Life of Cut & Harvested Hay

[GaryDG]

A simple question:

Does the quality (protien, nutrients, accepatbility to animals,...) of hay deteriote over time? I think it does, but typically how long can hay be stored before providing it to animals?

Thanks!

 

[Wewild]

We try to manage it so we feed nothing older than last years stored inside. We've been successful so far.

 

[Bez]

Yes it degrades

Due to circumstance in our part of the world, I have fed hay that is 4 years old - no probs if stored correctly.

I have also fed the entire herd on straight barley and oat straw for the whole winter. Actually did this for two winters in a row. There are precautions that must be taken due to impaction, but they do quite well on it.

Bez

 

[jgn]

With the wet spring weather we have had in the last few years we have had more hay than needed. I have fed year old hay through the winter for the last 2 years. These round bales were stored outside and besides losing a little more due to rot can't see any noticeable difference in the cows condition than from feeding the same years hay. We usually try to sell some of our extra but everyones had plenty here for the last 2 years besides you never know when your going to have a short hay year.

 

[jerry27150]

i have used hay that was over 10 years old that was stored inside for dairy cows & they did as well as ever

 

[fitz]

Feed round bales mixed grass. Store under sheds. Feed the older first and it usually works out that we don't go over 2 years. Over time it will lose it's food value.

 

[Caustic Burno]

A simple question:

Does the quality (protien, nutrients, accepatbility to animals,...) of hay deteriote over time? I think it does, but typically how long can hay be stored before providing it to animals?

Thanks!

I have hay that has beeen sitting for three years, it will start us off next year. I was thinking of burning it cause I was concerned it had stunted the growth on that 3 year old 2000 pound bull.

 

[dun]

The only real problem I've seen with older hay that has been properly stored is with the leafier types tending to shatter and lose the leaves after a couple of years. Alfalfa and lespedeza mostly, grass hay seems to hold up much better.
But we've never fed any that was more then a couple of years old.

dun

 

[Crowderfarms]

Lot's of folks of course feed left over hay, but rolls stored outdoors, loose 40% of their nutitional value in a short time, I read in an article recently.Hard to beleive when you get thru that first outlying roll and see how good it still looks.

 

[dun]

Lot's of folks of course feed left over hay, but rolls stored outdoors, loose 40% of their nutitional value in a short time, I read in an article recently.Hard to beleive when you get thru that first outlying roll and see how good it still looks.

It's hard to picture the volume of feed and I don;t know about the percentage of nutrition, but the outside 6 inches is a significatn percentage of the total volume of the bale. I had read a study a couple of years ago about the amount of waste in outside stored round bales so I started messing with the mathematics of the volume of cylinders. I don;t recall off hand what the amount was but it seems like it was around a quarter or more of the total. Starts making even the cheap 20 dollar hay pretty darn expensive. That's the reason it's claimed, probably by the folks that build them, that a hay storage building will pay for itself quicker then any other type of improvement

dun

 

[Crowderfarms]

Excellent reply Dun, I'm in the process of finishing one now. the fencerow won't cut it anymore.I beleive it will save us some $ and pay for itself in the long run.

 

[brokenmouth]

I started messing with the mathematics of the volume of cylinders.

remember pie r not square. pie and hay rolls r round. cornbread r square

 

[DOC HARRIS]

Lot's of folks of course feed left over hay, but rolls stored outdoors, loose 40% of their nutitional value in a short time, I read in an article recently.Hard to beleive when you get thru that first outlying roll and see how good it still looks.

It's hard to picture the volume of feed and I don;t know about the percentage of nutrition, but the outside 6 inches is a significatn percentage of the total volume of the bale. I had read a study a couple of years ago about the amount of waste in outside stored round bales so I started messing with the mathematics of the volume of cylinders. I don;t recall off hand what the amount was but it seems like it was around a quarter or more of the total. Starts making even the cheap 20 dollar hay pretty darn expensive. That's the reason it's claimed, probably by the folks that build them, that a hay storage building will pay for itself quicker then any other type of improvement.
dun

You are right, Dun. Another important factor or two is to keep Weed(s) OUT of the bales! They will mold the entire bale right now- right now! Another factor - hay stored open to the elements will have dew on them every day, and that is no good. Wrap the bales with plastic wrap at least two turns. That will help. DOC HARRIS