Horses/hay

[arabianequine]

I know that horses should not have bad/moldy hay. Is any amount ok or not? I see some black dots here and there on some hay I got. You can barley see it. Not like a moldy bottom of a bale of hay would be.

Thank you!

 

[muddyhorse]

is it grass hay or clover hay? moldy hay can cause respiratory issues. moldy clover produces a chemical that keeps blood from clotting. they make warfan from it which is rat poison

 

[lockedhearts]

I prefer to feed clean dry bales, but I have a couple of times, gone and gotten hay and it got rained on before I got home and got it unloaded. I would break those bales apart to dry and spread them out, but some of them got , what I call a little musty. My horses ate it just fine and did not have any issues. But, that being said, I would never feed moldy hay at all. I am very bad about covering my round bale with tarps if it rains. I personally would think a small amount may not cause an issue, but I would be afraid to find out.

 

[2DogsFarm]

MUCH better safe than sorry.
Most horses won;t eat moldy hay anyhow, but IIWM, I'd discard those bales - most reputable hay dealers will take them back & provide replacements.

Does the hay smell "off"?
Does the bale produce a lot of powdery dust when cut open?

FWIW: clover can turn black when it's baled but that is harmless.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
It is alfalfa....they had a few flakes over the last couple days. I am mixing it with timothy grass hay. I am giving more grass then alfalfa. I did not notice the black specks till today though. I have been giving the ends of the alfalfa to my buck goat and he gets the grass too.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
Oh the horses go crazy over it and the goats for the matter.

No smells fine....maybe a tad musty.

No powdery dust either.

 

[patandchickens]

"musty" is often what mildly-moldy hay DOES smell like.

Also in alfalfa hay you wanna look REAL REAL CAREFULLY at any "black dots" to make sure they aren't blister beetles, which can be fatal (even in old cured hay).

I can't even begin to guess what your black dots are, tho, there are SO many possibilities. Any chance of a pic?

Pat

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

When in doubt, throw it out......................I would not feed it to my horses.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
I will get some pics but won't put up on here till a bit later tonight. I will try and get it up close as possible. It is so hard to see to me in person. I am on my way out the door.

 

[arabianequine]

Quote:
I just bought a ton though