What do the colors of hay bales mean?

Hay Bales or Silage Bales wrapped in different colours has no real meaning. The different colours are just what the bailing contractor has on hand at the time. There are times when bales might be wrapped in a colour to represent a special time of the year or bring awareness to a special cause.

What is the difference between green and yellow hay?

In most cases, green hay has a large amount of keratins, which is a precursor to vitamins A and E. On the other hand, if the hay has a yellow coloration, it may have been over mature when harvested or could have been rained on in the field before baling.

What are the different types of bales of hay?

Hay comes in a few different “forms.” Most common are small square bales, large square bales, and round bales. Large square bales and round bales can be very heavy and require machinery to move. Horses also have a tendency to waste hay from round bales by scattering it. Most people buy and feed small square bales.

Why are some hay bales green?

Greenness indicates the hay was not subjected to any adverse conditions during curing or storage, thereby suggesting the forage is nutritious and free of molds. Green hay is often rife with carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, and vitamin E. Yellow.

Why are hay bales wrapped in pink?

“It's a way for farmers to raise awareness about breast cancer,” Robert Godwin, manager of West Florida Gin, said. “About a third of the bales we take in this year will be the bright pink.” Godwin said the pink wraps, at about $12-14 per bale, don't cost the producer any more than the traditional yellow.

Straw Bale vs Hay Bale - What is the difference (Important!)

What is purple bale wrap for?

Purple Bale Charity Initiative

We're sure farmers will get behind this initiative, as every bale wrapped in purple will lead to a donation supporting seriously ill children and their families.

Why do you put salt on hay bales?

Hay can be very dangerous if it's baled wet or green.” Tilton said that there is a misconception that simply salting bales of hay will prevent them from spontaneously combusting. “That's not what salting hay is about,” Tilton said. “It's just to keep the moisture content low and [make] healthier feed for the animals.”

What is the color of good quality hay?

Hay Color

Good quality hay should be bright green in color with little fading. A bleached, yellow, brown or black color may indicate aged hay, mold or poor storage conditions.

What is the colour of good quality hay?

Good hay color remains green and leaves and branches stay connected. This can be assessed by taking the material in the hands, if feels dry, then hay is ready for feed and high nutrients are available in the hay.

How can you tell good quality hay?

Maturity - High quality hay will have a high proportion of leaves in the bale, with few or no coarse stems or seed heads. Condition - High quality hay will contain little dust or mold. Color & odor - High quality hay generally has a bright green color and a sweet, fresh odor.

What are the 4 categories of hay?

Hay falls into several categories: grass, legume, mixed (grass and legume) and cereal grain straw (such as oat hay). Some of the more common grass hays include timothy, brome, orchard grass and bluegrass. In some parts of the country fescue, reed canary grass, ryegrass and Sudan grass are common.

What does low quality hay look like?

Poor-quality hay may be damp and moldy with a musty or fermented smell. Hay that appears weathered, straw-like, or brown is likely low in nutritional value. If hay has been cut late in maturity, seed heads will be apparent in grass hay and blooms will be evident in alfalfa hay.

What is the most important indicator of hay quality?

Maturity is normally a main factor in assessing hay quality as it has a direct impact on nutritive value and intake. Immature plants normally provide more nutrients because they contain less fiber and are more digestible than mature plants. Animals normally consume immature hays faster than mature ones.

What is the most nutritious hay?

Alfalfa, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are common types of legumes, with alfalfa being the most popular choice. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A.

Is 3 year old hay still good?

If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.

How can you tell if hay is fresh?

Signs that your horse hay may be bad include a lack of color or dried-out appearance, a moldy smell, excessive dust, visible mold, or excessive heat towards the center of the hay bale. Because hay provides your horse with so many essential nutrients, you must provide your horse with the best quality hay available.

What color is fresh hay?

Hay that was cured quickly and stored properly is usually a bright green color while hay that was cured slowly or damaged by rain after partial drying may be pale yellow or brown because of bleaching and/or leaching.

What color should timothy hay be?

Storage conditions can also affect the color. Hay can be packaged with a beautiful green color however if the product is stored in a lighted area it will begin to turn brown.

What is the best grade hay?

Alfalfa is the best variety of legume hay, and Orchard grass is the grass hay I recommend; however, Timothy, bermudagrass, bahiagrass, and Kentucky bluegrass are also excellent choices.

What color is moldy hay?

Grey or black hay is an indication of mold and should be avoided at all costs. Take a bale apart to check the inside; black sections of mold inside the hay indicate bad baling or storing procedures.

Why do farmers wrap hay in black plastic?

However, in many British summers, this low moisture target can be difficult to meet, and farmers often opt to make haylage instead. “Haylage has a higher moisture content than hay and traditionally is wrapped in plastic, intended to prevent the entry of air and limit damage by yeasts and moulds,” he says.

Why are hay bales wrapped in black?

What colour of wrap should I use? When black plastic is warmed by the sun it absorbs much of the heat and becomes more permeable to oxygen; the outer layer of forage also warms up. White plastic reflects more of the sunlight which reduces the activities of spoilage microorganisms in the bale.

What happens if hay is baled too wet?

If wet hay is baled while it is too wet, microbe populations will flourish and intensify the heating process. This results in hay that is lower in nutritive value and dry matter availability. Allowing cut hay to dry (or cure) will slow down the respiration process.