Clover in Hay...safe for horses/goats to eat??

[WoodlandWoman]

The link I posted was also from Perdue, but I believe it's from the veterinary department, not the agricultural department. It said it wasn't a problem in dried feed. Maybe they should try talking to each other once in awhile! I also saw the same information on another veterinary site. That was why I was asking.

 

[Coco]

I read your replies...thanks to everyone who has shared their advice, etc. I went out to the barn this morning, took another close look at the hay...I can not tell if it's the Alsike or not. We live in the Kansas City Missouri area, anyone know if it would be likely in this area or not? Because it's dried and last year's hay...I just can not tell. And of course, I have no clue which field it came from...our supplier has hundreds of acres. I think I may try to take a picture of it up close tomorrow morning and post it here (that is if my computer chooses to cooperate) so maybe you guys can see it for yourselves. We opened up another bale last night...and didnt see anything like that so hopefully it's not in too many, just in case.

 

[wynedot55]

the clover is good hay for horses an goats.now id be a lil nervious since it has alalfa mixed in it for the horse.because the alalfa could have blister beetles in it.an thay could/would kill a horse.

 

[Coco]

Actually, I was told by my Vet to specifically find hay that had Alfalfa in it for our 2 mares/foals but it's always so expensive around here that we didnt consider buying any. So we were pleasantly surprised when we did find out it did have some Alfalfa mixed in and knew our Vet would be pleased. So that's interesting that you say that now about Alfalfa and blister beetles...never heard of that before. Huh. Another thing to ask the Vet the next time I talk to him. I'm not too worried about it since that was what he advised me to get for them in the first place. Wonder if those beetles just arent a problem around here or somthing. My Vet definately wouldnt lead us in the wrong direction, that I know for sure...but I'll ask him about it and see what he says. Thanks for telling me!

 

[wynedot55]

from what i know about blister beetles an horses.i would not feed alalfa to horses unless it has been cert blister beetle free hay.thats just like you cant feed a horse any feed with urea in it.because urea is bad for horses an will kill them.

 

[patandchickens]

WoodlandWoman, yes that is weird that the two Perdue dep'ts do not seem to talk with each other LOL

Blister beetles are a serious worry in some parts of the country, not too much of a worry depending on how your hay guy does his hay in other parts of the country, and not much of a concern in a few places. So it really depends on where you live. In problem regions, there are things that a hay producer can do to greatly minimize chances of blister beetles getting baled.

But it is certainly true you do NOT wanna mess around with hay that may have blister beetles in it, because it only takes a couple -- small enough that you would NEVER have a chance of seeing them in a flake -- to colic or kill a horse.

Pat

 

[Coco]

Ok, I checked with the hay supplier, he said that Blister Beetles are not in our area, only down in the Southern part of the state...he said he was familiar with what they are. And that the Clover in our hay is Red Clover and said it's safe for my animals to eat.

 

[wynedot55]

thats good.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Clover is fine for your goats, but be careful RED CLOVER IS NOT GOOD. Ive been told that vetchy plants and red clover are bad for your goats. Ive never fed it to mine and I dont plan on trying to see if it is true.