• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Wet Hay?

B

Beapig

Mama Doe
Hi guys,

I had a lovely bag of hay delivered yesterday, 9.5kg. That's a month's supply for my buns. We're having big renovations on our house right now, so I've been storing our hay in the greenhouse for the past few months. Which has been completely fine.

However, I woke up this morning to find it pouring with rain. And idiot me, I forgot to close the door on the greenhouse. There are also several leaks in there. The hay bag was open (idiot me once again) and a trickle from a leak had gone all the way down to the bottom of the bag, essentially soaking one side of the hay.

I've just spent an hour with the hay tipped out on my kitchen floor, going through it handful by handful, pulling out any wet and putting the dry back into a cardboard box. I'm going to leave it inside near to a radiator for a week to be completely sure it is dry. The hay is now very loose/aired out, so if there are tiny strands of wet that I missed, they should dry quickly.

Should I be worried that I've compromised it? Interestingly, I bought some hay from the same company a month ago that arrived smelling a bit mildewy/weird, and my bunnies wouldn't touch it. However, after shaking it all out for a few days it smelt amazing, and they ate the whole bag no problem.

To summarise: should I be worried about the hay going mouldy or hurting my buns? To clarify, I have gone through it carefully and pulled out the obvious wet bits, going to leave the rest in the house and it is no longer in bale formation so lots of air between the hay.

P.S, sorry I have hardly been on here recently. I've found this year very stressful and have become a bit of a recluse, even online :(
 
it will go mouldy if left wet or damp but if dried out properly after a brief period of wetness I have high confidence it will be ok.
you did good separating the wet from the dry. even after drying the previously wetted stuff I would store it in separate boxes/bags, just in case, to avoid any of the wetted stuff spoiling the rest of it..
the smell of hay says a lot about it's condition.

strangely I was just wondering this morning about you not being on here lately. I hope you & o/h & buns are all ok.
 
Last edited:
mikek said:
it will go mouldy if left wet or damp but if dried out properly after a brief period of wetness I have high confidence it will be ok.
you did good separating the wet from the dry. even after drying the wetted stuff I would store it in separate boxes/bags, just in case, to avoid any of the wetted stuff spoiling the rest of it..
the smell of hay says a lot about it's condition.
Click to expand...

It only started raining this morning, so I don't think it's been too long. The water sat at the bottom of the bag, so 80% of the hay is completely fine, thank god. I'm putting the really wet stuff at the bottom straight on the compost heap. The mildly damp stuff I'm putting in a box to see if it dries off and smells okay. If it smells bad then I'll put that on the compost too.

I despair with myself sometimes :roll:
 
i'm sure the damp stuff will be fine if dried out fairly promptly & even the wet stuff too...… the problem is getting it dry. dunno what it's like in Wales rn but it is heavy rain here. if the hay were here it wouldn't dry outside (obviously :lol: ) but even in a shed or barn it wouldn't dry. would need to be in the house & well 'fluffed up'.
compare it to drying washed clothes. (but wouldn't advise using tumble dryer!)
 
…. ah, I reread your post. the hay is inside, fluffed up & by a radiator. should dry out fine. imo.
 
I've done the same as you before. Keep anything that has got wet totally separate and use it first (once it's dry) in a less critical place (I use it in the trays in the run shelters, which get wetter anyway, and changed more regularly). If it seems a bit 'off', then the compost heap wins. Then use the rest up before starting any new bags.
 
Shimmer said:
I've done the same as you before. Keep anything that has got wet totally separate and use it first (once it's dry) in a less critical place (I use it in the trays in the run shelters, which get wetter anyway, and changed more regularly). If it seems a bit 'off', then the compost heap wins. Then use the rest up before starting any new bags.
Click to expand...

Thank you, this is excellent advise. The hay I bought a few months ago (that smelt a bit odd) I used in their litter trays for this reason. Then it seemed like airing out the bag helped, because suddenly it started smelling lovely again, and they were eating it out of the litter tray. My guess is that so long as it doesn't smell rank and isn't clearly mouldy, it's okay. My bunnies are very picky and they'll tell me if they don't like the hay I've bought. However, I tend to worry like mad anyway.
 
mikek said:
…. ah, I reread your post. the hay is inside, fluffed up & by a radiator. should dry out fine. imo.
Click to expand...

Thank you Mike, I hope it will be okay! The majority of it was dry anyway. Still, not a fun way to start the day. Now I need to give the kitchen floor a good sweep :lol:
 
We all get distracted and you noticed it quickly. Drying the inner pieces too may require you to mix it around every day.
Check it as you use it as I always do with any hay.
 
Beapig :wave: did you decide to go for house buns in the end? Is this the major rennovation work? :lol: Hope you're all well
 
joey&boo said:
Beapig :wave: did you decide to go for house buns in the end? Is this the major rennovation work? :lol: Hope you're all well
Click to expand...

Unfortunately my OH was against it! Right now the shed is divided into two halves and same with the run, still plenty of space going by RWAF guidlines though <3 We're going to try bonding them again in the summer...maybe Jellybean will mellow :lol: I'll have to share some photos of them soon. All of my bunnies are very well thanks :love:

P.s. we are hoping to move in the next 1-2 years and get a house with an extra reception room at the back so we can have them indoors/outdoors. It would be lovely to spend unlimited time with them in the winter :)
 
Is there any reason why you couldn't feed the damp hay directly? Equines often eat dampened or even soaked hay, so I'd have thought it would be the same for rabbits - which would mean that you could just feed the wet hay straight away but only leave it a day before removing, rather than waste it straight onto the compost? Genuine question, though I suspect it isn't something that crops up with bunnies very often.
 
dollyanna said:
Is there any reason why you couldn't feed the damp hay directly? Equines often eat dampened or even soaked hay, so I'd have thought it would be the same for rabbits - which would mean that you could just feed the wet hay straight away but only leave it a day before removing, rather than waste it straight onto the compost? Genuine question, though I suspect it isn't something that crops up with bunnies very often.
Click to expand...

it did crop up oon here recently. I think it might have been Phillip who had sneezy issues & their (Naps)bunny savvy vet / specialist had them washing hay in water before feeding
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

DemiS
Ways to keep hay low to the ground without being peed on?
Replies
2
Views
185
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
J
Shop Bought Hay With Damaged bags
Replies
3
Views
207
Shimmer
S
Cocoandpickles
hay allergies
Replies
13
Views
190
Cocoandpickles
Cocoandpickles
Back
Top