Get good quality hay

By Justine Thompson

General news

01 October 2008 14:19

Many horse owners are struggling to get good quality hay following this year’s wet summer.
Here we’ve put together some advice to help you identify good forage, with the help of Horslyx nutritionist Dr Cliff Lister.

What makes good hay?
Good hay will be dried quickly by spreading it out in the field and allowing the sun and wind to dry out the moisture. When dried to an ideal of around 14% moisture, it will be baled and brought into a barn for storage. Bales of hay come in various shapes and sizes, but that isn’t linked to its quality.

“When you cut the strings on a bale of good hay, it will have a greenish colour, smell sweet and really ‘spring’ apart. If it has dried for longer before baling, it will be more yellow and have lost some of its nutritional value, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad, just not as nutritious, which may be better for good doers and ponies.

“Poor hay has usually laid in the field for several days, perhaps been rained on, washing out some of the soluble nutrients, but worse than that, it can have been baled at too high a moisture content - over 20% - leading to the potential growth of moulds and fungi. Hay baled when damp like this will be dusty and may contain mould and fungal spores and should not be fed to horses.

When the strings are cut on these bales they do not spring apart and the individual leaves need to be physically prised apart. Any hay which is really dark in colour with an ‘off’ smell is likely to be badly affected and should definitely be discarded.

Can I still feed last year’s hay?
Stored off the ground in a barn, on old pallets for example, or on a plastic groundsheet, hay made last year and kept dry shouldn’t have deteriorated significantly. This is because when it’s made, hay is dried to produce a stable material not conducive to bacterial degradation, so it will in fact store for a number of years without significant nutrient loss.

The same applies to haylage, provided the sealed wrapping remains intact and has not been punctured; the haylage will still be as well preserved and nutritious as it was last year. (Just remember last year was also a bad year for hay making.)

For more advice contact the Horslyx Helpline on 01697 332592 or visit www.horslyx.co.uk