What Happens If A Horse Eats Old Hay?

What should you do? 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.

Can horses eat this years hay?

Hay doesn’t come stamped with an expiration date, so sometimes it’s hard to know when to use it and when to toss it. 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.

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.

Can hay make a horse sick?

Common molds in hay can produce spores that cause respiratory problems in horses. Under some conditions these molds may also produce toxins.

Can moldy hay make a horse sick?

Most moldy hay problems are due to mold spores which can produce respiratory disease in horses. Many of the commonly diagnosed mycotoxins from molds are produced in the field when harvest is delayed.

Can horses eat dirty hay?

Colic. Bad hay, especially hay that is moldy, can also have a negative impact on your horse’s digestive tract. Bad hay has been known to cause colic in horses, an incredibly uncomfortable condition. Colic, when left untreated, can lead to serious health issues or even death.

Will horses avoid eating moldy hay?

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.

What are the signs of poisoning in a horse?

There is a long list of signs of poisoning in horses. These can include breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, weight loss, restlessness, a high temperature, depression, unsteadiness, blindness, constipation, lethargy, muscle tremors and loss of appetite.

Can horses get botulism from hay?

Figure 1: Horses eating from round-baled hay are more susceptible to developing botulism, especially if the hay was not baled appropriately or if a dead animal was baled together with the hay. Botulism is a deadly disease caused by the toxins produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

Does moldy hay cause colic in horses?

What should you do? 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.

What color is mold in hay?

Moldy hay generally presents as darker areas which are grey or black. If you find mold, refuse the bale – mold indicates that the hay was baled when it was too wet. Feeding moldy hay to horses can result in serious problems, such as colic.

Can horses get salmonella from hay?

Horses can pick up bacteria when they eat grass or hay, drink water, or come in contact with surfaces that have been contaminated by manure from an infected animal. Are some horses more susceptible than others? Any horse can pick up a Salmonella infection.

Does soaking hay remove mold?

Many studies have shown soaking hay can reduce respirable particle concentration by at least 88%. Soaking can also reduce the amount of mold present. Nutrient content Some horse owners soak their hay to reduce the amount of sugars, or nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC), in the forage.

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.

Can soaking hay cause colic?

Soaking hay can increase the bacteria content by almost 150%, including bacteria that can contribute to colic. Steaming with Haygain helps to reduce harmful bacteria.

Is Brown hay OK for horses?

Yellow throughout: it was overly mature when cut, which indicates reduced nutrient value and palatability to horses. Dark-brown or black: stay away. Hay this color was baled when wet, and doesn’t offer adequate nutrition. It also could make your horse sick.

What kind of hay can horses not eat?

Types of Hay for Horses—What to Avoid

• Perennial ryegrass and rye.
• Dallisgrass.
• Argentine bahiagrass.
• Johnsongrass, Sorghum grasses/Sudangrass.
• Switchgrass, which causes photosensitivity, peeling skin, mouth ulcers and liver disease.
• Foxtail Millet (aka German Millet) and Meadow foxtail.

Can you feed freshly baled hay to horses?

“If hay is baled with a low moisture content, less than 12%, it can be fed right away, and horses shouldn’t have any problem with it,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph. D., longtime nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

When should I stop feeding hay?

The moral of the story: keep feeding hay until pastures come on sufficiently, i.e. 6” to 8” in height. Supplemental hay and/or grain may be needed to meet the nutritional demands of grazing livestock in some situations.

Can animals eat old hay?

Moldy or spoiled feed can present a health risk for a multitude of species, said Kris Hiney, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension equine specialist. “Hay can be unfit for livestock due to excessive moisture while baling or exposure to the elements, such as excessive rain or flooding.