Can you feed old hay to cows?
Here are the risks of feeding moldy hay to livestock:2. Cattle aren't as sensitive to moldy hay, but certain molds can result in mycotic abortions or aspergillosis. 3. Moldy hay also puts ranchers at risk.
How long is hay good for cows?Silage is the answer to this problem as it can be stored at 30 percent moisture content. The length of time you can store silage is much longer than other feed stuff for cattle. Properly stored silage can be kept for around 4 or 5 years.
How do you get cows to eat old hay?
4 tips for feeding poor quality hay
- Visually appraise the hay supply. Meteer writes, “First, a producer should take time to visually appraise the hay. ...
- Offer the cow herd plenty of choices. ...
- Consider grinding the hay. ...
- Don't forget to watch for ergot.
Can I feed last years hay?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. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.
Can cows eat fresh baled hay?This is why it is suggested that hay that has been baled very dry at low moisture levels should not need to go through the fermentation process and is ready to eat for cows. However, since it is difficult to ensure that it is baled at this moisture level, usually, cow owners avoid feeding them fresh hay.
Why Old Hay is Dangerous To Your Animals
How long should hay sit before feeding?So how soon can you feed new hay? If the hay is cut and bailed in perfect conditions with less than 12% moisture in the bale, it should be safe to feed straight away. But due to how hard this is to get accurate; it is recommended to wait 2-8 weeks before feeding.
How long does hay need to sit before feeding?In perfect conditions — where the hay has been baled at less than 12% moisture and is very dry — it is safe to feed straight away, but this isn't often the case, Tim explains: “The main reason for allowing a period of anywhere between two and eight weeks before feeding freshly made hay is to allow for a process called ...
Can cattle eat moldy hay?Risks of Feeding Moldy Hay
Consuming moldy hay can lead to respiratory and digestive problems such as heaves and colic. Cattle and other ruminants aren't as sensitive to moldy hay. However, moldy hay can still cause issues such as aspergillosis and mycotic abortions in cattle.
What can you use old hay for?Spoiled hay has the added benefit of breaking down slowly over the summer and adding organic matter to the soil. It can also be used for winter mulch to cover tender plants and protect them from the effects of cold winds or freezing temperatures.
Does old hay have any nutritional value?One concern about storing hay for a long time is its nutritional value. The longer it stays in a barn, the more nutrition it loses. In fact, after just a few months, the losses will start, and within a year it could lose 5% of its value. This includes protein, fiber, vitamins, sugars, and minerals.
What hay can cows not eat?Sorghum, Sudans, Millets and Corn. Four main categories of sorghum and millets are grain sorghum, forage sorghum, sudangrass and sorghum-sudan-grass hybrids. These all put grazing cattle at risk for prussic acid HCN poisoning.
Can you feed cows hay year round?With well-planned forage management, cattle can harvest their own feed year-round, especially in mild climates. Even in Northern climates with cold weather and snow, this can work in certain situations, with a backup plan when winter storms make grazing impossible.
Can cows live on just hay?Hay is the most commonly used winter feed for beef cattle, but it's also the most expensive. Each cow requires a daily intake of 40 pounds of round-baled hay, which amounts to $1.61 if pricing hay at $80 per ton.
Does hay go bad?Hay is a natural product that doesn't expire in the traditional sense of the term. When stored in the proper conditions, hay will retain its nutritional value for many months. Hay is required to feature a “freshest by” date that you will typically find on the back side of your hay packaging.
Is year old hay good for horses?Summary: No nutrients quantifiable by hay analysis are lost during 9-13 months of storage in hay that is baled below 12% moisture and properly stored in a dry climate. There is no advantage to purchasing year old hay for horses with lower nutritional requirements.
What can I do with old moldy hay?If your moldy hay is still wrapped in its wire or plastic netting, consider using this bale as a planter. It would be best to use transplants and that your hay bale is composting. Place your moldy bale where you'd like and remove hay from the spots where you'll be planting your transplants.
What can I do with old wet hay bales?Use the straw in your garden as mulch. Use it to plant potatoes. Use it to make compost, especially if you have chickens. In fact, use it as chicken bedding or other animal bedding.
How do you spread old hay?“If you need to feed old hay, spread it out across an area and let your animals sort through the best parts of it. This way, they will spread the hay even further.” Philipp also suggested moving hay rings around at each feeding.
How can you tell if hay is moldy?Look for Mold
Cut open a bale of hay and separate the flakes. Look for the presence of mold in any of the flakes. Moldy hay generally presents as darker areas which are grey or black. If you find mold, refuse the bale – mold indicates that the hay was baled when it was too wet.
What is the white stuff on hay?In hay, the white mold in the bale is the mycelium and dustiness is from the tiny spores. The potential for hay molding starts even with the standing hay crop where bacteria protects the plant from fungal and yeast infections.
Can you feed wet hay to cows?Mixing moldy hay with other feedstuffs can dilute problems sometimes, but be careful that you don't make your animals sick by tricking them into eating bad hay that they normally would refuse. Hay baled too wet also is susceptible to heat damage, also called enzymatic browning.
How do I know if my hay is dry enough to bale?Breaking stems in half or twisting them in a circular motion to see if the stems break cleanly will give farmers the go-ahead to bale. “If all the stems break and crack that's an indication that the hay is cured and then you can rely on the moisture test that you're getting from the probe,” Yaremcio said.
How long can you leave cut hay before baling?Subject: RE: How long does your hay lay to bale dry? Cut first thing in the morning, ted about 2-4 hours later, do nothing the next day, rake as soon as dew is off (-48 hours after cutting), let dry about 3 hours, and bale. Sometime takes an extra day to dry or occasionally a day less if perfect weather.
Is fresh cut hay bad for horses?“If hay is baled with a low moisture content, less than 12%, it can be fed right away, and horses shouldn't have any problem with it,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph. D., longtime nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER).
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