Hay question.

[Slave2Magic]

The large round bale of hay that I bought today smells ok but has alot of twigs and plant stems in it. In this situation would you feed as is or pick out the sticks?

 

[eggs]

I wouldn't worry about picking out the twigs. Horses have evolved to eat grass and trees.

 

[tankgirl1]

Agree with eggs. Also if they don't want to eat it they will spit it out and mix it into their beds, so that they can snigger at the 2 legs picking it all out and hauling it off to the muck heap

 

[piebaldsparkle]

It depends what the stems were........

Odd bit of dock wouldn't worry me, but if braken or ragwort (for example), would not use bale.

 

[tankgirl1]

It depends what the stems were........

Odd bit of dock wouldn't worry me, but if braken or ragwort (for example), would not use bale.

Agree - we have never had ragwort or bracken in ours, it tends to be just dock or the odd random twig, which ned spits out. I'd be worried if a supplier of horse haylage allowed ragwort or bracken in their bales, and would change supplier if possible in that situation.

 

[Slave2Magic]

I'm not sure what they are. They look like black hard stems?

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Could be nettle.

Have you used this supplier before? Do they make their own or buy in?

 

[Slave2Magic]

I haven't used this supplier before. As far as I know they make their own.

 

[Mongoose11]

We have a lot of sticky twiggy bits, she leaves them or eats them.... Nothing poisonous so no harm done