new hay help please - do you have to wait once baled to use it?

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catymmh

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I just had some hay delivered which was cut and baled last week. My farmer can't store it so I always get it fairly soon only I was told today that it should be barn stored for at least 2 months before feeding it to the horses. I've never heard that before and wondered what to do?? Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
From what others say on here yes it should be stored,but it depends on internal temperature,if you need to feed it make sure you split the bale well 24hrs before so it loses any heat that is inside,have known alot of people do this and it has been ok,as long as there is no heat it should be fine!!!Tia is the best person to ask as she bales her own,send her a pm and i am sure she will be happy to oblige!
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Thank you for that, I was worried as they had a slice each last night. I panicked when I was told it needs to air a bit! I have some of my old stuff left that will last a few months but it's from last year and not great but now I know i'll make them wait. Many thanks!!
 
If it is made right there should be no heat in it any way. The main reason for keeping it is it can be very high in protein.
 
That has made me feel even better! I know the farmer really really well and he takes such pride in his hay making. He was bitterly disappointed at what was made last year but very proud of this years lol.

last winter cost me a fortune in haylage because the hay was so rubbish Hopefully this new stuff will save me having to feed haylage too. fingers crossed and they loved it last night. Poor things got the cr**py stuff tonight.
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It does.when it is freshly baled it will heat very slightly....as i say tia is the person to ask,if it a certain temp i believe it ok to feed??Am no expert but if it mixed in with old and bale split day before you will be fine
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If we need to feed new hay before September we tend to try and mix it due to protein. It only normally gets hot if it is not fully dry when baled.
 
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It does.when it is freshly baled it will heat very slightly....as i say tia is the person to ask,if it a certain temp i believe it ok to feed??Am no expert but if it mixed in with old and bale split day before you will be fine
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thank you all, I won't take any chances now as I have a bit to get through but will pm tia. Do I just search in members or is there another way to search for tia's name to pm? Bit new to this sorry!
 
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If we need to feed new hay before September we tend to try and mix it due to protein. It only normally gets hot if it is not fully dry when baled.

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they get a slice or two at night (only as they are in at night) so I really won't need to use my new hay until maybe even october, think it may have been earlier last year with the rotten weather but it has been really hot and dry most of the summer here in kent and the grass seems to love this weather. Have had hardly any rain at all. It is so tempting to ditch the stuff from last year but can wait a bit or will mix as suggested. Thanks again most informative.
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We have hay that was baled at the end of May/beginning of June. It's beautiful and we've been feeding it mixed with last years for a few days and today gone totally over to the new stuff. So it's been six to seven weeks and the farmer is now cutting the rest of his crop.

It's the first time for years that they've been able to make June hay.
 
From what I've been advised, if you open a new bale to use it, just make sure there is no heat between the sections. Fluff it up and leave it for a day to cool. Then, if you can, mix the new with some of your old hay just to make the transition easier on the horses' digestion. Wouldn't have thought it would be a good idea to switch backwards and forwards though.
 
Oh dear i never knew that you had to wait due to temperature. I thought it was due to the nutritional value it has when freshly cut.
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We always wait at least 2-3months before its touched anyway.
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Ah, maybe the giant square and big round bales are different? I always use the small conventional ones. Don't know about the larger types that are made now.
 
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