What does dusty hay do to horses? Similarly to humans, hay that is moldy or contains excessive amounts of dust can cause
respiratory issues
for your horse. While this may not seem like a big issue, it can lead to discomfort and illness that can impact your horse’s overall health and wellbeing.
What happens if a horse eats dusty hay?
Moldy hay
can kill a horse
. It’s a cause of colic that can be fatal, and some types of mold are toxic to horses. And inhaled mold spores enter horses’ respiratory systems when they eat, causing heaves or other chronic respiratory diseases. Feeding moldy hay to horses is dangerous.
How can you tell if hay is dusty?
Can horses eat slightly moldy hay?
What does it mean when hay is dusty?
Can horses eat dirty hay?
The longer the hay is stored and the more yellow it becomes, the more it looses its nutritional value, especially essential minerals for horses. Avoid horse hay that shows any sign of mold or musty smell. These have been known to cause coughing, heaves and emphysema.
Avoid dusty or dirty hay
.
Can you soak dusty hay?
Hay has long been soaked in water as a way to get rid of dust.
Horses with recurrent airway obstruction, allergies or other respiratory conditions shouldn’t eat dusty hay
, and leaving hay soaking for a while before feeding it ensured less dust.
How do you reduce dust in hay?
In the absence of such hay,
steaming is a good practice for reducing mold and dust content in moderately moldy hay
. You can use steaming to increase forage intake when feeding low mold hay. Horses are highly sensitive to mold and dust particles from hay and bedding.
How long should you soak hay to get rid of dust?
Take-Home Message
Hay soaking for short periods of time (
30-60 minutes
) is an acceptable management method for reducing respirable particles and certain nutrient concentrations. Feed soaked hay immediately after soaking to eliminate the potential for mold growth.
How do you know if horse hay is bad?
Can horses eat 2 year old hay?
Can you wash mold off of hay?
To eliminate mold commonly found in hay bales, West Chester, Pa., equine veterinarian Frank Reilly suggests “flash soaking” —
tearing pieces of hay off of the bale, putting them in a hay net and then under a heavy rock in a bucket of water for 10 minutes
. Studies have shown this reduces the organic dust count, he says.
Can you save moldy hay?
Moldy hay frequently causes respiratory problems in horses. Recurrent airway obstruction, commonly known as heaves, is a lung disease that compromises a horse’s ability to breathe. It is similar to asthma in humans and is a chronic condition that
can only be managed, not cured
.
How do you feed a horse dusty hay?
Soak dusty hay for 5 to 30 minutes before feeding so that the horse can eat it while it’s wet
. Store hay away from your horse as much as possible and ensure any hay in the vicinity is kept dry to reduce mold. If the horse is housed indoors, ensure that there is good, draft-free ventilation through the stable.
Is white dust in hay mold?
In hay,
the white mold in the bale is the mycelium and dustiness is from the tiny spores
. The potential for hay molding starts even with the standing hay crop where bacteria protects the plant from fungal and yeast infections.
Can horses eat hay that has been rained on?
Rained-on hay can be a suitable forage, especially for horses prone to laminitis
. Forage quality tends to be retained if: The rain occurs soon after cutting when the forage has had little time to dry.
Why do horses dip their hay in water?
Can moldy hay cause colic?
What does soaking hay do for horses?
Is it OK to soak hay overnight?
The amount of time for soaking doesn’t make much difference after 1-2 hours IF YOU USE ENOUGH WATER. In a study using 25 liters of water for one flake of hay, WSC, ESC loss maximized after 1 hour. (1)
There is no reason for soaking hay overnight
.
What hay is best for Laminitic horses?
Does soaking hay help horses lose weight?
Horses did lose weight, but researchers found that soaking the hay actually took away a bigger portion of the available digestible energy than intended
. Although a . 5 to one percent loss in body mass per week is considered acceptable, horses in the study lost roughly . 1 percent to two percent of their body mass.
What does good horse hay look like?
Can you soak hay too long?
In warmer conditions,
soaking hay for more than two hours is also likely to result in the hay starting to ferment
and this is not desirable for then feeding to horses. Studies have shown that soaking for longer periods such as 9 hours, also increased the microbial contamination in the hay.
Can you soak horse feed overnight?
In the winter, when it’s cold, I can soak the pellets overnight outside, or in an unheated garage
. The pellets can still be okay after 12 hours, if it’s cold enough. However, my preference, when possible, whether hot or cold weather, is to feed them after 5 hours of soaking.
What should laminitic horses not eat?
Getting the right feed for a laminitic is important for any owner of a horse or pony with laminitis. A high fibre, low starch and low sugar diet is essential for laminitics, so avoid feeds that contain
cereals or molasses
.
When feeding horses hay What are some signs the hay is poor quality?
What kind of hay is bad for horses?
Clover and grass hay
(different types of clovers like red, white, etc.) Prone to fungus. Protein and fiber-rich. However, they are prone to fungus, and red clover can cause excess salivation in horses.
Is green hay bad for horses?
Can switching hay cause colic?
Can horses get laminitis from hay?
Feed
a low energy forage
Hay is more suitable for horses and ponies at risk of laminitis than haylage
. For those prone to the disease and/or overweight, feed hay that has been soaked for 12-16 hours.
Do horses need hay if they have grass?
Can moldy hay make a horse cough?
What happens if a horse eats moldy grain?
When ingested by a horse in significant amounts, fumonisin causes a neurological condition in horses, equine leukoencephalomalacia (ELEM), also known as moldy corn disease. ELEM causes
degradation of the white matter of the equine’s brain, with symptoms including blindness, incoordination and death
.
What do you do with rotten hay?
Chop or shred spoiled hay and add it to your garden soil in the fall as an organic soil amendment
. Work it into the soil with a garden tiller or hand tools and let nature take its course in breaking down the bits of hay. Organic matter improves soil by increasing aeration, improving drainage and adding nutrients.
What can I do with old moldy hay?
If your moldy hay is still wrapped in its wire or plastic netting,
consider using this bale as a planter
. It would be best to use transplants and that your hay bale is composting. Place your moldy bale where you’d like and remove hay from the spots where you’ll be planting your transplants.
