How Do You Keep Hay Dry For Horses?

Storing Hay for Horses

1. Be sure hay is dry before stacking it in a barn or shed.
2. Store hay in a dry place.
3. Stacking the bottom layer of bales, and then every second layer, with the cut ends up and the twine or wire on the sides will encourage drying.
4. Allow air circulation under and around the bales.

How do you keep hay from getting wet?

Use net wrap or plastic twine spaced no more than 4 in. apart on round bales to maintain bale shape and provide a smooth surface that encourages water runoff.” Anderson recommends storing hay on elevated, well-drained spots that will prevent the bales from soaking up moisture from wet soil or standing water.

How long should hay be left before feeding to horses?

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.

What is the best floor to store hay on?

Most barns designed for storing large round bales simply use a dirt floor that is elevated and well drained to minimize moisture intrusion. Some barns that store valuable hay (typically small square bales for the horse market) do use a concrete floor.

Does hay need to be covered?

Never leave stored hay bales out in the open or sitting directly on the ground. Losses can reach up to 40 percent when hay has no cover above or ventilation below. Always stack bales on pallets or wood planks that form a lattice.

Can horses eat damp hay?

Wet hay typically goes through a fermentative state, of sorts, and it would not be good for the horse to eat it while this was happening,” she continued. Caution should be used in purchasing hay that was wet when baled. Too much moisture affects the quality of baled hay.

Can horses eat hay that has been rained on?

Rained-on hay can be a suitable forage, especially for horses prone to laminitis. Forage quality tends to be retained if: The rain occurs soon after cutting when the forage has had little time to dry. The rainfall was a single, short event.

How many bales of hay should a horse eat per day?

A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).

Can you feed horses freshly baled hay?

Any hay that has been properly cured and dried before being baled should be stable and can be fed as soon as needed. There are no nutritional advantages to storing hay for weeks or months prior to use.

How many bales of hay does 1 horse eat weekly?

What is this? In general, horses kept in a stall need to eat as many as 10 square bales of hay per month. Horses usually eat about twelve pounds of forage a day, though sometimes they will eat more or less depending on their diet.

How do you keep hay dry without a barn?

If you don’t have a barn, store hay on wooden pallets and cover them with a tarp. Keep hay covered – Storing your hay in a covered place protects your hay supply from rain. Keep feed hay dry outside during feeding – Don’t just plan to keep hay dry while in the hay storage area, but during feeding too.

How do you protect hay from humidity?

If you are worried about the bottom layer of hay drawing moisture from the ground during the wetter months, placing the bales on pallets or a protective layer of plastic/tarp can help. A hay shed with a well-prepared site and a good drainage system is not likely to have this problem though.

Should hay be covered with a tarp?

Large square bales need to be covered as they do not shed rain very well. Leaving them outside and uncovered will result in a significant amount of spoilage. Store hay under roof – While an initial capital expense, building long term inside hay storage can be one of the best on-farm investments.

Does hay get ruined if it gets wet?

If rained-on hay is not again dried fully, mold and mycotoxin growth can occur which can put livestock health at risk. Furthermore, baled wet hay can combust due to the temperature increase caused by microbial growth – putting a producer at risk of barn fire.

Is hay still good if it gets wet?

What happens to quality for rained-on hay? The majority of the damage from untimely rains is the loss of soluble nutrients from the hay (the sugars). Even before rain damage, we lose some sugar during plant respiration that occurs from the time forage is cut until it reaches about 50% moisture content.

Does it matter if hay gets rained-on?

Round hay bales should not get wet, as the moisture of the average bale should not exceed 20%. If it does, then mould can develop in the bale, preventing you from selling the hay.

What is the best way to dry hay?

For haylage: if drying conditions are good, rake multiple swaths into a windrow just before chopping (usually takes 5 to 7 hours after mowing). For hay: if drying conditions are good, merge/rake multiple swaths into windrow 12 to 24 hours after mowing (when forage is 40 to 60% moisture to avoid leaf loss).

How soon can you feed hay after baling to horses?

The Question: How long after hay is cut and baled should you wait before using it for feed to a horse? Answer: New hay can be fed just after harvesting. Any hay that has been properly cured and dried before being baled should be stable and can be fed as soon as needed.

What are the symptoms of a horse eating moldy hay?

Why Is Moldy Hay Dangerous?

• Coughing.
• Nasal discharge.
• Increased respiratory rate.
• Labored breathing.
• The presence of a “heave line” caused by abdominal muscles enlarging to help with breathing.

How do you get rid of hay belly in horses?

Treatment of Hay Belly in Horses
Should you notice that your horse has a big belly while losing muscle mass, consider doing the following: Begin feeding him a better quality of hay. If your horse is on pasture, provide him good quality hay as a supplement to his grazing. Feed your horse a protein supplement like grain.

What happens if you don’t cut a hay field?

If left unmanaged, unharvested, standing forage can result in a dense mat on the soil surface over winter and interfere with spring growth and hay harvest next year.