White, dusty mould on haylege

[HaplessHorse]

As above, I have about 1/4 of a big round bale, and there is white, dusty mould on all of it. I’ve seen the yeast, and it’s definitely not just yeasty. I’m in a position where we’re capped for forage (it’s also good quality most of the time), so I really can’t waste that much hay unless it’s actually going to harm/kill them.

It’s unfortunately proliferated everything that’s left, and it’s not in a position where I can pull it out and carry on with life. I’ve heard that white, fluffy and grey, dusty mould is usually ok. I thought I’d double check because I never feel comfortable with feeding mouldy stuff.

It’s not “that bad” (in that it’s not just clumps of mould, and it doesn’t look that mouldy from arm’s distance), but it is definitively mouldy on closer inspection.

Erin did recently reach through the fence and eat a large, discarded pile of it (despite having alternative hay available). She has been fine. I’ve also known Saus to do a similar thing, and she’s fine. However, I don’t exactly trust their instincts because I have known Erin to make a (fortunately adverted) dive for deadly nightshade on a hack (she was well fed and had been out for less than 15mins at that point). Although Erin is diagnosed as asthmatic, I haven’t seen her display symptoms for almost 6months now, and she doesn’t seem to have react to mould.

Thoughts?

 

[MissTyc]

Thought are that you can't mess around with mouldy haylage, I'm afraid. I've been there, I've felt the temptation, I've even sifted through and fed "around" the problem zone, but I have always also taken photos/video and let the supplier know. It is their responsibility that it is fit for purpose and mould can kill. It doesn't usually, but it *can* ...

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Bury it, and wear a mask whilst doing so!

 

[tristars]

To be honest i would never ever feed anything i was not 100 per cent confident about

The fact you are even asking the question from uncertainty is your answer

Get some good clean hay or haylage from somewhere to put your mind at rest

Its cheaper than the vet, but i wont use haylage so im prejudiced !!

 

[HaplessHorse]

Thought are that you can't mess around with mouldy haylage, I'm afraid. I've been there, I've felt the temptation, I've even sifted through and fed "around" the problem zone, but I have always also taken photos/video and let the supplier know. It is their responsibility that it is fit for purpose and mould can kill. It doesn't usually, but it *can* ...

I suspect that it was storage issue with us, so the supplier isn’t at fault, like I said, the last couple of bales and 3/4 of this one were really good quality, and better than the hay our normal supplier provides.

To be honest i would never ever feed anything i was not 100 per cent confident about

The fact you are even asking the question from uncertainty is your answer

Get some good clean hay or haylage from somewhere to put your mind at rest

Its cheaper than the vet, but i wont use haylage so im predudiced !!

The issue is that this is an “emergency” supply, we have 3 bales left from this supplier plus 1/2 a bale of dusty (but not mouldy) hay from our previous supplier (who has literally run out of hay already, and cut us off at the start of winter). It’s impossible to buy more at any cost, and we’re very lucky that our new supplier is willing to provide any at all, which is why I’m even considering feeding the mouldy patch (not something I would ever normally think of). It’s pretty dire locally, and there won’t be a cut until May.

I think what I’ll do is finish up the 1/2 bale of hay, keep the dodgy haylege to use in case of emergency if we run out of everything else, and try and avoid using it until the next cut of hay.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If it's white it should be fine to feed. If it's dusty though, I would rinse it before feeding to an asthmatic.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I would not feed it. Sorry.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

I suspect that it was storage issue with us, so the supplier isn’t at fault, like I said, the last couple of bales and 3/4 of this one were really good quality, and better than the hay our normal supplier provides.



The issue is that this is an “emergency” supply, we have 3 bales left from this supplier plus 1/2 a bale of dusty (but not mouldy) hay from our previous supplier (who has literally run out of hay already, and cut us off at the start of winter). It’s impossible to buy more at any cost, and we’re very lucky that our new supplier is willing to provide any at all, which is why I’m even considering feeding the mouldy patch (not something I would ever normally think of). It’s pretty dire locally, and there won’t be a cut until May.

I think what I’ll do is finish up the 1/2 bale of hay, keep the dodgy haylege to use in case of emergency if we run out of everything else, and try and avoid using it until the next cut of hay.

Where are you? I have seen lots of hay on Facebook marketplace

 

[irishdraft]

I wouldn't feed it, a friend lost her horse many years ago thru him being able to reach mouldy haylage , one of the reasons I always feed soaked hay. I have seen plenty of hay for sale on FB, people wanting to get their barns cleared in time for this years crop.

 

[Beausmate]

I've fed stuff this year that I would normally bin. I'll not feed anything that smells bad though.

A section of my current bale looked great, but smelled rotten. I pulled it off to find a dead mouse in it. Other areas looked a bit iffy, didn't smell amazing (but not terrible) and left residue on my hands, but got fed and eaten with no issues.

It has been a nightmare this winter and the haylage is so expensive now. I'm hoping there will be a bumper crop this year!

I wouldn't bother putting it aside for 'just in case', as it will be worse by then and you'll end up having to chuck it. Is there any way of getting it out in the sun to dry and maybe preserving it a bit longer that way? I would definitely dunk it before feeding in that case though.

 

[HaplessHorse]

Where are you? I have seen lots of hay on Facebook marketplace

Derbyshire,
However, I’m cautious of that though, someone locally has paid good money for stuff that they’re having to dispose of entirely.

 

[FieldOrnaments]

Derbyshire,
However, I’m cautious of that though, someone locally has paid good money for stuff that they’re having to dispose of entirely.

Just request to view before buying and say why and if they don't let you walk away.

 

[HaplessHorse]

Just request to view before buying and say why and if they don't let you walk away.

Theoretically the 3 and 1/2 bales that are left should be enough to last to may/june, but I’ll keep it in mind.

I also don’t have anywhere to store more than 2 bales at a time, so anything ridiculously far away isn’t realistic. I really wish I did though. It’s driving me a bit insane

 

[HaplessHorse]

I've fed stuff this year that I would normally bin. I'll not feed anything that smells bad though.

A section of my current bale looked great, but smelled rotten. I pulled it off to find a dead mouse in it. Other areas looked a bit iffy, didn't smell amazing (but not terrible) and left residue on my hands, but got fed and eaten with no issues.

It has been a nightmare this winter and the haylage is so expensive now. I'm hoping there will be a bumper crop this year!

I wouldn't bother putting it aside for 'just in case', as it will be worse by then and you'll end up having to chuck it. Is there any way of getting it out in the sun to dry and maybe preserving it a bit longer that way? I would definitely dunk it before feeding in that case though.

The vast majority of what’s left still smells fresh and decent.

I’ve been doing just that whenever it’s not raining, which seems to be quite infrequently.

So fingers crossed I don’t need to use it, but if worst comes to worst, hopefully it’s ok.