This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Fescue Toxicity and Pregnant Mares »
  Discussion on Stemmy grass hay..
Author Message

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2001 - 10:25 am:

just got a batch of grass hay in... the first bail was just ok... the second was awful, full of dried weeds nothing more... the third, well 1/2 and 1/2, some decent grass mixed in with lots of stems... in looking at the stems closer they are star thistle.. i have fed over 1/2 this bale to my horses... should i be worried about the toxic effect of star thistle??? (brown and dried out).. if not, should i continue to feed this hay??

sign me worried...!~ :(

ann

Posted on Tuesday, Jul 24, 2001 - 11:59 am:

I would not only be worried about this hay from a possible poisoning standpoint, but also from a general nutrition standpoint AND a dollarsign standpoint.

Return it asap and insist on better or go elsewhere.

Bonnie

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 1:01 am:

Right on, Bonnie! I wouldn't feed another bite of this stuff!

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 7:12 am:

Hello Ann,
Yellow star thistle is a seroius cause of disease, there is no effective treatment and horses seem to develop a taste for the stuff. The effect of poisoning are accumulative but it does require an ingestion of a huge amount of the stuff before clinical signs develop.

Approxiamtely 65% of the horses bodyweight must be consumed so they must be exposed to it over a long period of time.

So yes you should idscontinue feeding these immediately. If your horses have not developed and cranial nerve diseases characterized by spasticity of the muscles of the skull and an inability to prehend and chew food do not worry but feed no more.
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 25, 2001 - 10:30 am:

thank you all.... i had put this hay aside and bought more, forsure this hay is going back or to the burn pile...

thank you dr. o for the information on what to look for... my mare, filly, and 2 year old had eaten the most of this junk, they show no signs as you discribe....

having ones horses at home can be challenging to say the very least..!!!!!! :)

ann
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC