Hay suppliers

[AWinter]

What is it with hay suppliers treating you like they’re doing you a favour? I’ve just moved to a new area and all I want is some clean, non-mouldy meadow hay. Finally found someone who will deliver and the first bales he brought me were perfect, smelt lovely, horses loved them. Second lot he brought me were mouldy on all sides, when I mentioned it he offered to take them back but I said I’d just pick through but could he bring me clean stuff next time. Third time he’s brought me much smaller bales that look a completely different cut, have a horrendous strong musty/earthy smell to them and dust/spores like crazy when you pull a handful off.

I’ve politely explained why they’re not suitable and asked him to come and get them just to be scoffed at and told they’re “exactly the same” as the others he brought me. I’m now yet again looking for a hay supplier and struggling, had friends with similar issues. I appreciate making hay is hard but my horses already have health issues from being fed mouldy hay and it’s just not acceptable when you’re paying good money for a product, I don’t understand the attitude.

I wish I could afford to feed 4 horses on the dust-extracted small bales I buy but unfortunately it would be way too expensive. Has anyone else had issues getting a consistent supply? Is there such a thing as a national supplier who delivers large bales? Unfortunately I can’t feed haylage.

 

[HopOnTrot]

I've had a couple of dodgy suppliers, the odd bale I can forgive but when I'm throwing out 1/5 bales it's just not on.

Thankfully I've found a good one now.

Large bales in bulk is probably easier to get hold of, I have to have small bales as we only have a small hay barn and it's through a narrow gate.

 

[Identityincrisis]

Yes, it’s an ongoing issue here, too. I have a good supplier but his hay can be hit or miss, i had to change on to haylage as my horse developed a cough on the dusty hay and is too fussy to wet or steam it (i end up throwing half away)

I’m just pleased he’s not a great doer and can be put on the haylage instead

 

[Highmileagecob]

Unfortunately, we are coming to the end of a very wet winter, where more forage than usual has been used. I think some farmers are now selling the 'barn ends' that have been exposed to weathering, where normally this would go for the cattle to pick through. I feed haylage due to allergy issues stemming from dusty hay in the past, and have now found a locally made and bagged meadow grass haylage which works out nearly the same as big bale haylage.

 

[Landcruiser]

I think the wet summer is to blame. My local supplier is usually excellent but this winter it's been very his and miss with quality, with some but not all very dusty and musty. His larger bales (early cut) are much better. But sadly I think this is going to be more and more common.

 

[tristars]

get some 2022 hay a better crop

that dust is probably aspergillus and lethal to horses and people

you can test for aspergillus, we do

 

[Jambarissa]

If my local farmer runs out I usually buy from the feed shop rather than another farmer. They buy in at auction usually from sunnier parts of the country with better hay making weather. They make sure they get good stuff and have the motivation to keep the quality high.

There are companies that deliver over a wide area, obviously at a cost but really not too bad if you can buy in bulk. What area are you in?

 

[Fransurrey]

You'll struggle to find any consistent hay this year, due to the harvest conditions of 2023. You might have better luck sourcing a relatively dry haylage.

 

[Carlosmum]

As hay suppliers ourselves, last summer was a nightmare. We made enough small bales to cover our needs and one of our customers. The rest was baled into large 4 stringers. We had 50 acres down but couldn't bale due to weather and another 150 acres we never eve cut. I am afraid OP if you are worried about the quality of the hay, then you will have to bite the bullet and feed haylage for a while.

 

[Glitter's fun]

We make as much dry haylage (or pretty much wrapped hay some years) as we can but it's never enough & buying the top-up is an ongoing struggle. To be honest we're getting too old to do the haylage making too, it is feeling hard work these days! Our machinery is coming to the end of it's life but we don't want to replace it at huge cost & then (hopefully ) retire. The other side of the coin is buying in all we need would be difficult.
We have a regular supplier that does good quality hay, we dealt with his parents. He's a bit dearer than some but he's usually more reliable. We're really careful to keep in with him! We do also need a plan B in the shape of some stored from last year, or our home made, because he comes a long way & doesn't come in with the first load of the winter until there are other orders nearby.
This year he came with a "day labourer" who was obnoxious (racist, foul mouthed, bullying our own employee, possibly tanked up on something, actually frightening to have on the yard). It was a really unpleasant experience but there aren't obvious alternatives if we fall out with them. ETA the actual hay is decent!

