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Feeding new hay

A

Angie65

Wise Old Thumper
:?

How "old" should the new hay be before you feed it to the buns? It's high quality stuff (for racehorses), but it's this season, not last, so we can't feed the horses it until late August at the earliest:roll: Just wondering if buns were the same.

Mad cost just had 60 bales delivered & he never mentioned it being new & unfeedable, so I'm s*dding storing it for him:censored:
 
If it has dried out (which it usually is a few days after cutting) I use it straight away for the bunnies and pigs, its no worse than feeding fresh grass from the garden ;) I wish I could get new cut hay here, the rain wont hold off long enough for the farm to cut it :roll:
 
sgprescue said:
If it has dried out (which it usually is a few days after cutting) I use it straight away for the bunnies and pigs, its no worse than feeding fresh grass from the garden ;) I wish I could get new cut hay here, the rain wont hold off long enough for the farm to cut it :roll:
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that's great thanks. I'll check the dryness tonight (looks like there might be no hay left by the time the horses can use it!!)
 
Hi there.

I asked Jane and Tim our nutritionalists this very same question last year and they said it was a big NO NO until it had dried out.

Jane van Lennep is a very well respected nutritionalist as she writes for many equestrian publications and is a Director of PF4P.

Hay takes about 3 months to dry out naturally to >12% moisture.
 
Bunnybasics said:
Hi there.

I asked Jane and Tim our nutritionalists this very same question last year and they said it was a big NO NO until it had dried out.

Jane van Lennep is a very well respected nutritionalist as she writes for many equestrian publications and is a Director of PF4P.

Hay takes about 3 months to dry out naturally to >12% moisture.
Click to expand...

Hay is just long grass, it is no different feeding fresh cut hay than letting your bunnies graze on grass :? . I usually buy it about a week after its been cut. I have done this for years and with feeding up to 120 rabbits and guinea pigs at any one time have never had a problem with it. I find they eat so much more of it when its fresh.
 
Bunnybasics said:
Hi there.

I asked Jane and Tim our nutritionalists this very same question last year and they said it was a big NO NO until it had dried out.

Jane van Lennep is a very well respected nutritionalist as she writes for many equestrian publications and is a Director of PF4P.

Hay takes about 3 months to dry out naturally to >12% moisture.
Click to expand...
No doubt that would be your nutritionist's advise for hay that is meant to be packaged and sealed in plastic or paper bags.
I have heard that fresh hay is supposed to be fine for horses and buns, by all accounts.(?)
 
Its your choice I'm only passing on what I have been told by experts in the field.

Fresh cut hay will have a much higher moisture level. As its baled at the same time as its cut that means that the core of the bale will still be moist even if the outer layers are dry to the touch.

I seem to remember reading that you should not feed a bunny grass clippings from a mower, basically that is what hay is until it has dried out, its grass clippings that have been cut with a very big mower.

As the topic starter said they cant feed it to horses and as a rabbits digestive systems is very close to that of a horse how can you feed it to one and not the other.

I have no problems with people doing whatever they want in life if SGP wishes to feed there animals on grass clippings that is there choice. It goes against the vast majority of published information on the subject but if it works for them great I just wouldnt recommend it to others.
 
Bunnybasics said:
As the topic starter said they cant feed it to horses and as a rabbits digestive systems is very close to that of a horse how can you feed it to one and not the other.
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Good point. Does your Nutritionist say the hay should be 12% moisture content whether or not it is packaged & sealed?
 
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Bunnybasics said:
Its your choice I'm only passing on what I have been told by experts in the field.

Fresh cut hay will have a much higher moisture level. As its baled at the same time as its cut that means that the core of the bale will still be moist even if the outer layers are dry to the touch.

I seem to remember reading that you should not feed a bunny grass clippings from a mower, basically that is what hay is until it has dried out, its grass clippings that have been cut with a very big mower.

As the topic starter said they cant feed it to horses and as a rabbits digestive systems is very close to that of a horse how can you feed it to one and not the other.

I have no problems with people doing whatever they want in life if SGP wishes to feed there animals on grass clippings that is there choice. It goes against the vast majority of published information on the subject but if it works for them great I just wouldnt recommend it to others.
Click to expand...

I dont feed my animals grass clippings ;) The reason you should not feed grass clippings is because it starts to ferment immediatly after cutting. If hay is cut and baled correctly it should not ferment and cause problems. The farm where I get my hay will not cut it until we have had 7 days of dry weather so the grass is dry when baled, by the time I buy it about a week later it is dry all the way through as it is stored in large open barns where air can circulate.
 
I only say >12% as all the hay that we send to the lab has under 12% moisture.

When hay is baled and put into storage at moderate moisture levels (18 - 30%), a favorable environment exists for the growth of undesirable bacteria, fungi, and yeast. Both moisture and temperature drive the population growth of these microorganisms. Fungi such as Aspergillus and Fusarium can produce a wide range of toxic metabolites and greatly reduce hay palatability. Actinomycetes, a special class of heat-tolerant bacteria, provide the causative agent for Farmer's Lung Disease in humans.

Moist hay that is put into storage can suffer extensive dry matter loss because of increased plant respiration and microbial activity. There is typically a 1% loss of dry matter for each percent moisture loss during storage to reach a stable equilibrium. These losses are from the non-fiber components of the plants. As a result, a corresponding increase in the levels of acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent insoluble nitrogen (ADIN) also takes place.

Finally, wet hay that is put into storage has an increased risk of heating to the point of spontaneous combustion.

Organic acids, when applied at the proper rates, effectively control the development of molds on moist hay by preventing the growth of fungi and actinomycetes.
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ok - I know horses can't have new hay - when we buy new baled hay, it's usually green. We stack it up & leave it to stand for several months, & then introduce it slowly with the old hay to the horses.

you can''t feed grass cuttings to horses or buns, although i often hand pick it & feed it immediately.

The hay i got yesterday, isn't actually green - it's the usual pale hay colour. I cracked open a bale yesterday & it is definitely dry.I think it's this season as opposed to newly cut. I gave them it this morning before i came to work, & they were tucking into it. Do I need to go home & take it off them? Cos I can if it will make them ill:?
 
Angie65 said:
ok - I know horses can't have new hay - when we buy new baled hay, it's usually green. We stack it up & leave it to stand for several months, & then introduce it slowly with the old hay to the horses.

you can''t feed grass cuttings to horses or buns, although i often hand pick it & feed it immediately.

The hay i got yesterday, isn't actually green - it's the usual pale hay colour. I cracked open a bale yesterday & it is definitely dry.I think it's this season as opposed to newly cut. I gave them it this morning before i came to work, & they were tucking into it. Do I need to go home & take it off them? Cos I can if it will make them ill:?
Click to expand...


I dont have a problem feeding new cut hay to the buns and pigs, at the end of the day it is entirely your choice if you want to feed it or not ;)
 
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