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Hay is dried grass typically stored to feed domestic animals in winter when not enough fresh grass is available. It is normally produced by allowing excess pasture paddocks to grow, then just before the grasses flower the pasture is mowed and the cut grass allowed to dry in the sun for two or three days. Traditional thatched haystacks, seen here in Romania, store the dried hay and protect it from rain until needed. In the 20th century these have largely been replaced by mechanical balers, that gather and compact the hay into rectangular or rolled bales for easier storage..