horse hay question

[RockyToggRanch]

Hi, since there are so many horse owners on here, I thought I'd ask you all a question that's been bugging me.

I have 2 horses, one 12 yr old and one somewhere between 17 and 30. They get free choice 2nd cut hay. I pay $4. bale. It's good stuff, usually, but I throw away alot. These horses both had colic at least twice last year before I switched to this new hay. Since then they've been fine. I may just be paranoid now, but I figure throwing away 10 bales is still cheaper than a $200. vet bill.

I had a new barn built this fall and we put hay up in the hay mow. We set it directly on the floor. I didn't think then, but the wood was probably somewhat green and perhaps damp. Now every bale that was touching the floor has a white dust when I break the bale. I would definately not give it to the horses as is. The hay itself still looks nice and green.

Question is...Can I rinse the hay off and feed it to them?

Knowing that they've been sensitive to something in the past (perhaps the other guys hay). I hate to keep throwing away all these bales. Is it too risky? I've had bales that were moldy before, but they were brown and stiff and smelled bad. These just have white dust..??

 

[RockyToggRanch]

anyone? please?

 

[skirbo]

I would not feed it to them. It sounds molded/mildewed to me, even though it's not what you're used to seeing.

Sorry... it's my understanding that putting hay down on pallets helps prevent this sort of thing. Been a long time since I had to deal with it.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Hay-Evaluation-Getting-the-Most-Hay-for-Your-Money

"Mold will appear as a grayish-white dust when the bale is slapped, or as a white flaky substance in tightly packed sections of the bale."


Sarah

 

[kbarrett]

I would NOT. If it is mold (sounds like it to me) rinsing it off will not work. My favorite method for hay storage is pallets/ skids.

 

[what was i thinking]

they sound dusty. dusty is worse than mold, because they breath it. neither are good. hay is expensive, i wouldn't feed it. but they say if you have to you can soak it. my horses don't like wet hay if it rained on. sorry.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Okay...not for the horses. Bad for the chickens, too?

I don't think I can fit a pallet through the hay door Bad design I guess.

 

[horsejody]

Sounds like mold. Don't feed it. In the future put pallets down under the hay, regardless of the type of floor. Even if you have a wooden floor that is well seasoned, it is best to put pallets down. Also, it would be wise to have your horses' teeth checked. Teeth that need to be floated can also cause colic.

 

[BeckyLa]

Mold kills chickens....sorry, sounds like compost to me.

 

[RockyToggRanch]

Quote:
They had their teeth floated last year when I first brought them home and then again this spring. Knock on wood they haven't been sick at all this year! Guess the hay goes into the ever growing compost pile.

 

[what was i thinking]

i don't know about chickens. i was going to suggest you sell it to someone with other types of animals. i have people that will take all of my bad stuff for goats and sheep. even offer it as mulch.
we have a section in the field we bale that is milkweed. we all know we can't feed that. he loves all of it for his goats. don't give it to sheep but his goats eat it.
i sell my left overs at halloween for $5 a bale for decoration. i actually sell a bit of it.