Horses don’t like the hay

Hormonal Filly

Hormonal Filly

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We get hay and haylage provided by the yard owner.

All of the horses are not eating the hay, or just picking at it. It’s a good colour and smells nice? So doesn’t really make sense.

They all go mad for the haylage.. IF they get any, but it puts weight on the good doers too fast.

I’m mixing a small amount of haylage in with the hay. My mare is a good weight, doesn’t need to loose or gain any but over night she’s eating the haylage and barely any hay.

Why could they all be not liking the hay? Would you be worried? Or are they just being fussy?

Thank you ?
 
My boys are very fussy. We do our own hay which isn't always the best in my opinion but they scoff it. They turn their noses up at what I would say is nicer hay. I wouldn't be happy this time of year if mine weren't eating plenty of hay. My old lad had colic really badly a few years ago after not eating much hay .
 
ameeyal said:
I would say the hay has had some pesticid or fertilizer put on it that the horses can taste.
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Bit concerning. I’d hope not.. she comes in absolutely starving and hasn’t touched the hay in her field all day (fresh or old) but if I give her just haylage she puts on so much weight. It’s really difficult.

meleeka said:
If you feed from a net, try feeding loose and see if it makes a difference.
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I’ve tried feeding loose in the field, no difference.
 
Barton Bounty said:
It must be something if none of them are eating it. Can you speak to the YO and ask for a fresh bale to see if it makes a difference?
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It’s been going on for the last 4 bales, all the same supplier.

Just spoke to one of the liveries and his horse is eating the hay, but he said he would eat anything.. just seems to be the rest of them.

Not sure if to worry and feed more haylage, but she’ll definitely put the weight on quicker than I can loose it.
 
There will be something in it that they don’t like. We had a batch that none of the horses would eat including the cobs that eat anything.
It smellEd lovely and looked nice but clearly something, possibly rat pee.
Got a different lot and they all tucked into it.
 
Hormonal Filly said:
It’s been going on for the last 4 bales, all the same supplier.

Just spoke to one of the liveries and his horse is eating the hay, but he said he would eat anything.. just seems to be the rest of them.

Not sure if to worry and feed more haylage, but she’ll definitely put the weight on quicker than I can loose it.
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I would just feed the haylage maybe just a wee bit less quantity? Is that worth a try? Few years back BB wouldnt eat hay from a certain supplier, three bales got wasted, well given away ??? then again he wont eat anything off the ground either.
 
deicinmerlyn said:
There will be something in it that they don’t like. We had a batch that none of the horses would eat including the cobs that eat anything.
It smellEd lovely and looked nice but clearly something, possibly rat pee.
Got a different lot and they all tucked into it.
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Interesting. It could be that, we have some rats about.
 
I'd reckon there's something that they don't like about it. If it's come from a supplier, really your yo could do with talking to them and getting it replacing. If it was just one horse it could just be something the individual doesn't like but for a whole yard of horses not to eat it I'd be suspicious of it.
 
I am DIY but we have a supplier that delivers hay to all of us. Very occasionally this will happen to us - the horses will all go off their hay at the same time and all refuse to eat it. The supplier is very good about it and will collect the problematic hay and replace with bales cut from elsewhere. Hay suppliers expect to hit these problems occasionally and should be proactive in resolving it.

I think if someone approaches the YO and lets them know that nothing is eating it, in my experience they will either resolve the situation for you or deduct the hay charge so you can source your own in the interim. I have used HorseHage in the past as I can get it from the feed shop and it is small enough to fit in a tack room / feed bay. It works as a stop-gap until they're eating the hay again.
 
When I had this, I opened a bale and you could smell diesel fumes. Turned out the stack the bales came from were right by where a tractor was started up and left running for 10 min every morning. Farmer swapped it out & fed it the cattle, who didn't care.
 
Zigzagged6260 said:
I am DIY but we have a supplier that delivers hay to all of us. Very occasionally this will happen to us - the horses will all go off their hay at the same time and all refuse to eat it. The supplier is very good about it and will collect the problematic hay and replace with bales cut from elsewhere. Hay suppliers expect to hit these problems occasionally and should be proactive in resolving it.

I think if someone approaches the YO and lets them know that nothing is eating it, in my experience they will either resolve the situation for you or deduct the hay charge so you can source your own in the interim. I have used HorseHage in the past as I can get it from the feed shop and it is small enough to fit in a tack room / feed bay. It works as a stop-gap until they're eating the hay again.
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This exactly. It happens, and the supplier should really replace it. If it were me, I would feed the haylage until they get hay she likes. Or buy some low cal haylage in.
 
Our YO buys from a supplier, he won’t swap bales if they won’t eat it.

My mare had been eating the last bale, but new bale went in yesterday which is dusty and doesn’t smell great. 2 of the big geldings ate all of theirs over night.. my mare ate 1/2 of her hay if that and her neighbour picked his (where as they were finishing it on last bale)

Hard to tell if she’s being fussy or something is wrong. She isn’t thin, a bit over weight if anything.

Would you try soaking? Or try and source hay elsewhere (which seems hard to find any!)

I have had to stop feeding haylage as her bloods show her liver has gone backwards and is struggling again. Bloods are all over the place. I suspect haylage as I started feeding it the last 4 weeks and nothing else has changed. ?
 
Hormonal Filly said:
Our YO buys from a supplier, he won’t swap bales if they won’t eat it.

My mare had been eating the last bale, but new bale went in yesterday which is dusty and doesn’t smell great. 2 of the big geldings ate all of theirs over night.. my mare ate 1/2 of her hay if that and her neighbour picked his (where as they were finishing it on last bale)

Hard to tell if she’s being fussy or something is wrong. She isn’t thin, a bit over weight if anything.

Would you try soaking? Or try and source hay elsewhere (which seems hard to find any!)

I have had to stop feeding haylage as her bloods show her liver has gone backwards and is struggling again. Bloods are all over the place. I suspect haylage as I started feeding it the last 4 weeks and nothing else has changed. ?
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It's such a worry isn't it. You could try hosing it a bit or soaking just long enough to make it damp. If you soak it for too long you're likely to make it even less paletable. Do you have any horse friends you could ask to use their hay/hay supplier until yours is sorted? There isn't much more you can do if you don't want to feed haylage.
 
Zigzagged6260 said:
Do you have any horse friends you could ask to use their hay/hay supplier until yours is sorted?
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I’ve found a supplier of small bales. He does have large round bales but no where to put it without pissing the YO off.

Although he says his hay was sprayed for socks in May last year. Anyone know if that could be a problem? ?

*sprayed for dock. Ha ha
 
Mine will be extremely fussy with hay if he thinks haylege could be an option. Once he realises that is all he is getting he starts to tuck in a bit better, but never cleans it up as much as haylege.
 
I had a whole round bale that none of the five would eat. Hay supplier replaced. I also get mixed small square bales. All different. Last batch.. none wouid touch.
 
mini-eventer said:
Mine will be extremely fussy with hay if he thinks haylege could be an option. Once he realises that is all he is getting he starts to tuck in a bit better, but never cleans it up as much as haylege.
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She hasn’t had a single bite of haylage for a week, so wouldn’t have thought so? Unless the grass is coming through.
 
My ponies aren't liking some of the bales in the latest delivery I got from my usually reliable supplier. This is unusual as they are both unfussy and happily eat dirty straw from other people's wheelbarrows. I have found a quick 30 minute soak makes it more palatable- I'm wondering if it has something on it that soaking helps wash off. I also put any left overs from their night nets in the field and they pick through to find the nice bits.
 
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