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Discussion on Round bales - curing time?
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Monday, Jul 9, 2012 - 10:47 am:
Is it safe to put out round bales for horses immediately after they have been baled? (assuming they have been put up right of course)
I usually put a few round bales out in the pasture this time of year to help keep the pasture from getting overgrazed. I've never put out hay immediately after baling .. isn't some amount of 'curing time' necessary after baling or is it safe to put them out right after baling?
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Member:
morg1
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Posted on Monday, Jul 9, 2012 - 3:18 pm:
If they were properly cured in the field then they are safe to feed. There should be no need to cure in a bale, and if there is moist hay it wouldn't cure anyway, only mold. Putting the hay in the bale is done to preserve the hay and keep the weather off of it. The horses will only like it more since it is so fresh, so they may eat it more quickly.
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Monday, Jul 9, 2012 - 3:24 pm:
Thanks for your input Karen. I have been looking on miscellaneous message boards and see a lot of mixed/mis-information out there.
It seems half the posters swear that feeding freshly cut/baled hay causes colic and that you have to let it cure out for anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months. The other half say if it's put up right it's ready to feed immediately.
What gives me pause is that a lot of hay producers say that hay will continue to 'cure out' in the stack, even if it's put up at the right moisture content. I've never fed fresh (like baled today) hay before so it makes me a little nervous...
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Monday, Jul 9, 2012 - 5:15 pm:
Karen is right, properly put up hay does not need curing and curing will not improve improperly put up hay. However any change in feedstuff including a change in forage should be introduced slowly. I suspect folks that have had problems feeding new hay was caused by the change in feedstuff and not any effect of curing.
DrO
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Monday, Jul 9, 2012 - 6:28 pm:
Thanks Dr. O. If the hay is baled before it is thoroughly dry, is there a chance of something toxic being present inside the bales (that would turn into mold as the hay cures) that you would be unaware of without letting it cure?
I've never seen it personally but have heard numerous reports of people buying what looked at first like good hay that developed mold inside the bales after a relatively short span of time (weeks or less).
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Member:
mrose
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Posted on Monday, Jul 9, 2012 - 9:49 pm:
If the hay looks good on the outside but is damp on the inside, it will start molding very quickly - depending some on air temps and weather. If you stuck a thermometer down into the middle of the bale, you'd see the temp get pretty high. Molding hay generates a lot of heat. It's dangerous not only for your horse to eat, but to store in you shed or barn also as it's been the cause of more than one barn fire. Imo, when buying hay from a farm, you should pull apart one bale, even if you have to buy the bale ahead of time. Most dealers/feed stores have checked the hay and will only sell good hay, and will take back bad hay. Many farmers will also as it can be sold for sheep or cows to eat,unless it's really awful. Even dry hay can have things like dead mice and birds in them. Even plastic grocery bags and plastic bottles. You should always pull apart each bale you feed imo or fluff up each flake as you feed it to be sure there's nothing dangerous in it. If there's dead animals, I'd worry about botulism. Most hay from reputable farms/dealer is good hay, but not all, even stuff from the same cutting. We have one row of alfalfa in one of our fields that is in a low spot and is always damper than the rest of the field. We set that row aside after it's baled and make sure no horses get that hay.
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 10, 2012 - 12:25 pm:
Hi Sara,
Yes that's my hesitation .. one can't exactly pull apart a 600lb round bale to check the insides. I do pull apart/fluff each flake off square bales as we feed, it's amazing the stuff you find inside the bales sometimes, even of perfect hay.
I've had pretty good luck with round bales in the past, we offer them as 'extra' hay when the pasture is getting a little thin. But with fresh-off-the-field hay I'm a little nervous that the bale could be bad on the inside but the mold just not developed yet. The farmer swears it's baled right, but then nobody puts up bad hay on purpose.
I wonder, if there is a moisture problem and the horses consume it before it becomes evident (before any potential mold develops) if there is some other problem they could experience?
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 10, 2012 - 7:08 pm:
Shannon if the hay was baled too wet it certainly will form molds that may be toxic (botulism) and/or irritating to the respiratory system (hay mold COPD). But "curing" (allowing the hay to sit) does not fix either problem. For more on assessing hay quality see HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Forages for Horses, an Overview.
DrO
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 10, 2012 - 11:24 pm:
Yes i understand there is no 'cure' so to speak for hay that is put up too wet. Not to be obtuse, but i wonder if the rule of thumb not to feed hay straight away is because if it's given a chance to sit, any mold can 'develop' and it becomes more obvious that the hay is bad.... just a thought :-)
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 14, 2012 - 9:25 am:
Perhaps, but until the mold forms, the hay is not a problem.
DrO
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Member:
stek
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Posted on Saturday, Jul 14, 2012 - 12:24 pm:
So there is no worry about botulism toxin until mold forms??
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Sunday, Jul 15, 2012 - 1:22 pm:
Botulism will form once rotting of very damp areas occurs which will follow the formation of mold.
DrO
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