Hay soaking (Yawn)

R

rangerover

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 December 2007
Messages
244
Visit site
My vet came out to my mare today and while he says she hasn't actually got COPD he has advised me to soak the hay for 20 mins - 1/2 hour and feed it in a net hanging up in the field or on the fence. This is totally the opposite of what I have been doing as I previously fed on the floor and hit it with the hose if it was a bit dusty. The problem I have is I have 2 living out (they don't like coming in and she's definitely better off out for her wind) so I now am going to have to soad enough haynets for 2 x horses twice a day. My question is, how does everyone else do it..bath, bins, levers etc. Any advice on how to make this an easier task will be appreciated.
 
I have a plastic barrel sawn in half to soak my hay, it is the perfect size for a good sized hay net to squeeze into. Then I just push it over when ready to feed and let it drain for 5 mins. I also have a huge plastic tub trug which works well too.

TBH it is worth it - I have never been able to get hay properly wet just spraying with a hose.
smile.gif
 
I soak for 3.
I use an old bath raised on a pallet with a pallet in front. I fill the bath, leave the nets in (I soak to get rid of calories so for several hours). I pull out the plug half hour before I wnat to feed to allow the water to drain then pull them out onto the pallet to let any more water drain away and rinse if necessary (depends how long I've soaked for).
I have also black plastic bins. You can get approx 3 wedges of hay in a net in them and again, knock them over and pull haynet onto pallet to drain.
 
My little welshie needs soaked hay. I have 2 big plastic trugs jumbo size and small holed haylage nets that will fit about three secs in each. She has 1 haynet a day so when I go to the yard I immediately pull out the trug from the haybarn to the drain and chuck the prefilled bucket of water over it distributing well.

I used to let it soak in that water for 30 mins - 1hr whilst I did things but found that I had a very drippy haynet that soaked the stable, was heavy and let bits of hay get out and make a mess of the yard. Now I have made some holes in the trugs at the bottom so the water goes through the hay (but makes it damp enough for dust spores to swell because the moisture is retained) the water drains away, the loose hay stays in, the haynet is lighter etc. I hang that up and then refill haynet and water bucket ready for next one. You could just have the hay loose in the trug with the holes to drag out to the field (or use wheelbarrow) although you would need 4 very big trugs
 
to save your back, i would steam it instead. it's a tiny bit more hassle (need either strong plastic bag or a metal dustbin (plastic ones collapse from the steam) and a kettle, but it's worth the hassle, and still damps down the spores, dust etc.
when i soaked hay i was always suffering with a bad back, esp sciatica.
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
Couldn't you switch to haylage? No soaking needed then. My ned has had a very bad virus on top of his "normal" summer pollen allergy cough and the vets advised to feed off the floor to allow mucus to drain naturally. So not sure why your vets have advised as they have. Sunny already has haylage rather than hay, but I also invested in a Haybar and I have to say it is the most brilliant piece of kit ever invented. Absolutely no waste at all now and Sunny - even with only 1 eye - eats head down as nature intended.
 
Kerilli, I asked about steaming as I was doing that but he said 2 things - 1) the steam doesn't actually wash the hay so it doesn't take the rubbishy spores away and 2) if you were going to steam it the kettle method doesn't get it hot enough to kill bacteria etc. and they could actually be multiplying the the steam - he said the only way to steam properly is with one of those machines.
I am going to have to think this through a bit more as I have nowhere to dispose of the water other than on the field/non-concrete yard (eg compacted mud) and OH is having a fit about the cost of the amount of water involved. Haylage? Vet said it is too fattening, it would be too expensive plus we make our own hay in big bales so theoretically it's free! (It's not really). So, anyone with any more tips please post. Am thinking about utilising an old engine winch for lifting nets out of dustbins. Also, what's the biggest haynets anyone has found?
confused.gif
 
Rather than just using a kettle of boiling water to steam, how about using a wall paper stripper (very cheap from DIY store) and putting the hose attachment into the bottom of a large dustbin (wheelie bins are best as they are tough and hold a lot more hay). You can put the stripper onto a timer and have it steaming for about 30 minutes or more. Thats about the same as the rather expensive steamer boxes.

I have found that soaking hay creates lots of really horrible waste water and if you haven't a place to drain then you are going to have a very wet and boggy area which stinks.
 
I steam now as opposed to soaking(found soaking hay for 4 horses back breaking) I made a home made steamer as many people had suggested on here and never looked back(thanks for the tip people) I can fit almost a bale of hay in at a time - minimum effort, lovely hay and happy horses that don't cough anymore!!!.
grin.gif
 
I bought a hay steamer (not the REALLY expensive one) and am very, very pleased with it. Does exactly what it says on the tin and warms the tackroom lovely
smile.gif
No coughing from my boy since.
 
I thought that the reason people soak hay if their horse has an allergy to the spores found in it, was simply to swell the spores to prevent them being inhaled, rather than to "wash" them out or kill bacteria? Anyway, be aware that the waste water after hay has been soaked eg in a bin is as potent an environmental problem as sewage.
 
QR- Feeding from the floor is actually better for the respiratory system than feeding from nets, so not sure why the vet said nets?
 
Had that conversation and he said it's better to soak in nets, if you tip it onto floor they eat the dirt...I had been steaming it witha kettle in a bin and tipping it out onto the field....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top