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Hay Issues
- Thread starter Elena
- Start date
prettylupin
Wise Old Thumper
Freezing kills most bugs. The hay I use is frozen first one bale at a time by the farmer to kill off the hay mites and book lice that feed on the hay mite. If you have enough space in your freezer you could bag the hay into brown paper bags, freeze overnight and then pop the bag into your airing cupboard or somewhere dry and warm to dry up again before restoring, this should help. 
As for the dust, probably just the end of the year's stock and the new bales cut and ready now from this year should be far less dusty. Hay is a well known allergen and timothy grass seed in particular is very allergenic. I think the dust mask and rubber gloves when handling is a good idea if you are very sensitive to it. My husband gets a bit asthmatic with certain boxes of hay - mainly the ones which have a high proportion of ripe timothy seeds in.
As for the dust, probably just the end of the year's stock and the new bales cut and ready now from this year should be far less dusty. Hay is a well known allergen and timothy grass seed in particular is very allergenic. I think the dust mask and rubber gloves when handling is a good idea if you are very sensitive to it. My husband gets a bit asthmatic with certain boxes of hay - mainly the ones which have a high proportion of ripe timothy seeds in.
Elena
Wise Old Thumper
Freezing kills most bugs. The hay I use is frozen first one bale at a time by the farmer to kill off the hay mites and book lice that feed on the hay mite. If you have enough space in your freezer you could bag the hay into brown paper bags, freeze overnight and then pop the bag into your airing cupboard or somewhere dry and warm to dry up again before restoring, this should help.
As for the dust, probably just the end of the year's stock and the new bales cut and ready now from this year should be far less dusty. Hay is a well known allergen and timothy grass seed in particular is very allergenic. I think the dust mask and rubber gloves when handling is a good idea if you are very sensitive to it. My husband gets a bit asthmatic with certain boxes of hay - mainly the ones which have a high proportion of ripe timothy seeds in.
It's funny you say that cos the hay is really green and lush so I was thinking it was from this year's cut and the lice and mites had got caught up when baling.
Unfortunately we have no space in our freezer at all. We had a glut of rhubarb and cherries this year so there's a load of them in the freezer and we normally struggle for freezer space anyway.
Fluffers
Wise Old Thumper
Apologies - not read the thread in detail but do you keep your hay in the garage/shed?
I bring a few slices up from the stables at a time and put them into a large plastic dustbin. When filling up the litter bowls etc I grab a chunk from the bin and give it a shake so that any loose stuff falls to the bottom (back into the bin). Then when it's empty & before re-filling the bin I tip the loose bits into the recycling/compost bin. Make sense?
I do this mostly so that it doesn't go all over the garage floor & patio outside but it just occured to me that I'm also getting rid of any dusty/loose stuff at the same time
Could well be that you've had a dusty bale too and even within a bale, one end can be quite different to the other :roll:
I bring a few slices up from the stables at a time and put them into a large plastic dustbin. When filling up the litter bowls etc I grab a chunk from the bin and give it a shake so that any loose stuff falls to the bottom (back into the bin). Then when it's empty & before re-filling the bin I tip the loose bits into the recycling/compost bin. Make sense?
I do this mostly so that it doesn't go all over the garage floor & patio outside but it just occured to me that I'm also getting rid of any dusty/loose stuff at the same time
Could well be that you've had a dusty bale too and even within a bale, one end can be quite different to the other :roll:
Lol we have weevils all the time - from hay, from pet food etc and I no longer really worry about them! They've never been abundant - I just find one or two every now and then. I have just moved my bale of hay outside this morning and will be using the bagged DFH that I have for the piggies who are indoors and then see how it goes. When I've used the bags up then I'll probably be using bags of the bunnies' baled hay for indoors - am hoping it will be slightly less messy than having a whole bale of hay indoors in the pet room (in a quilt cover but still gets everywhere!).
I shall have to report back and let you know how it goes mess-wise.
I'm not asthmatic but having moved some Aubiose into a different container this morning I am feeling very wheezy..... it's just the dust I think.
They've never been abundant - I just find one or two every now and then. I have just moved my bale of hay outside this morning and will be using the bagged DFH that I have for the piggies who are indoors and then see how it goes. When I've used the bags up then I'll probably be using bags of the bunnies' baled hay for indoors - am hoping it will be slightly less messy than having a whole bale of hay indoors in the pet room (in a quilt cover but still gets everywhere!). I shall have to report back and let you know how it goes mess-wise.
I'm not asthmatic but having moved some Aubiose into a different container this morning I am feeling very wheezy..... it's just the dust I think.
Elena
Wise Old Thumper
Apologies - not read the thread in detail but do you keep your hay in the garage/shed?
I bring a few slices up from the stables at a time and put them into a large plastic dustbin. When filling up the litter bowls etc I grab a chunk from the bin and give it a shake so that any loose stuff falls to the bottom (back into the bin). Then when it's empty & before re-filling the bin I tip the loose bits into the recycling/compost bin. Make sense?
I do this mostly so that it doesn't go all over the garage floor & patio outside but it just occured to me that I'm also getting rid of any dusty/loose stuff at the same time
Could well be that you've had a dusty bale too and even within a bale, one end can be quite different to the other :roll:
Yes I do. I keep it in a garden storage box and then take a chunk and put it in a Rhinotub which I bring upstairs. Or a fill the trays straight from the bale taking a chunk and spreading it around in the box - that probably doesn't help. I think I need to break it apart and shake it about. I have an old bin which maybe I can keep the stuff in that I've given a shake this morning. Or I have a LOAD of old Megazorb sacks and a couple of DFH sacks that I can put it in. I'm hoping the good shake I give it this morning and being out in this breeze will blow most of the smaller stuff away.
