Straw/Hay For Chickens - Possibly sprayed With Toxins?

[Awestruck]

I use pine shavings for the coop, but for the run, I use hay or straw. My chickens love it. They spend hours pecking at the bag, and they not only play in it but they eat it.
I looked at the bag and wondered if possibly the hay or straw had been sprayed with Roundup or some other poisonous chemical. I went to the web site and didn't find any info. But on the bag, it had the assuring message that there were no obnoxious weeds in the hay/straw.
I want to keep giving this to my girls (and rooster) but I want to have a pure straw or hay that hasn't been tainted by chemicals. Anyone have any suggestions on this?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

If hay or straw was sprayed by round up it would be dead. The fields are sprayed before they are seeded down with hay seed or oats, but aren't sprayed afterwards.

Your biggest concern with hay and straw is making sure it isn't moldy, and is of good fresh quality.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I am one that is very cautious about the source of my hay and/or straw.

There are a lot of folks that have written about trying to do straw bale gardens but them failing because of the various chemical sprays and inputs used on the fields. (I'm even careful of manure used on the fields - how the animals were fed and the medical inputs they may have been given.)

Straw, especially, can come from various crops which could have been heavily sprayed. Here is just one article you can take a look at but there are a lot out there. http://www.thesurvivalgardener.com/danger-of-straw-bale-gardening-no-one-is-mentioning/

Hay is something I only purchase organic for a couple of reasons. Ones is that if there is any alfalfa in the hay, it is likely a gm product as a huge percentage of alfalfa is gm in the US. That allows for a higher concentrate of herbicides to be used, not to mention chemical fertilizers.

When my daughter and I started contacting farmers that were selling hay in our area for her rabbit (and my goats at the time and the chickens), we were looking for hay that didn't have any chemical input (either fertilizer, herbicide or pesticides). Every one of them stated that no one could grow hay if you didn't use those things. yikes!

But I know a certified organic Amish farmer that does grow and sell hay that I checked with and was able to purchase from him at a price very close to conventional. I'm blessed to have that source!

So...based on "what I think I know" I'm very careful of my hay/straw source. Especially since chickens are such little animals.

 

[chickens really]

We as humans consume the wheat, oats etc from this straw that we purchase as straw for our livestock...Its safe to use..As long as it is not mouldy and was baled and stored dry, it's safe..
I'm from farming country and never seen bagged Straw. I buy bales..

 

[ChattyChickens4Life]

I personally would not use straw or hay. It is slippery, gets dirty easily, hosts bacteria, and is the perfect material to cause impacted and sour crops. If I could choose my perfect bedding, I would choose sand. But as I see you are using straw, just make sure the chickens have grit available and that the straw stays super clean! Best wishes!

-Chatty

 

[Molpet]

We as humans consume the wheat, oats etc from this straw that we purchase as straw for our livestock...Its safe to use..As long as it is not mouldy and was baled and stored dry, it's safe..
I'm from farming country and never seen bagged Straw. I buy bales..

Depends if you think roundup is safe or not:
http://kswheat.com/the-truth-about-roundup-and-wheat-support-material

WHEAT. REgisTEREd pRoducTs. • Roundup WeatherMAX®. • RoundupTransorb® HC. Crop Staging. Apply when the crop has 30% or less moisture content
http://www.roundup.ca/_uploads/documents/MON-Preharvest Staging Guide.pdf

city stores sell bagged straw for 3x$ a bale

 

[Awestruck]

Thanks for all the replies on this. Someone in another forum said that the grass that becomes hay is never sprayed with Roundup because it if were, it would kill the grass. She also said that because the grass has been growing for so long, weeds are not a problem. But even if this is true, I am still concerned that the hay has been sprayed with other toxins. I wish I knew where I could find an organic farmer somewhere around where I live!

 

[Molpet]

yeah my cousin has been using 'graze on' weed killer on the hay

Animal Transmission
Lactating dairy cows should not graze in areas that have been treated with Grazon for at least a week after application, and meat animals should not graze in these areas for at least three days before slaughter. Areas treated with Grazon must not be harvested for hay within a month of application. If animals have grazed on treated pasture, they should graze on untreated areas for at least one week before being moved to areas with broadleaf crops, as their urine can kill sensitive plants. Manure from animals that have grazed on Grazon-treated areas is not suitable for compost.

https://www.hunker.com/12003813/what-are-the-dangers-of-grazon-herbicide

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thanks for all the replies on this. Someone in another forum said that the grass that becomes hay is never sprayed with Roundup because it if were, it would kill the grass. She also said that because the grass has been growing for so long, weeds are not a problem. But even if this is true, I am still concerned that the hay has been sprayed with other toxins. I wish I knew where I could find an organic farmer somewhere around where I live!

Where do you live? Most small hobby producers do not use all those chemicals. Big farms do, but maybe that's just a Wisconsin thing.

 

[Awestruck]

Where do you live? Most small hobby producers do not use all those chemicals. Big farms do, but maybe that's just a Wisconsin thing.

True. I live in an area that would be considered 'country' but next to a big city (near Orlando in Florida).