How Long After Hay Is Cut Can Horses Eat It?

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. There are no nutritional advantages to storing hay for weeks or months prior to use.

How long does it take to cure hay?

about three days
It basically takes about three days of good weather to cure hay. This can be a challenge in late May or early June. A good strategy is to mow just before or right after a rain, because of the likelihood of good weather for the next few days.

How long after baling can you feed hay?

8 weeks
To be safe, wait at least 8 weeks after wrapping to begin feeding baleage bales. This time will ensure that the forage is fully ensiled and does not begin to deteriorate or heat when it is fed.

Can you feed this years 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.

How long should you soak hay for horses?

Soak hay for 30 to 60 minutes to reduce the sugar it contains. Don’t soak the hay longer or you’ll risk leaching beneficial nutrients. Soaking hay to remove sugars that can exacerbate metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance takes more time.

Can horses eat freshly cut hay?

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.

How long does hay need to dry after cutting?

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 long do you let cut hay dry before baling?

When preparing to bale hay, the transition from freshly cut, high-moisture grasses and legumes to dry forage is known as curing. This process takes on average 3 days—in good weather.

Can you bale hay the same day you cut it?

In a trial at the University of Wisconsin Arlington Research Station (Figure 2) where alfalfa was put into a wide swath it reached 65 percent moisture in about eight hours and could be harvested for haylage the same day as cutting.

Can you bale hay the day after cutting?

Hay mowed early in the morning could be tedded that afternoon, as long as the mowed swath is dry on the top surface. It may require a second tedding the next day to speed up the drying process. Too much tedding can shatter the leaves of alfalfa or clover, lowering the quality of the hay.

When should you not cut hay?

Cutting grass hay into October makes it almost impossible to get dried; therefore, most dry hay production will stop in September, leaving the preferred four to six weeks of regrowth by default.

Is late cut hay good for horses?

Late-cut hays can provide enough energy and nutrients (i.e., carbohydrate, protein, minerals, vitamins, etc.) for most horses to thrive, even if pregnant, lactating, or exercising. They typically contain fewer weeds than early-cut hay.

How Much Will hay be in 2022?

2022 hay prices forecast by the Livestock Marketing Information Center. Hay prices are forecast to reach record levels in 2022, with national alfalfa prices forecast to average $245/ton for the 2022-23 hay crop year. Other hay prices are forecast to average $155/ton for the current hay crop year.

Is it OK to feed horses wet hay?

Soaking hay for horses can be invaluable when feeding a hay that is a little dusty as a result of soil contamination or where it was stored in the barn. Horses that have allergies and are sensitive to the natural dust and particles in hay can benefit significantly from wetting or soaking hay.

Is hay 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.

Can hay be too dry for horses?

The key to properly cured hay lies predominantly in moisture content. For best results, hay should not be baled until there is less than 20% moisture. Hay baled too wet might mold, heat, and pose a fire risk. Conversely, hay baled too dry might lose its nutritional value through broken or fallen leaves.

What happens if horses eat fresh cut grass?

Feeding lawn clippings will dramatically upset the balance of microbes in the hindgut, potentially leading to colic or laminitis, as the amount of highly fermentable carbohydrates in regularly clipped lawns is dangerously high. Excessive intake results in a high rate of fermentation in the hindgut.

Can horses eat hay straight off the field?

In perfect conditions — where the hay has been baled at less than 12% moisture and is very dry — it is safe to feed straight away, but this isn’t often the case, as Tim Moxon of TM Agri Services Ltd explains: “The main reason for allowing a period of anywhere between two and eight weeks before feeding freshly made hay

How do you know if hay is cured?

Breaking stems in half or twisting them in a circular motion to see if the stems break cleanly will give farmers the go-ahead to bale. “If all the stems break and crack that’s an indication that the hay is cured and then you can rely on the moisture test that you’re getting from the probe,” Yaremcio said.

Can hay dry in 24 hours?

Proper dry matter content for chopping haylage can often be achieved within 24 hours as compared to three to four days for dry hay.

Does rain ruin cut hay?

Rainfall on cut hay laying in the field causes yield and quality losses. This lowers the value of the crop as an animal feed and a marketable commodity.