Feeding Freshly Baled Hay

[YoungAngusCattle]

I have heard you are supposed to wait a couple weeks to feed hay and I have also heard that is a myth. I went digging on the internet and all I could pull up where people worried about feeding fresh hay to their horses. I want to know what the wise people of the cattle forums think.

I have ran out of hay and I have a couple groups of cows running in dry lots, still finishing up some AI stuff. I really don't have a choice but to feed some grass hay I baled up Saturday evening.

 

[kenny thomas]

If I have part of a roll I just dump it where the cows can eat it. It's just grass and if it's dry I wouldnt worry.

 

[YoungAngusCattle]

If I have part of a roll I just dump it where the cows can eat it. It's just grass and if it's dry I wouldnt worry.

I do that all the time too, but I have never fed a couple day old hay to cattle that depend on it for their sole source of food. I just didn't know if the fermenting process would negatively effect them.

For what it's worth I stuck my temperature thermometer as far as I could into a bale and got 102 degrees, ambient air temp was 72 earlier today.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

If your thermometer is reading 102 at 72 air temp 48+ hours after baling then it wasn't quite dry enough. I would start feeding out right away before they get too moldy.

If the hay was baled dry then there is no "fermenting process" taking place. If baled damp/wet and not plastic wrapped then it wont ferment either just turn to mold.

 

[YoungAngusCattle]

I was always under the assumption that hay went through a natural heating process related to some microbiology going on. A quick google search found this from the university of Kentucky.

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1115&context=ky_alfalfa

 

[YoungAngusCattle]

I was always under the assumption that hay went through a natural heating process related to some microbiology going on. A quick google search found this from the university of Kentucky.

https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1115&context=ky_alfalfa

Of course that's for alfalfa which probably makes this a moot link for the sake of this discussion.

 

[Texasmark]

Last year I had weather problems and baled too soon resulting in bales getting hot from the curing process. Didn't want to lose the bales so I called a friend just happened to be just out of hay for the spring and really needed some for his cows. Took it over and they ate the last straw. Hay was winter rye and peas and was just a few days old. He got the hay cheap and I got something for my effort on the crop.

 

[sstterry]

If I have part of a roll I just dump it where the cows can eat it. It's just grass and if it's dry I wouldnt worry.

I do that all the time too, but I have never fed a couple day old hay to cattle that depend on it for their sole source of food. I just didn't know if the fermenting process would negatively effect them.

For what it's worth I stuck my temperature thermometer as far as I could into a bale and got 102 degrees, ambient air temp was 72 earlier today.

I wouldn't be worried about fermenting,(ie haylage and corn silage ect) but mold and the possibility of fire is a concern.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I have heard you are supposed to wait a couple weeks to feed hay and I have also heard that is a myth. I went digging on the internet and all I could pull up where people worried about feeding fresh hay to their horses. I want to know what the wise people of the cattle forums think.

Kind of expensive compared to pasture.
I feed a little, whenever I have a couple round bales over 20% moisture.
Ignore horse people unless they are really good looking. :cowboy: