Bad hay

[poiuytrewq]

I have big 6 string hestons. They get stored at another farm and OH brings one or two over as needed.
My latest one is solid. It’s impossible to break up and fill nets and obviously I don’t want it.
OH (who gets very snippy about such things!) firstly said it’s fine, even people with “proper” horses apparently aren’t this fussy!
Second comment was “well I don’t know what you’ve done to it to make it like that” ?
Now, we both know it’s not something I’ve done but what is the reason hay gets like this? It was baled dry and is probed regularly afterwards at first.
Next, he asked what I plan to do with it..... ? how do you get rid of an open bale of that size? Previous years a guy worked here who’s g/f would apparently use anything so he’d somehow get it gone for her.
Really hoping it’s a one off duff bale, today’s project is scrap Xmas shipping after work and find some local hay to tide me over a few days ?

 

[Darbs]

Generally baled slightly damp, possibly too early in the day so still had dew on it, or it has got damp in storage, but that may be unlikely if the whole bale is solid.

We have had a few bales like this from our latest batch, the horses don't eat it so not much you can do about it, in fact one big hassle of mine is then trying to get rid of the scrap hay.

 

[Berpisc]

I would be very wary of feeding it, depends what it is like when you get inside the bale but it can cause all sorts of nasty problems for your horse (mycotoxins being one). Can you get the bale sections onto the machine your OH brought it in on? Was it stored in a properly dry place if it was baled well? I hope the others are ok, its a nightmare sometimes...

 

[meleeka]

I wouldn’t feed it. I did used to have a friend that took anything I didn’t want, like the two big Hestons that were full of ragwort ?. It was lovely hay apart from that and apparently her horses didn’t eat the ragwort because she found it all in their empty haynets in the morning ?. This was years ago and thar particular horse is now 27 and been eating acorns all winter too. There can’t be a lot left of his liver (hence she’s now an ex-friend).

 

[Tiddlypom]

Burn it if it’s rank.

Shift it to somewhere suitable, in sections if necessary, and set light.

We always get the odd duff small bale, even though it came off the same field and was made at the same time as the good stuff.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I would be very wary of feeding it, depends what it is like when you get inside the bale but it can cause all sorts of nasty problems for your horse (mycotoxins being one). Can you get the bale sections onto the machine your OH brought it in on? Was it stored in a properly dry place if it was baled well? I hope the others are ok, its a nightmare sometimes...

That would be the obvious/easy option, however he made it fairly clear it’s perfectly ok to feed therefore getting rid was my problem. The farm is nothing to do with me, I have no access to machinery nor would I be allowed to light a big fire.
I found some small bales I can go collect myself to tide me over for now.
He’ll move it... when he’s stopped sulking ?‍?

 

[holeymoley]

Can the farmer feed it or bed cattle on it? They usually go hard when its been damp. I’ve only used the big hestons once and they were really awkward.

 

[Polos Mum]

Sometimes the bales around the edge or under a tree don't dry as much as in the middle of the field so most is OK but the odd bale is too wet. If you didn't probe that bale you might not spot it.

I would put a free to collect message out to your local farmers. Mine will happily bed his cattle on crappy bales, they pick out the odd OK bit and it saves him straw.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Can the farmer feed it or bed cattle on it? They usually go hard when its been damp. I’ve only used the big hestons once and they were really awkward.

It’s arable only here, that would be perfect otherwise.
OH has obviously remembered his pretty damn good Christmas present and is on his way with a loader to sort it all out ?
I’d say panic over but I parked my lorry (which I just bigged up on another thread ?) right in front of the hay and for some reason it won’t bloody start! (Always starts!)
I’m doomed today ?