new hay

[fran]

we have run out of hay at our yard

i wanted to buy some in, then yo brought one bale, we used it then i told him i had found a source that could supply. he was not interested and said he had another bale. then when i questioned it he said 'its ok isnt it' i said why are you asking and where has it come from he said 'the new lot' ....he only started haymaking a couple of weeks ago.

being new to all this i thought it wasnt good but he made some comment about only a slice being ok i said i give sam a tubfull when he is in and he looked questionable. so now i am worried. i thought that new hay will be fermenting and can cause tummy problems ---how long should he leave it before feeding to the ponies?

karen

[DalesLady]

we dont use new hay for at least 6 weeks Karen, longer if we can

[fran]

thanks penny. i thought it would be a while. i have tried ringing sarah all day. cant remember where she is going this weekend. am in a bit of a panic about the hay. he has been fine so far - i would hate to upset the apple cart vu=ia a lack of knowledge. the yo hasnt been into horse that long... because of the grass he thinks we dont need hay at the mo. but i find it keeps sam busy and relaxes him - eating when being groomed etc. also i like to take some to shows. whereas he says they should just eat the grass at shows. besides we are paying all inclusive and i want all inclusive. am i being akward ?

karen

[linparris]

In the perfect world I would feed the previous years hay to horses,not just because it needs to settle but also to reduce the protein,we had some hay in a competition years ago and when tested it had a higher protein level than oats.... whooooaaaaaa! did NOT fancy feeding that to pnies, in the end we had to store it for 2 years - it won 1st prize though!

[fran]

thaks lin..he has gone at this hay like it is christmas day lol i will be worried for sunday!

karen

[akehurstannabel]

normally at least six weeks.......but last year we had no choice and started feeding it after two weeks. i broke the bales up first so the heat had a chance to get out and had no problems. but i might have been lucky!

[flintfootfilly]

Karen,

sorry to be out of touch. Try me on my mobile if you need to speak urgently. I'm on the 3 day hoof trimming clinic 8am to 7.30pm over the weekend and on Monday, but if you leave a message I can ring you straight back.

Traditionally, new season hay wasn't meant to be fed to horses til Christmas, and ideally that's what I like to stick to. However, realistically sometimes that just isn't possible. Last year I think I started feeding it around end of October and it will be around the same time this year too I think.

Just looked in my BHS stable management book for the "traditional" explanation, which is along the lines of:

new hay can be harmful to horses because it continues to mature chemically in the bale. That process uses up some sugars and converts nitrates into amino acids. The grass used to make hay is rich in nitrates and sugars, and horses fed on maturing hay are likely to suffer digestive problems possibly resutling in colic, laminitis and other metalolic disturbances. Filled legs are a typical response.

Hay should not be fed until 2 or 3 months after it's cut. Introduce gradually.

Karen, I personally wouldn't want to take the risk of feeding it now. Personally I'd prefer to either buy a few of my own bales or a few small bales of haylage (checking that that is old season haylage) to tide you over.

Sarah

[dollylanedales]

We cut our own hay, and really I prefer not to use it until at least November (4 months after its been cut). What I do, however, is rake up whats left after the baling is done, and bag it up. This feeds the two small ponies for quite a while. I will be starting to use that at the beginning of September, but thats a brown colour through being in the field a few days extra to the hay bales, so its lost its feeding value in comparison, but will do for the two little fatties.

I have got a bale of haylage for Tilly to eat next weekend (well, she will not be eating the whole bale - I hope!) I would rather do that, than open one of the new bales.

[greydales]

At a previous livery yard we never fed new hay until Oct/Nov if we could help it.