Timothy and clover mix hay

[SatinsRule]

I know everyone on here is pretty much in concert with using timothy hay when it's available above pretty much everything else, but I have a question.

I've located a hay dealer in southern Missouri near the AR line who periodically has timothy hay that's mixed with clover. He gets is from central TN, and he's expecting his next loads to arrive in late May.

As many of you may have guessed, it is not the timothy part of the equation I'm worried about, but rather the clover content that I have questions about. I cannot imagine it being particularly bad, but...

What are the goods and bads I can expect from it if/when I commit to buying it? If I continue asking more direct questions after responses are posted, it's because I'm trying to learn something, not arguing, and I sure don't want to buy a half dozen or so bales of it, only to find out that it's not good for feeding to rabbits, then be faced with disposing of it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[michaelhodgejr]

I feed my rabbits a grass/clover hay mix and I haven't had any issues with the rabbits health or anything along those lines. The only real issue i've had is that the clover portion of the bales (at least the ones I have) tend to get really "crumbly" and it leaves a pile of "clover dust" on the hutch floor. Once I get through these bales I'll switch back to a pure grass hay as it seems as though more gets wasted than eaten.

 

[Dood]

The concern is spoilage
From http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/toxicol ... oning.html

During the process of spoiling, the coumarins in sweet clover are converted to toxic dicumarol, a potent vitamin K antagonist and anticoagulant. Any method of hay storage that allows molding of sweet clover promotes the likelihood of formation of dicumarol in the hay. Weathered, large round bales, particularly the outer portions, usually contain the highest concentrations of dicumarol. When toxic hay or silage is consumed for several weeks, dicumarol alters proenzymes required for synthesis of prothrombin, resulting in hypoprothrombinemia. It probably also interferes with synthesis of factor VII and other vitamin K-dependent coagulation factors. (see Hemostatic Disorders.) Dicumarol concentrations of 20–30 mg/kg of hay ingested over several weeks are usually required to cause poisoning in cattle. The toxic agent crosses the placenta in pregnant animals, and newborn animals may be affected at birth. All species of animals studied are susceptible, but instances of poisoning involve cattle and, to a limited extent, sheep, pigs, and horses.

 

[skysthelimit]

Usually not so bad, if you can insure that hay was dried properly, and never got wet.

 

[SatinsRule]

Not really sure I can decipher all the med and bio jargon in Dood's post, but judging from what I could understand of it, sounds like I'd be better off just going with bermuda hay or some other local product and forgetting about the hay in MO.

Thanks, ladies and guys.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Not really sure I can decipher all the med and bio jargon in Dood's post

In layman's terms, the toxin causes a blood clotting disorder hypoprothrombinemia which primarily affects the guts, inside of the head, and skin.

It is rather like the effect of warfarin type of rat poison.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

The Merck Manual is also referring to SWEET CLOVER, and not the red clover which is usually interplanted in hay fields. We have one farmer here who intermixes Red Clover, Timothy and Trefoil-- mkaes for higher protein levels without the fragility of alfalfa.
odd thing about Trefoil-- the critters do not eat it fresh, but gobble it up once it is dried...

 

[skysthelimit]

If in doubt,don't feed.

 

[Miss M]

Just see if you can find out whether or not it is sweet clover the timothy is mixed with. If it isn't, there should be no issue. If it is, that's when you would need to be concerned.