Does steaming hay remove nutrients?

Soaking hay and steaming hay are strategies that are used to reduce respirable dust particles for horses but may result in variable nutrient losses, including nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and minerals.

Does steaming hay reduce the sugar content?

Steaming and soaking hay both reduce the number of particulates that your horse can breathe in and can reduce the “sugar” levels in the hay.

Which is better soaking or steaming hay?

Research has also found soaking hay causes bacteria levels to increase, up to five-times. In comparison, steaming hay offers many benefits for the horse, as studies show that all respirable particles are removed and nutrients aren't leached.

Is steaming hay good for horses?

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. Breathing in mold or dust can result in respiratory problems. Soaking hay for no more than 60 minutes before feeding can help horses with respiratory problems.

Does steaming hay work?

Steamed hay reduces the particles in the hay by 99%. The key difference being that steaming destroys the particles whereas soaking just makes them less likely to be inhaled. Where steaming hay reduces the bacteria content, studies have found that soaking hay for just 10 minutes can increase bacteria by 150%.

How will steaming hay affect the nutritional content of the hay?

How long should hay be steamed for?

Steaming hay is so much quicker than waiting hours for hay to soak. Most steamers steam hay in around 30 mins. It's important to note that hay that has been pulled apart or shaken out will steam much more quickly.

How long can you feed steamed hay?

If the hay cannot be fed straight out of the steamer, it can be fed up to 24 hours later. If it is decided to steam the hay up to 24 hours before feeding, it should be stored in a clean dry area off of the ground so that there is the least amount of contamination as possible.

Does steaming hay reduce potassium?

Potassium levels decreased by 41% in the 30-minute soaked hay. Soaked hay had a relative doubling of sodium whereas steamed and dry hay did not. Steamed hay did not experience these mineral changes, and in fact, had increased potassium and no change in sodium.

Does steaming hay make it more palatable?

Steaming hay produces more hydrated and easily digestible forage making the feed more palatable for the horse. Handling steamed hay will effectively reduce the risk of humans developing dust-related respiratory problems.

Does steaming hay soften it?

Soaking and steaming may help to soften its structure a bit too which may also improve its palatability. Wrapped forages should not be soaked or steamed. In summary, the benefits of soaking hay can be for the respiratory system or to reduce its sugar content.

What temperature should hay be steamed?

Steaming involves placing hay in a specially designed chamber and passing steam through it. Hay is steamed for approximately one hour and the temperature should reach above 80°C (176°F) for a minimum of ten minutes before the hay is removed.

Will horses eat soaked hay?

Nutrient content Some horse owners soak their hay to reduce the amount of sugars, or nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC), in the forage. Horses that require a low-sugar diet, such as those with laminitis or insulin resistance, might benefit from soaked hay.

Does soaking hay reduce calories?

For horses whose calorie intake needs controlling, it is suggested that soaking hay for as long as 12 hours will help leach out many of the calories, leaving just the fibre element.

Does soaking hay reduce protein?

Highlights. Soaking may induce a reduction of the content of energy, crude protein, amino acids and minerals. Variable wash-out effects complicate proper feeding according to the requirements. Soaking might moreover reduce contents of prececal digestible crude protein and amino acids of the hay.

Can you soak hay for too long?

Don't soak the hay longer or you'll risk leaching beneficial nutrients. Soaking hay to remove sugars that can exacerbate metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance takes more time.

How do you remove sugar from hay?

If you have high sugar hay, or you are in a hurry, you might need a whole muck bucket of water for one flake (biscuit, armful, 3-4 lbs.) of hay, or use hot water when available. Or, you could soak it twice with fresh water, making a new steeper diffusion gradient to get out more sugar the second time.

Are hay steamers expensive to run?

Our hay steamer has a 2.3kw heating element so costs around 30p an hour to run. Check your bill for rates in your area but steaming is cheaper than using gallons of water. The hay steamer is a smartly branded wheelie bin available in 3 sizes. It's easy to move around and the steam generator packs neatly away inside.

Does soaking hay reduce iron?

While soaking hay helps to remove some of the iron in the hay, if the water contains high levels of iron, one is totally defeating the purpose of soaking the hay and may be actually adding iron to the horse's diet.

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.

Do horses like soaked hay?

Although soaking hay longer further reduced NSC content, we don't recommend it. All horses need carbohydrates in their diet. High fiber and very low NSC content in hay soaked for greater than 1 hour could reduce palatability and nutrients available in hay soaked longer.

Can a horse founder on hay?

Alfalfa hay can cause horses to founder and develop laminitis due to the excess nutrients provided by the high quality hay if too much is fed.

How long should hay be soaked for laminitis?

Soaking hay for 12 – 16 hours in cold weather and no more than 3 – 6 hours in warm weather can help to reduce WSC content by up to 50% in some cases.

How can I reduce the calories in hay?

Consider feeding soaked hay. Although not always practical in very cold weather, soaking hay helps to reduce the sugar content and of course, less sugar means less calories! Due to the loss of nutrients (and therefore dry matter) into the water, each haynet will also contain less 'hay' and more water post soaking.

Does soaking hay reduce starch?

Water soluble carbohydrates in all hays decreased after soaking in water. The amount of WSC lost was variable depending on hay type, but losses averaged 5%, 9%, 16%, and 27% after 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 3 hours, and 16 hours of soak time, respectively (Figure 1).