Last years hay - would you feed it ?

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shmoo

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Not quite as thread title suggests but... So, would you buy 2012 hay now (at its current bargain prices) and feed next winter?

I am talking stored in good dry indoor conditions, or will it deteriorate beyond what is useful and cause respiratory problems.

I've never done this before, and am just considering cost saving options for the future.

Thanks, :)
 
shmoo said:
Not quite as thread title suggests but... So, would you buy 2012 hay now (at its current bargain prices) and feed next winter?

I am talking stored in good dry indoor conditions, or will it deteriorate beyond what is useful and cause respiratory problems.

I've never done this before, and am just considering cost saving options for the future.

Thanks, :)
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No I wouldn't.. Did one year because had no choice, that was all that was left but I did notice the difference from the hay I normally used. I think left overs should be used for cows & sheep only. They are less fussy and apparently don't mind hay that it not as good quality I think horses really do need quality hay.

Add - I normally reserve the amount of bales I think I need for the winter from my local farmer before he does the cut, then I know I have enough and have quality hay, he also does me a price. I get it a lot cheaper this way and farmer is happy to sell all of his hay.
 
If it is good quality & well stored I would buy it.
It is actually advised that old hay be used until new hay has had several months to make so this used to be standard practice.
 
Absolutely yes. Prefer not to use current seasons hay until after Christmas anyway.
Year old hay is better for many good do-er's as well.
So long as hay was good in the first place, being a year old is fine.
Be quick though, if word gets out it will be gone. Many owners will snap it up by choice.
Just take care the lower price is not due to origional quality rather than price.
Poor quality hay will only get worse with age, good quality will not suffer in a couple of years if well kept.
 
Traditionally, contrary to popular belief, horses were never fed this years hay, because it was considered too rich for them which would lead to all sorts of illnesses. Hay was always at least a year old.
 
Pale Rider said:
Traditionally, contrary to popular belief, horses were never fed this years hay, because it was considered too rich for them which would lead to all sorts of illnesses. Hay was always at least a year old.
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Ditto this.

One year old hay that has been stored well should be fine so long as when it was made it was dried properly and didn't get rained on.

The only way to really decide is to inspect the hay, ask if you can open up a bale - you may have to pay for it, then you can see, smell and notice if its dusty.
 
Of course I would as long as it was stored nice and dry and hasn't got damp.

I'd even feed 2011 hay if it was stored properly and was dry.

Why do people think hay goes off??? It's DRY. Which means it can be preserved for quite a long time in the correct conditions. This is why so much care and attention goes into making it in the first place... weather has to be perfect... temperature has to be right... tedding is almost an art form... baling is done once tested for moisture content. Then it's carefully stacked by willing farm workers like me!!!

Gah... people think it's an easy job!!!!

HAYLAGE is different.
 
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tallyho! said:
Of course I would as long as it was stored nice and dry and hasn't got damp.

I'd even feed 2011 hay if it was stored properly and was dry.

Why do people think hay goes off??? It's DRY. Which means it can be preserved for quite a long time in the correct conditions. This is why so much care and attention goes into making it in the first place... weather has to be perfect... temperature has to be right... tedding is almost an art form... baling is done once tested for moisture content. Then it's carefully stacked by willing farm workers like me!!!

Gah... people think it's an easy job!!!!

HAYLAGE is different.
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Echo the above..! My partner (farmer) takes alot of care and time into producing his hay and storing it properly and will not cut unless there's a good week's window of dry weather due (yeah i know, dodgy in this country when the weatherman chops and changes his tune every day!). I'm about to pick a large bale up from him in the near future actually for feeding my good doer/EMS lad,...it's exactly what i i want...not too rich and 9 months old now and perfect for my needs. I will be asking him if he can save me last year's bales for feeding if he can as i'd much prefer to feed this than anything younger.

"Make Hay while the Sun Shines" as the old saying goes,.... ain't that the truth!
 
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Pale Rider said:
Traditionally, contrary to popular belief, horses were never fed this years hay, because it was considered too rich for them which would lead to all sorts of illnesses. Hay was always at least a year old.
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That's How we always did it , new season hay was only fed after Christmas .
 
Yes. I ran out recently due to the lloonngg winter we've had and got some more in from my supplier. I will feed it until it's gone so will be feeding into this autumn/winter.
 
Im currently feeding 2011's hay. Its great for my 2 fatty's. We only made haylege last year so wilk be feeding 2011 hay until next year now.
 
Pale Rider said:
Traditionally, contrary to popular belief, horses were never fed this years hay, because it was considered too rich for them which would lead to all sorts of illnesses. Hay was always at least a year old.
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This is what I was always told.

And yes, I definitely would, as long as it was good quality. Same for any hay, really.
 
It all depends on your horse.

If you have an easy keeper, sure, nicely stored last years hay works just fine. But if your horse is remotely a hard keeper, than its a false economy as you'll probably find yourself having to supplement with more/better hard feed, which is way more expensive than nice 2013 hay.
 
Yes I would! As long as it has been produced and stored correctly, it should be perfectly fine and meet the needs of the vast majority of the equine population... I was feeding 2011 big round haylage (well wrapped and produced fairly dry) till after christmas and that was perfectly fine too...

Who's to say that there will be any (decent) hay this year anyway?... We don't yet know what the weather's gonna do! ... just sayin'!

