTalk thread 17670
Bale early morning or evening when ambient humidity comes up, or apply a hay preservative so you can bale a touch tougher without heating — and take the guesswork out with a moisture tester. Be ready for the finished hay to cure darker than grass hay:
"The leaves shatter easily when finally dry and it often looks poor in the bale because of it's dark brown/black color when it dries. I've heard some folks around here say, 'big red clover, big red mistake' because it's so tough to harvest."
— mulberrygrovefamilyfarm · HayTalk thread 17670
The dark color is normal and does not mean bad feed, but it does hurt sales to color-driven horse buyers. If getting it dry is a losing battle in your climate, the better answer is often to skip dry hay entirely and put it up wetter as wrapped clover baleage — a route that sidesteps leaf shatter altogether.
Two health issues every clover producer should know
"Slobbers" (black patch fungus)
The most common clover complaint from horse owners is slobbers — sudden, heavy drooling. It is not the clover itself; it is a fungus, Rhizoctonia leguminicola (black patch disease), which favors red clover in cool, wet, humid spells and produces a toxin called slaframine. Growers have seen it for generations:
"The horse people tell me they dislike clover because if it gets moldy...they will slobber. Only moldy clover produces the slaframine that causes 'slobbers' where horses salivate far beyond normal."
— downtownjr · HayTalk thread 13299
Slaframine survives into the baled hay, though it declines over months of storage. Slobbers itself is usually not dangerous, but the fluid loss can be — another grower flagged the real risk:
"Slobbers is not harmful to horses...the dehydration accompanied with it can be. Horses can lose 15-19 gallons of water a day just from all that drool. This can cause a horse to colic."
— Jersey Jim · HayTalk thread 13299
Keep fresh water in front of affected horses and pull them off the suspect hay; signs usually clear within a day or two (MSU Extension; MSD Veterinary Manual). The best prevention is scouting for black leaf spotting and not baling badly infected clover — and making sure the hay is dry, since the fungus thrives on moisture. Note this is a different problem from alsike clover, which can cause photosensitivity and liver trouble in horses; red clover's issue is the black-patch fungus, not the plant. Our overview of whether net-wrapped hay is safe for horses covers the storage side.
Bloat
Red clover is a legume, so lush, fast-growing clover — especially fresh pasture or very green early hay — carries a bloat risk for cattle, the same way alfalfa does. Well-cured dry hay is far lower risk than grazing, but introduce cattle to heavy clover gradually, keep some dry roughage available, and don't turn hungry animals onto a wet clover stand. (Sheep breeders sometimes avoid heavy red clover too, because its natural plant estrogens can interfere with ewe fertility.)
Red clover hay, start to finish
- Cut at early bloom — condition hard and lay the widest swath your machine allows.
- Don't ted, rake once — rotary rake at low speed, ideally while slightly damp, to keep the leaves on.
- Give it about 3–4 days — one day longer than alfalfa; look for slight leaf shatter on a squeeze test.
- Bale cool or with preservative — morning/evening moisture helps start the bale and holds leaf; expect a dark cured color.
- Net-wrap, not twine — fewer rotations at wrap time means less shatter, tighter bales, cleaner hay.
Frequently asked questions
Why does red clover hay lose so many leaves?
Red clover leaves detach from the stem as soon as the plant dries fully, and most of the feed value is in those leaves. Tedding and repeated raking of dry clover knock them onto the ground. Cut and condition into a wide swath, avoid tedding, and rake only once at low speed while the hay is still slightly tough to keep the leaf on the stem.
Is net wrap or twine better for baling clover?
Net wrap is clearly better for clover. Twine makes the finished bale spin many extra rotations while it ties, and every rotation shakes more dry leaves loose. Net wrap closes the bale in just two or three turns, so you keep more leaf, get a tighter, better-shaped bale, and a cleaner-looking product. Reduce PTO speed as the bale finishes for the best result.
Why is my red clover hay dark brown or black?
A dark brown to black color is normal for cured red clover and does not mean the hay is bad — it is just how the plant dries. It does hurt sales to horse buyers who judge hay by green color. As long as it was baled dry and mold-free, dark red clover hay is still nutritious feed; the color is cosmetic, not a quality defect.
What causes slobbers in horses eating clover hay?
Slobbers is caused by slaframine, a toxin produced by the black patch fungus (Rhizoctonia leguminicola) that infects red clover in cool, wet weather — not by the clover itself. It makes horses drool heavily. It is usually not dangerous, but the fluid loss can risk dehydration or colic, so keep water available and remove the suspect hay. Avoid baling clover with visible black leaf spotting.
Can red clover hay cause bloat?
Red clover is a legume, so lush green clover — especially fresh pasture or very green hay — can cause bloat in cattle, much like alfalfa. Properly cured dry clover hay is much lower risk than grazing. Introduce cattle to heavy clover gradually, keep dry roughage available, and never turn hungry animals onto a wet, lush clover stand.
The XES Netting team manufactures bale net wrap for round balers and writes these guides so forage growers can find clear, source-cited answers. Every farmer quote in this post is verbatim with a link to the original HayTalk thread — go read the discussions in full.
Featured photo: Red clover (Trifolium pratense) inflorescence by Rasbak, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
