IS THIS BAD HAY?

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Is this bad hay? :angry: It just dosnt look right to me. Is this what they call mold? IF my rabbits just get a little of that i cant see or miss. When they get sick and die

 

[MaggieJ]

It looks petty bad to me. The greyish white colour is typical of mould. I would not use it for livestock.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

ok. Thanks Maggie, ,,If i pull out a big piece of it. And if the rest of the bale looks ok. Can i feed the rest to the bunnies. OR should i throw the rest of the bale out or bring back to the farm that i bought it from?

 

[MaggieJ]

I'd be very hesitant to use any of that bale. If you can return it to the farmer, great. If not, maybe use it for mulch in the garden or compost it.

 

[3mina]

Yup, return it if you can. I'd be a liitle hesitant about buying more from him as well

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

Thanks i did called him. He had no problem giving me another one. It is hard to find someone else that has alfalfa hay at the moment. But i will keep checking around.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

How much hay do you buy at a time? If the amount is small, you can check every bale-- if large, check sample bales BEFORE taking them off the sellers property.

SMELL the bale. It should be sweet smelling- no 'sourness'
Stick your hand INTO the center of bale-- there should be no 'warmth' or 'damp' feeling, no matter where you push your hand in.
LOOK at the COLOR!! hay that has been 'rained on' is a bit *off* in it's color- it tends to brown a lot sooner than good hay, starts smelling sour sooner, etc--
Pick up a bale, and DROP it. A Bale that BOUNCES is usually going to be healthy- but one that hits the ground like a brick, breaks open, etc, In My Experience- is wet, moldy, way too old, etc....
Poor quality hay, moldy hay, etc, makes for good Hay bale gardening....

 

[grumpy]

That's mold for sure. Did the farmer have any red clover in with the alfalfa?

Grumpy.

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

I have no idea if he had red clover in it or not.

I am looking for another supplier. The season is here. I cant put my hand in the middle of the hay they are to packed. They dont smell sweet. If anything they are old bales. I payed high price for these bales. Not impress. But i guess it can happened to anyone that does hay. I also get my grains from him also.

On the outside of the hay it looks more brown but when you open the bale it is green inside and i can see the alfalfa in it. The rabbits love it. They love the small leaves. I had a small young one that was off for a couple of days. NOw i know why. She is doing much better today. I have never seen this before. SO i didnt spot it right away . Until i seen allot of it in one spot.

 

[6riversfarms]

Definatly looks like mold to me. I am not at all familiar with alfalfa hay because no one around here grows it on account of the humidity It was probably baled before curing all the way or while still wet with dew. Was it just this one bale or were there more with this problem?

 

[Rustina]

As a person who bales their own hay, I can tell ya that no matter what you do you will get a bale with mold, that doesn't mean it is all moldy, so give your farmer a chance, but if he contunes to provide moldy bale look elsewhere.
Yes that's moldy, no don't feed it to your bunnies....the unmoldy parts of the bale can be used as chicken bedding for the floor since they wont eat it...

 

[Mary Ann's Rabbitry]

thanks, I am doing that. I got more grains from him yesturday and he replace that bale of hay. I am giving another chance as it was on the bottom of the pile next to the outside wall and it was the only bale that i got that was like that. I am getting some of his second cut in the middle of july off his field this year. So the fresh stuff the bunnies will be in heaven <br /><br />__________ Fri Jun 15, 2012 9:50 am __________<br /><br />

Definatly looks like mold to me. I am not at all familiar with alfalfa hay because no one around here grows it on account of the humidity It was probably baled before curing all the way or while still wet with dew. Was it just this one bale or were there more with this problem?

No ,it was just this bale. I am not to concerned about it anymore. I just threw it in the compose pile and opened the new bale that he replace. But know i do look before i give to the bunnies. I know now what to look for.THis was new to me and i wasnt sure what it was as i didnt come across of it before. I hope i dont again. If i get one every 50 or so . I will just get him to replace it. If it happens to be more often then i will go somewhere else. He charges the most around my area. So ya i am a bit picky i guess.

 

[bucknercrestfarm]

Sounds really odd but if you knock on the bail and it almost has a hallow sound there bad bales I picked this up from a friend who is a Horse breeder you can feed that bail to cows or if you have chickens you can use it for nesting boxes or to soak up mud holes and what not