Can You Feed Dusty Hay To Horses?

Do not feed dusty and moldy hay and grains. Place feed at a lower level so particles are not inhaled through the nostrils. Keep your horse out of the stable when you are cleaning and sweeping to reduce exposure to dust. Feed hay outside to minimize dust problems.

Will horses eat around moldy hay?

I decided to find out if horses will eat moldy hay and whether it safe for them. Horses will eat moldy hay, especially if they have no alternative forage, but consuming moldy hay is dangerous and can cause digestive and respiratory diseases.

Why is my hay 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 do you get rid of dust in hay?

Steaming shouldn’t replace the main goal of feeding hay with low mold and dust content. In the absence of such hay, steaming is a good practice for reducing mold and dust content in moderately moldy hay. You can use steaming to increase forage intake when feeding low mold hay.

How do I know if my hay is too dusty?

Make sure that the hay doesn’t smell like mold or mildew – if it does, refuse the hay. Shift the hay through your fingers and look to see how much dust is released. Hay which is very dusty is not good to feed to horses, especially if your horses have respiratory issues.

Is white dust in hay mold?

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.

What happens if a horse eats a little moldy hay?

Moldy hay frequently causes respiratory problems in horses. Recurrent airway obstruction, commonly known as heaves, is a lung disease that compromises a horse’s ability to breathe. It is similar to asthma in humans and is a chronic condition that can only be managed, not cured.

Can horses get sick from moldy hay?

Don’t feed moldy hay to horses. Most moldy hay problems are from mold spores, which can produce respiratory disease in horses. Many of the common mold toxins develop in the field during a delayed harvest. If you suspect a mold toxin problem, review your horse’s nutrition and health.

Can moldy hay cause colic?

Moldy hay can cause digestive upset that can lead to abdominal pain (colic), sometimes serious. In rare cases, hay containing toxic molds can cause life-threatening illness.

How long should you soak hay to remove dust?

Soaking hay for 10 minutes can significantly reduce the number of respirable particles in grass hay, and longer soaking times do not necessarily result in a greater reduction in respirable particles.

What happens if horses eat dusty hay?

It may cause temporary coughing or with repeat exposure the horse can develop permanent lung damage commonly known as heaves or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This disease is strictly man made by the repeat feeding of dusty hay.

Does soaking hay get rid of dust?

For horses with allergies, soaking for only 10 minutes can significantly reduce the dust content in the hay, making it less irritating. Horses with metabolic concerns may require hay soaked for approximately 60 minutes to bring sugar content down to safer levels.

Can horses eat old 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.

Will wet hay hurt horses?

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 you fix moldy hay?

To eliminate mold commonly found in hay bales, West Chester, Pa., equine veterinarian Frank Reilly suggests “flash soaking” — tearing pieces of hay off of the bale, putting them in a hay net and then under a heavy rock in a bucket of water for 10 minutes.

What can be done with moldy hay?

You don’t have to line the bottom of your hutches to help compost beneath it. Moldy/wet hay can also be used in the garden, the compost bin, and even act as a planter!

Will moldy feed hurt a horse?

Moldy forage can contribute to a range of disorders in the horse. Inhaled fungal and actinomycete spores can cause primary allergic and inflammatory respiratory disease, as well as influencing the incidence, severity, and duration of episodes of infectious respiratory disease.

What do farmers do with moldy hay?

The best course of action often is to minimize feeding moldy hay to more sensitive animals, like horses or pregnant cows. Lactating dairy cows should never be fed moldy feeds to avoid any trace of mycotoxins in milk. If at all possible, use other feedstuffs for pregnant beef cows and heifers.

What happens if animals eat moldy hay?

“While only some molds produce mycotoxins, these are visually unable to be differentiated, and the presence of mycotoxins is difficult to assess.” Animals that consume contaminated feeds can experience liver and kidney damage, neurologic disorders and estrogenic effects.

Can animals eat moldy hay?

Here are the risks of feeding moldy hay to livestock:
1. Horses are impacted the most by moldy hay and can lead to respiratory and digestive problems like colic or heaves. 2. Cattle aren’t as sensitive to moldy hay, but certain molds can result in mycotic abortions or aspergillosis.

How do horses get botulism from hay?

Botulism in foals, also known as shaker foal syndrome, happens when the foal starts to nibble at hay and grass, between 2 and 12 weeks of age, and ingests the bacteria directly from the soil. The bacteria will form spores in the intestinal tract of the foal and produce toxins.