Old Hay?

[Z&J Cattle]

The farm that we just bought this fall has some old hay left sitting in the hay lot. The previous owner said that some of it is two years old and some is probably three years old. Now, some of the bales have a little mold on part of the outside, so I know that these are probably out of the question, but some of them look fine, especially once you break them open. I have fed a couple of the best looking bales and the cows seem to love them. I don't know if there is any truth to this or not, but someone told me that the cows would let me know if the hay is bad or not and that they would not eat it if it is bad. Is this true? What concerns would you have (if any) about feeding this hay? It is fescue and bermuda. We have about 40-50 bales of it and if it is going to be OK to feed this will be great for two reasons. Obviously it is free hay and it will get it out of the way to make room for more next year. Otherwise, I don't know how we will be able to get rid of it. Please give me some input on this. Thanks in advance,

Zach

 

[la4angus]

Obviously it is free hay and it will get it out of the way to make room for more next year. Otherwise, I don't know how we will be able to get rid of it. Please give me some input on this. Thanks in advance,

Zach

You can always burn it or better yet unroll it in the pasture and plow it under. Will make good compost and enrich your soil.

 

[msscamp]

The previous owner said that some of it is two years old and some is probably three years old. Now, some of the bales have a little mold on part of the outside, so I know that these are probably out of the question, but some of them look fine, especially once you break them open. I have fed a couple of the best looking bales and the cows seem to love them. I don't know if there is any truth to this or not, but someone told me that the cows would let me know if the hay is bad or not and that they would not eat it if it is bad. Is this true? What concerns would you have (if any) about feeding this hay? It is fescue and bermuda. We have about 40-50 bales of it and if it is going to be OK to feed this will be great for two reasons. Zach

We feed moldy hay on a fairly regular basis (any horse hay that turns up moldy is set aside and dumped in the corrals/pasture for the cows) - we also grind moldy/old hay in conjuction with good bales and feed it. The cows pick out what they like and leave the rest. The thing I would be concerned about is that hay loses nutritional value the longer it sits. I would not feed this hay as a sole source of nutrition, but I wouldn't have a problem in the world with feeding it in addition to their regular feed, pasture, etc.

 

[Scotty]

my girls leave the moldy behind. Find a local Ag chapter see if they can use it for bedding for the pig projects.


Scotty

 

[donnaIL]

I wouldn't worry about it. We've tried to use old hay with a little mold for bedding..but the cows always ate it. I think I read there are more risks with clovers/alfafa when moldy. Any way it never cause us any problem. donna

 

[msscamp]

Moldy sweet clover is a big problem if the cows are pregnant, moldy alfalfa - we've never had a problem with it.

 

[farmer4620]

feed it if its just a little on the outsides heck ive seen guys crack bales open that were steaming we have a theory "hot meals" for the winter besides pencyllin comes form mold

 

[farmer4620]

feed it if its just a little on the outsides heck ive seen guys crack bales open that were steaming we have a theory "hot meals" for the winter besides pencyllin comes form mold

 

[jkwilson]

I wouldn't worry about it. We've tried to use old hay with a little mold for bedding..but the cows always ate it.

I've had the exact same experience. Two year old round bales that sat outside, and they ate them before the new stuff from the barn.

 

[flaboy+]

Feed it and supplement with liquid feed and minerals.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Feed it and supplement with liquid feed and minerals.

Better yet sell it to a yankee too feed there horses ;-)

 

[S.R.R.]

Feed it and if you are at all worried about nutritional value put out a tub of that smartlik the protien will help them digest more of the not so great parts.

 

[bigbull338]

man feed that old hay.it wont hurt the cows. ive seen cows eat 4yr old hay down to the ground.if it has something in it they crave.scott

 

[danl]

I put four or five old round bales in a washout in the field, the cows ate them. I had new hay out for them to eat.
Those old bales were in a haypen that I quit using and had to be 5 years old wasn't much left of them. couldn't believe they ate em.

 

[flaboy+]

Feed it and supplement with liquid feed and minerals.

Better yet sell it to a yankee too feed there horses ;-)

Yep, I can't wait until about the middle of January when everyone but me is out of hay and this lady comes back to me. I plan to tell her I will trade her one large round roll for one horse. Other than that she gets nothing!

Back on the old hay. I have a field where I raise replacements here at my house. About three years ago a man put out some "Cuban" hay. I told him his cows wouldn't eat it. They didn't. I moved it for him and put it near a pile of dead trees I plan to burn. Don't you know after three years, four hurricanes, who knows how many inches of rain, the replacements I have out there are eating it now. I put a fresh bale out for them a couple weeks ago and they eat it but spend most of their time around that old rotten straw bale. Guess I will never figure cows out.

 

[dph]

If you are real worried about it, unroll the bales while the ground is froze. The cows will pick through, get what they want, and leave the rest. They might waste some, but it was free to start with, right?

 

[Z&J Cattle]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. This makes me feel much better. I think that I may also get a lick tub to help them along. How pricey are the lick tubs and how long should they last 8 pairs and a bull? Thanks again,

Zach

 

[msscamp]

CrystalX tubs (come in a variety of fomulas) are about 65.00 for a 250 lb tub up here (don't toss the empty tub, because there is a refund of somewhere from 5-15 dollars - I can't remember exactly - when it's returned to the dealer). For 35 head they last somewhere between a month to 2 months depending on if it's the first tub or not. They tend to hit the first tub pretty hard for a couple of weeks, then slow down.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. This makes me feel much better. I think that I may also get a lick tub to help them along. How pricey are the lick tubs and how long should they last 8 pairs and a bull? Thanks again,

Zach

Depending on the Brand of the Tub, some will last from one week to 3 weeks, for the number of Cattle you have, and the quality of Hay you feed them.Or if you have any stockpiled pasture.The cheap pressed tubs are a waste of money. Cattle will rake their teeth on em' to get to the product.The harder "Cooked" Tubs require them to lick.

 

[Bama]

Unroll the hay and pour on a little molasses. They will come back for more. AS mentioned before it ain't the best in quality so you may want to suppliment a little to make up.