TLDR
I feel for you, it's difficult. Especially this year. My advice such as it is , is only of long-term use to you! Get a reputation for being fussy but paying quickly, then at least you'll be near the top of the list in bad years.
Short term can you feed haylage? (Dusty hay is harmful to you picking through it, as well as harmful for your horse.)

 

[Belmont]

Yep also fed up of mouldy forage! Horses were on hay for a while but it was consistently dusty and the horses just weren't fussed by it. Switched to small bales of haylage (the 30kg mini wrapped bales) and first lot were amazing, horses were chuffed. I had a second order and there was plenty of mould. I made him aware and he said I could have 5 FOC on my next order, he said 'these will be fine as they've been stored inside, your last lot were outside'. I was frustrated to find these bales even more mouldy than the last lot! At £8 a bale, I'm chucking at least half a bale away and a whole bale yesterday. Really frustrating!

 

[setterlover]

2023 was a nightmare for making hay and even haylege to an extent.
We rest one field all winter and that was cut end of May/baled 1st June as dry haylege and wrapped absolutely fab ! .Next lot was cut for haylege in a dry window in August also good dry haylege final lot cut in a really good window in early October! This is proper haylege with a higher water content than the other 2 fields but good although doesn't last as long as the others once opened..I still have 6 large bales of 2022 hay which it lovely so poss move to that in summer 2024 when I put some out in the pole barn if the flies are bad.
This is the first year in the 15 years we have been here we have made ALL haylege and over a 5 month period we honestly thought we wouldn't cut the last field as it was done so late and we were considering letting a farmer friend have it for silage.
Good job we did get it cut as we will just about have enough
Here's hoping 2024 is a better year for marking Hay and haylege there will be none left from last year.

 

[AWinter]

Yep also fed up of mouldy forage! Horses were on hay for a while but it was consistently dusty and the horses just weren't fussed by it. Switched to small bales of haylage (the 30kg mini wrapped bales) and first lot were amazing, horses were chuffed. I had a second order and there was plenty of mould. I made him aware and he said I could have 5 FOC on my next order, he said 'these will be fine as they've been stored inside, your last lot were outside'. I was frustrated to find these bales even more mouldy than the last lot! At £8 a bale, I'm chucking at least half a bale away and a whole bale yesterday. Really frustrating!

Is this from a big supplier?

 

[AWinter]

We make as much dry haylage (or pretty much wrapped hay some years) as we can but it's never enough & buying the top-up is an ongoing struggle. To be honest we're getting too old to do the haylage making too, it is feeling hard work these days! Our machinery is coming to the end of it's life but we don't want to replace it at huge cost & then (hopefully ) retire. The other side of the coin is buying in all we need would be difficult.
We have a regular supplier that does good quality hay, we dealt with his parents. He's a bit dearer than some but he's usually more reliable. We're really careful to keep in with him! We do also need a plan B in the shape of some stored from last year, or our home made, because he comes a long way & doesn't come in with the first load of the winter until there are other orders nearby.
This year he came with a "day labourer" who was obnoxious (racist, foul mouthed, bullying our own employee, possibly tanked up on something, actually frightening to have on the yard). It was a really unpleasant experience but there aren't obvious alternatives if we fall out with them. ETA the actual hay is decent!

TLDR
I feel for you, it's difficult. Especially this year. My advice such as it is , is only of long-term use to you! Get a reputation for being fussy but paying quickly, then at least you'll be near the top of the list in bad years.
Short term can you feed haylage? (Dusty hay is harmful to you picking through it, as well as harmful for your horse.)

I’m definitely fussy and pay upon delivery but it seems they just don’t want to hear it. I don’t understand why he would bother bringing me a product he knows I’ll just send back after assuring me he had more of the good stuff he initially brought me, then tried telling me it’s exactly the same. I think I’m going to have to try and find some nice dry haylage and try that.