With too little moisture, hay becomes brittle, loses nutritional value, and is unpalatable for livestock. With too much moisture, hay can spoil while baled hay can experience thermal expansion—causing it to combust and creating a severe hazard.
How can you tell if a bale of hay is bad?
How do you keep hay from going bad?
Does hay deteriorate?
Is 10 year old hay still good?
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.
Does hay get old?
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.
Does straw go bad?
How long do straw bales last outside? If you keep your bales out of the elements, especially moisture, they can last for years. However, if allowed to absorb moisture and heat, as would happen with a straw bale garden or planter, for example, hay bales will begin to break down and only last for one growing season.
Does hay get moldy?
Mold and bacteria will grow on hay (without preservative added) at moisture levels above 14% to 15%. The mold growth produces heat, carbon dioxide and water, which further damages the hay. Moldy hay can result in dry matter and nutrient loss and produce spores and dust.
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.
How long will a round bale last one cow?
Thirty-six pounds of hay is close to one small square bale of hay per day, taking into consideration some waste. Conversely, feeding one large round bale of hay, to two or three steers or cows will last a few weeks.
Is 3 year old hay still good?
Consider these points: 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.
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.
Does rabbit hay get old?
While brown hay doesn’t necessarily mean your rabbit’s hay is bad, the dried up stuff doesn’t have as many nutrients. But, if the hay has a funky smell to it or you can see visible signs of age or mold, don’t feed it to your bunny.
What is the R value of straw?
What is the R-Value of Straw Bale Insulation? Straw bales have an R-value of anywhere between R 2.38 per inch to R 0.94 per inch, which is similar to fiberglass and stone wool. It is slightly lower than cellulose and closed-cell spray foam insulation.
Does Bunny 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.
Does Straw get moldy?
But because straw is packed so tightly, the cores and bottoms do collect a lot of moisture that they can’t get rid of and tend to mold up—especially in a wet year. You have to buy new bales every year, which is far from sustainable.
Why is hay so dusty?
Mold and bacteria will grow on hay (without preservative added) at moisture levels above 14% to 15%. The mold growth produces heat, carbon dioxide and water, which further damages the hay. Moldy hay can result in dry matter and nutrient loss and produce spores and dust.
How long does it take 1 horse to eat a round bale?
square bale of hay lasts one horse for about 3.5 days. But many factors such as age, workload, type of hay, and access to pasture grass affect how much they eat.
How long does it take 2 horses to eat a round bale?
Most owners with 2 or 3 horses get 7-14 more days out of a bale with a 1.75″ hole. For example, this time lapse video shows one bale being eaten by 3 horses over a period of 22 days. We have 6 horses at the Texas Haynet barn. One round bale lasts about 8-10 days using our regular round bale hay net with 1.75″ holes.