Quick answer
Use your sword on grass and pick up the Hay, select the Hay conversion at a Stone Refinery for 6 Stone and 10 minutes, or pay 50 Tesserae. Hayden lists Hay as regular stock; Balor can list it only as part of his rotating stock.
Hay methods compared
The methods differ by input, not by the Hay they produce. The Fields of Mistria Wiki Hay entry documents the same item from grass, refining, and merchants. Choose based on what is available in the current save rather than treating one method as universally better.
| Cut grass | Use the sword on grass, then collect the Hay that drops. This method spends neither Stone nor Tesserae. |
|---|---|
| Stone Refinery | Convert 6 Stone into Hay. The listed processing time is 10 in-game minutes. |
| Hayden | Buy Hay from Hayden's regular stock for 50 Tesserae. |
| Balor | Buy Hay for 50 Tesserae when it appears in Balor's rotating stock. A visit does not guarantee that Hay is offered. |
A neutral lookup sequence
- Check the resources already in reach
Grass requires sword use, the refinery route requires 6 Stone, and either merchant route requires 50 Tesserae. Those are the verified inputs for a single listed method.
- Use the matching source
Cut grass, select the refinery conversion, visit Hayden, or inspect Balor's current rotation. Balor is the only one of the two merchants whose Hay availability rotates.
- Reserve Hay for known uses
Hay feeds the large ranch animals housed in Barns. The wiki also lists Hay in woodworking uses, so ranch feed is not its only documented role.
What Hay is used for
Hay is the feed associated with large animals in Barns. That distinguishes it from the needs of animals housed in Coops and makes it relevant whenever Barn animals are part of the current ranch plan. The item is also connected to woodworking recipes. This page does not enumerate a recipe unless its full inputs are in the evidence package, but it is worth checking the recipe screen before spending the last piece of Hay.
The purchase and refinery rows are best read as lookup facts, not unlock instructions. The Hay source does not establish the Town Rank, quest, or other prerequisite that makes a Stone Refinery available in a particular save. It also does not establish every wider merchant-upgrade prerequisite. If a machine or merchant option is absent, continue progressing the game rather than assuming the listed cost is incorrect.
This is a source-checked item guide, not a fresh 1.0 gameplay test. It does not estimate animal consumption, recommend a stockpile size, claim a grass drop rate, or supply unverified machine and merchant unlock conditions.
Sources
- Fields of Mistria Wiki — HayMethods, costs, processing time and uses; checked Aug. 9, 2026