How do i Soak Hay (stupid i know)

Bettyboo1976

Bettyboo1976

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Hi,

Probably being totally thick, but i have never had to soak my horses Hay before. Now new horse has hay soaked... can someone expain how to do this (obviously its wet) but how long for? do i Just hose it?

Thanks..
 
I put it in a haynet run the hose over it for a few minutes till it is dripping out of the bottom then leave it to drain while I sort out rugs, pick out feet etc. By then it is ready to go in their stables. I don't like it to be soaked to within an inch of its life, just damp enough that it isn't dusty.
 
Supposed to be soaked in water for 6 minutes to soak spores so horse doesn't inhale them.
Buy a big muckbucket and dunk your haynet in it...
S
smile.gif
 
HI, can i offer a suggestion.
When i fed hay (now use haylage)Instead of soaking hay, i used to steam it.

i read an article about it in a horse mag approx 10 years ago and i steamed ever since!

To effectively get rid of the dust you only need to steam for 10 mins and its easy.

just get an old shavings plastic bag and put either your folds of hay in it or haynet-if not too big, then pour a kettle of boiled water onto the hay, tie the top of the bag up with some baling string and thats it! just leave to steam in the bag. Open the bag and let the hay cool for a few mins before feeding.

Our horses loved it-it smelt sweeter, you eliminate more dust than simply giving a quick soak and you don't lose the goodness that can be lost when soaking overnight.

Its interesting to see the 'gunk' thats left settled at the bottom with the water.
crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
HI, can i offer a suggestion.
When i fed hay (now use haylage)Instead of soaking hay, i used to steam it.

i read an article about it in a horse mag approx 10 years ago and i steamed ever since!

To effectively get rid of the dust you only need to steam for 10 mins and its easy.

just get an old shavings plastic bag and put either your folds of hay in it or haynet-if not too big, then pour a kettle of boiled water onto the hay, tie the top of the bag up with some baling string and thats it! just leave to steam in the bag. Open the bag and let the hay cool for a few mins before feeding.

Our horses loved it-it smelt sweeter, you eliminate more dust than simply giving a quick soak and you don't lose the goodness that can be lost when soaking overnight.

Its interesting to see the 'gunk' thats left settled at the bottom with the water.
crazy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

I was just about to say the exact same thing... great minds and all that!
 
Steaming is supposed to be more effective, but not always practical.

If you can't steam, you should soak for about 20 mins - I find easiest method if in a haynet, in a big bucket.

The theory is that if you soak for less than 20 mins (or less effective still, just hose it down), the spores don't have time to swell. If you do it for more, you start to lose nutrients.
 
I soak it in a big bucket for approx. 10 minutes then leave to drain.
I'm changing over to mainly haylege as I don't fancy another winter of carrying heavy haynets and getting soaked as I tie them up
smile.gif
 
i soak one or two flaps at a time, in a big container. any more than that will do your back in!
i use old Horsehage bags for soaking... i cut Vs out all along the bottom edge for drainage, put the hay inside, soak the whole thing, drain out on metal cages, and then empty the bag on the stable or field floor.
if you use haynets, you'll find that unless you wear gloves all the time, the wet nylon rips your hands and eventually gets really sore.
 
i soak one or two flaps at a time, in a big container. any more than that will do your back in!
i use old Horsehage bags for soaking... i cut Vs out all along the bottom edge for drainage, put the hay inside, soak the whole thing for 1 hr minimum, drain out on metal cages, and then empty the bag on the stable or field floor.
if you use haynets, you'll find that unless you wear gloves all the time, the wet nylon rips your hands and eventually gets really sore.
 
I also would prefer steaming. If this is going to be a long term situation then I use the following method. Get a plastic dustbin, Buy or get hold of a wallpeper steamer, (not that expensive) get someone to cut hole for pipe (from steamer) into top of bin or lid. Put hay in dustbin. Turn steamer on for reguired length of time & it comes out beautiful. & no mess on yard. The idea with a plastic bag is good but most bags have holes in them so boiling water runs out/ outside temp in winter cools the bag so quickly the hay doesnt actually 'steam' as it should. Promise you, the old steamer & dustbin works a treat & well worth the extra effort if using long term.
blush.gif
 
I also would prefer steaming. If this is going to be a long term situation then I use the following method. Get a plastic dustbin, Buy or get hold of a wallpaper steamer, (not that expensive) get someone to cut hole for pipe (from steamer) into top of bin or lid. Put hay in dustbin. Turn steamer on for reguired length of time & it comes out beautiful. & no mess on yard. The idea with a plastic bag is good but most bags have holes in them so boiling water runs out/ outside temp in winter cools the bag so quickly the hay doesnt actually 'steam' as it should. Promise you, the old steamer & dustbin works a treat & well worth the extra effort if using long term.
blush.gif
 
Depends if you are just soaking the hay to get rid of dust spores, or whether you are soaking it to leach out the sugars etc if your horse is on a weight management programme.

Steaming would actually be my preference if it is just for getting rid of spores. We put the hay in nets in plastic dustbins, pour a couple of kettles full of water over the top, pop the lid on and it is ready in 20 mins. Smells lovely too!

If you need to soak the hay to lose the sugars etc, then soak for at least an hour but preferably longer. All day or all night is the norm. Then tip the water out, and make sure you really rinse the hay well, to get rid of the stinky water. Hang it up to drain off a little bit before feeding. If you are doing this, also make sure that your horse gets a good feed balancer to ensure they are getting all the vits and mins. If they are a good doer, which they would be if you were soaking their hay like this (drrr, silly me) use something like Baileys Lo Cal, Top Spec Anti Lam or similar.
 
[ QUOTE ]
HI, can i offer a suggestion.
When i fed hay (now use haylage)Instead of soaking hay, i used to steam it.

i read an article about it in a horse mag approx 10 years ago and i steamed ever since!

To effectively get rid of the dust you only need to steam for 10 mins and its easy.

just get an old shavings plastic bag and put either your folds of hay in it or haynet-if not too big, then pour a kettle of boiled water onto the hay, tie the top of the bag up with some baling string and thats it! just leave to steam in the bag. Open the bag and let the hay cool for a few mins before feeding.

Our horses loved it-it smelt sweeter, you eliminate more dust than simply giving a quick soak and you don't lose the goodness that can be lost when soaking overnight.

Its interesting to see the 'gunk' thats left settled at the bottom with the water.
crazy.gif


[/ QUOTE ]


me too.
grin.gif
 
Good idea!
yes, i forgot to mention-i did use a plastic bin also. I didn't find the hay heavy at all using this method and it quite warms your hands up on a chilly day!
laugh.gif


and...great minds do think alike
wink.gif
 
i soak mine to get rid of sugars- 12 hours in a bin of fresh water, let it drain for about an hour while im down there and then she has it overnight
other horses gets hers damped down to reduce dust-i just spray it with the hosepipe for a few minutes.
 
I used a plastic dustbin and a kettle of water.... put the hay in to steam before work and then fed it in the evening.....

As for time, merlin wont eat it if its been soaked for more than a few mins, so I just used to run the hose over it for about 5 mins and that stopped him coughing!!
 
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