It amazes me the number of horsey folk who seem to think hay is produced in some sort of factory and can't understand that some bales may contain stones, may be a bit stalky, and god forbid if it contains a dead bird or a football :P
 
I had to always give Dizz old hay at the start of the year, when the Spring grass was coming in, as her system couldn't cope. We'd then go through the next couple of months mixing old with some new. Was the only way to stop her having spasmodic colic.

So yes, so long as properly cared for, I'd buy it.
 
The ONLY reason you don't feed new season HAY (not haylage) is so that there is enough time for it to "cure" - not sure if technical word for it but basically, this gives the farmer enough time to see if the hay was baled right i.e. no damp got in, no mould is growing etc... it takes time for any spores to settle and at the slightest hint of damp they will eat the hay and that's the hay ruined.

Leaving it a few months to see if any damp has got in is basically for safety.

I have fed new season bales as well as old hay but you HAVE to be sure it's dry.
 
Definitely, as long as it is quality hay and has been kept dry. As others have said, many people feed only year old hay or don't feed this year's hay until after Christmas.
 
I just wish there was plenty of 2012 hay left over here. Things are dire! Yes, I feed hay all year round so always feed last years hay until the next is ready.

If there was any here and I had space and enough dosh I would buy, buy buy to feed over next winter.

ps. I read an advert on donedeal selling 6 year old hay the other day! I draw the line there. lol
 
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Quite... lets hope in the future we can actually AFFORD to pick and choose hay... the way things are going hay may need to be traded on the stock market!!!

It's no joke!
 
I know people with good doers who have travelled very long distances to get old hay as it saves soaking. I fed three/ four year (he couldn't remember) old hay one year - well stored so no dust and it was perfect.

Farmers only get rid of it cheaply because it looses nutritional value and hence they can't use it for cows/ sheep (who are growing meat/ milk) - it's actually more valuable to the average horse owner than this years (but please don't tell them that!!)
 
Polos Mum said:
I know people with good doers who have travelled very long distances to get old hay as it saves soaking. I fed three/ four year (he couldn't remember) old hay one year - well stored so no dust and it was perfect.

Farmers only get rid of it cheaply because it looses nutritional value and hence they can't use it for cows/ sheep (who are growing meat/ milk) - it's actually more valuable to the average horse owner than this years (but please don't tell them that!!)
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Hmm having tested hays from different years... sadly this is a myth. Once dry, the minerals and sugars stay in the hay. There's nowhere for these large particles to go. They can't evaporate. The protein structures and fibres may weaken but really, it just stays in suspended animation.

So for laminitics, you need to soak no matter how old the hay is :o:rolleyes:
 
tallyho! said:
Hmm having tested hays from different years... sadly this is a myth. Once dry, the minerals and sugars stay in the hay. There's nowhere for these large particles to go. They can't evaporate. The protein structures and fibres may weaken but really, it just stays in suspended animation.

So for laminitics, you need to soak no matter how old the hay is :o:rolleyes:
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Tallyho - that's really interesting - I'd assumed the farmers knew their stuff. Why do they not feed it to cattle/ sheep then if the nutritional value is the same? (I've seen them sell off last years at £1 only to buy in this years at £4) - or is it other vits/ minerals/ something else that deteriorates over time?
 
shmoo said:
Not quite as thread title suggests but... So, would you buy 2012 hay now (at its current bargain prices) and feed next winter?

I am talking stored in good dry indoor conditions, or will it deteriorate beyond what is useful and cause respiratory problems.

I've never done this before, and am just considering cost saving options for the future.

Thanks, :)
Click to expand...

Yes & have done so as was short by a few.

Have only just finished last month the 2nd cut from 2011 hay - rather nice stuff it was too :)
Have now got a good cut of 2012 hay at a very reasonable price in my store, should last me through till January 2014 if winter is a std one :)
 
Polos Mum said:
Tallyho - that's really interesting - I'd assumed the farmers knew their stuff. Why do they not feed it to cattle/ sheep then if the nutritional value is the same? (I've seen them sell off last years at £1 only to buy in this years at £4) - or is it other vits/ minerals/ something else that deteriorates over time?
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A ha well... if I were you keep schtumm!!!! :D:D:D

Some farmers are more clued up than others... that is all I have to say! ;)

Considering the only vitamins hay contains in dry form is beta-carotene, vit d and e, these are potentially the only things that deteriorate once dry. They deteriorate as soon as the hay is cut as they are volatile.

Hay is really dry FIBRE with a calorific content due to the sugars (around 5-10%). Thats what we make hay for. You must always supplement vitamins when feeding hay, even cattle and sheep need extra mineral and vitamin licks when feeding hay.

When you test hay for mineral content, the levels are never as high as they are fresh. Also, farmers generally feed stores haylage which is a better preservation method and should be fed that winter. That's why farmers wont feed last years HAYLAGE (completely different to hay).
 
We didnt have many horses on sumer before last so we cut the spare 6acre field and i've fed it all this winter and am still feeding it now and thye are as nice as the day we cut them we have a well ventillated dry barn it lasts well my haylage man is always astounded that my bale survies 5weeks in my barn without going mouldy either as i only have the one horse and in the worst of winter feed him haylage its not wet haylage classed as a medium dry but becuase of our barn conditions its does very well
 
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