Quick question about soaking hay.......

[Porkie]

Have to try getting my boy to accept soaked hay as he has and 'old man cough' that is playing up at the moment. Trouble is he doesn't like it!! Aaaargh!

But................ question is I've forgotten - how long am I meant to soak it for so it is damp enough to help with his cough but not over-soaked so I've taken all the 'good stuff' out of it ????

 

[Tia]

Would you perhaps be better steaming it for him? This way he may not dislike the taste so much.

If this is not suitable, then generally soaking is advised for about 20 minutes these days, however I'm an oldie and if I ever have to soak hay, it is always for at least 10 hours. Old habits die hard, I'm afraid.

 

[alicep]

i only dunk mine just to wash out the dust as such but then when ive got decent hay i generally just splash it with the hose. but i would imagine 10-20 mins for yours if he has a cough

 

[Porkie]

Ok, in fear of sounding like a complete idiot here - steaming it ???!!!

I thought you only did that to vegetables!!!

How the heck do you steam hay ???

 

[mickey]

20-30 minutes will be sufficient. I have the same problem - my horse is not keen on wet hay.
To steam get a large bin (Bit like a feed/refuse bin - you can buy them from homebase, B&Q etc). Chuck your hay in there. Boil a kettle full of water, then tip it over the hay. Put the lid on straight away and it will be ready to use within 1/2hr I should think.

 

[parsley]

My horse gets a cough on dry hay - I hose mine over throughly in the net and leave it for about 20 minutes. This seems to be adequate for him - I am just looking to wet and swell the spores adequatly - and he is happy to eat it. I would experiment a little bit to see how short you can get away with comfortably - perhaps you could gradually reduce the soaking time so that you are not leaving him coughing for a long time?

 

[Paint it Lucky]

A minimum of 10 mins and a max of 30 mins is best for getting rid of dust and spores without loosing too much goodness.

 

[Capriole]

or try steaming it with a plastic bin with a wallpaper steamer hose poked in.