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In general, a standard 40 lb. square bale of hay lasts one horse for about 3.5 days. But many factors such as age, workload, type of hay, and access to pasture grass affect how much they eat. I find most horses eat between 10-15 pounds of hay each day.
Do hay bales go bad?
The good news is that if you manage your stores properly, your bales can last almost indefinitely. Storing them in a barn is the best option because it works as a shelter from bad weather, animals, and other conditions.
How long does a hay bale stay good for?
Bales Stored Outside and Unprotected Period Storage Method Storage Period Up to 9 months* 12-18 months Exposed Storage Period Ground Storage Period 5-20 15-50 Elevated Storage Period 3-15 12-35.
Is 3 year old hay still good?
If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. Because vitamin D is more stable than vitamins A and E, hay loses very little of vitamin D in storage, according to Crandell.
Is year old hay still good?
Generally, hay that is two to three years old is still acceptable given the right storage conditions. So before you go tossing last year’s hay, give it a check over and feel confident feeding it if everything looks good.
How can you tell if hay is bad?
Signs that your horse hay may be bad include a lack of color or dried-out appearance, a moldy smell, excessive dust, visible mold, or excessive heat towards the center of the hay bale. Because hay provides your horse with so many essential nutrients, you must provide your horse with the best quality hay available.
Can hay bales get moldy?
Moldy hay can result in dry matter and nutrient loss and produce spores and dust. Drying of stored hay is enhanced by increasing ventilation, creating air spaces between bales, reducing stack size, and stacking in alternating directions.
Is hay still good if it gets rained on?
Rained-on hay often has relatively high protein values compared to fiber content unless there’s great leaf loss. Leaves contain a lot of the plant’s protein. As soluble carbohydrates leach, structural fibers make up a greater percent of forage dry matter. The digestibility of rained-on hay can decline 6 to 40 percent.
Does hay lose nutritional value over time?
A: Hay begins to lose its nutritional value at the time of cutting and continues to lose nutrients both while drying in the field and while in storage. The nutrients most affected by harvesting and storing are vitamins. Conversely, the protein and mineral content of hay is quite stable.
Does hay need to breathe?
3) Leave space for bales to breathe. That allows the air to move around the bales so they maintain their green color. Obviously, if we used preservative, they were baled a little damp, so they need space to breathe.”.
How can you tell good hay?
Look for the following characteristics: Maturity – High quality hay will have a high proportion of leaves in the bale, with few or no coarse stems or seed heads. Condition – High quality hay will contain little dust or mold. Color & odor – High quality hay generally has a bright green color and a sweet, fresh odor.
How long does straw last?
Straw is slow to break down, and Joel has found they tend to last for two growing seasons. Hay bales are used to feed livestock.
Can you feed this years hay to horses?
Any hay that has been properly cured and dried before being baled should be stable and can be fed as soon as needed. There are no nutritional advantages to storing hay for weeks or months prior to use.
Is 2 year old hay good for cows?
Overall forage digestibility in a round bale is reduced by 10 per cent. If the hay is kept over for a second year, additional weight loss occurs and digestibility is reduced even further. In some situations, this older hay could be no better than feeding cereal straw.”Feb 25, 2014.
Can you feed old hay to cows?
Leftover, weather-worn bales of hay can be used to fertilize pastures. Age, mold, moisture take toll. With the arrival of spring, hay-feeding season is drawing to an end, and livestock producers may be left with extras. Mar 28, 2017.
Is Brown hay bad?
Brown. Nutritious hay is rarely, if ever, brown. If a tobacco-like odor accompanies extremely off-colored hay, this is likely due to overheating during storage caused by excessive moisture and fungal growth. Palatability of low-quality brown hay is usually poor.
What do you do with rotten hay bales?
Uses for Spoiled Hay Mulch. Spread spoiled hay under your flowers and vegetables as an organic mulch. Soil Amendments. Chop or shred spoiled hay and add it to your garden soil in the fall as an organic soil amendment. Compost. Spoiled hay is a natural for adding to the compost bin. Make A Garden Bed.
Is white dust in hay mold?
It looks sort of like the strands of a cotton ball. Spores are the reproductive, seed-like structure. A principal concern for cattle is the total amount of mycelium and spores combined or the total “fungal biomass.” In hay, the white mold in the bale is the mycelium and dustiness is from the tiny spores.
Why does hay turn black?
Hay that was bone dry in the field has, in many cases, developed mold problems in the barn. Any moisture level greater than 20% on the surface could result in significant mold growth/discoloration, and levels greater than 30% moisture can result in the entire stack’s exposed surface being covered in black sooty mold.
