Oak leaves in hay?

[My equine life]

Found some oak leaves in our hay. We haven’t been using this guy for long but farrier always recommends him and I have heard of others using his hay too so thought it would be good. Farrier reckons he makes 4000 bales a year at least but I wonder if these oak leaves are an issue. I know they aren’t good but how much is bad? I’ve been shaking them out where I can but I’m bound to miss some! Does worry me!

 

[PurBee]

Annoying to have undesirables in hay.
A few here and there wont hurt a horse but if theyre getting 20+ each day, the cumulative effects aren’t good.
Takes ages sorting through contaminated hay, i feel for you!

How many bales have you had like this? All so far?
Some would call him up and get him to collect it, reimburse for better bales. If its just a few bales here and there, with most being fine, and if the bales aren’t ‘loaded’ with oak, id carry on and shake out the bad bales.

I had a recommendation for a hay supplier and got 20 bales (to test out) full of cats ear weed. Full of it! Causes staggers in horses if i remember right. Threw the lot out.

Worth just getting a few bales to try a new supplier with, than filling the barn based on recommendation. Hay men generally have their ‘regulars’ who get the best cut/made hay, and ‘newbies’ who get 2nd cut/weedy/mouldy hay (after being shown a ‘show bale’ to entice sale ?)

 

[My equine life]

Annoying to have undesirables in hay.
A few here and there wont hurt a horse but if theyre getting 20+ each day, the cumulative effects aren’t good.
Takes ages sorting through contaminated hay, i feel for you!

How many bales have you had like this? All so far?
Some would call him up and get him to collect it, reimburse for better bales. If its just a few bales here and there, with most being fine, and if the bales aren’t ‘loaded’ with oak, id carry on and shake out the bad bales.

I had a recommendation for a hay supplier and got 20 bales (to test out) full of cats ear weed. Full of it! Causes staggers in horses if i remember right. Threw the lot out.

Worth just getting a few bales to try a new supplier with, than filling the barn based on recommendation. Hay men generally have their ‘regulars’ who get the best cut/made hay, and ‘newbies’ who get 2nd cut/weedy/mouldy hay (after being shown a ‘show bale’ to entice sale ?)

I think you’re right! It’s about half the bales at the mo so it’s not like all his are contaminated but it’s very time consuming when you have two and one of yours is a tb that gets half a bale every night! think I might mention and see if we can get some without next time. Our first five we tried were good but this time not so good. Very 50/50. I’d say a couple leaves in each slice in the bad bales and none in the good bales.
And yes I think cats eat does cause staggers. Can be hard to identify but I wondered if I had it in my paddock last spring. Can look like another plant that I can’t remember the name of!! Finding good hay is very difficult!

 

[PurBee]

Id mention it to your supplier as youre having half contaminated bales. Are they green leaves or brown? Autumn leaf fall can be picked up by tedding machine tines if set too low. Green leaf could be due to summer high winds caught in the grass. Evidently he’s got an oak right near his hay fields. If you mention it, it gives them knowledge theres an issue, and a chance to be wary around their oaks when cutting/tedding/baling. If no-one says anything they wont know theres a problem. Politely mention it.

I agree, finding decent hay here has become my lifes main nemesis and concern! My other option is to import from italy or uk at a cost of many thousands for just 2 horses. Im also attempting this year to grow and make my own!

I find dried leaves will fall out if you rapidly shake each slice, and scoop up the pile of hay leaving the bottom layer of ‘bits’. As there’s only a couple of leaves in each slice you wont have to do much sorting, but i realise its a pain to have to do.
I find horses generally eat everything we give them as hay, and wont ignore leaves/weeds they shouldnt have...but yours might not eat them?

Cats ear looks like dandelion. Its even got large yellow flowers on a tall stalk. But close up there’s many differences. From a distance they can look the same. Cats ear green leaves are more rounded, less spiky than dandelion. The flowers can be multiple on one stem, unlike dandelion which has one flower per stem. The stems of cat ear flowers are also generally taller than dandelion, reaching up to 18 inches. Ive got some on my boundaries that im always cutting or digging up. Thankfully the horses avoid grazing them fresh but would eat them if presented in hay!