Will moldy hay hurt deer?

Providing inadequate amounts of supplemental foods can actually cause malnutrition in normally healthy deer populations. Spoiled or moldy feed may be ingested and can be fatal.

What happens if animals eat moldy hay?

Consuming moldy hay can lead to respiratory and digestive problems such as heaves and colic. Cattle and other ruminants aren't as sensitive to moldy hay. However, moldy hay can still cause issues such as aspergillosis and mycotic abortions in cattle.

Can animals eat moldy hay?

Mixing moldy hay with other feedstuffs can dilute problems sometimes, but be careful that you don't make your animals sick by tricking them into eating bad hay that they normally would refuse. Mold is a difficult problem to deal with. Common sense and good observation often are your best decision aids.

Will moldy hay hurt my garden?

It does indeed break down, but unless you have a very wet environment it shouldn't get moldy. Instead, it will start to compost, creating a rich layer of nutrients for your plants. This is especially good for seeds and starter plants. They thrive in the warm, moist and nutritious cover and soil provided by the hay.

Can you use moldy straw in garden?

there really aren't any straw pathogens that attack vegetables so if you're worried about crossing over of diseases, you should be ok. I've used a lot of moldy straw and hay (some hay so slimy it had almost liquefied) over the years with no ill effects on my plants.

Mouldy hay !

Is hay a good mulch for vegetable garden?

Aside from well-aged compost, hay is arguably the best mulch for a vegetable garden. Like straw, it's a good insulator, effective against weeds, and breaks down quickly to enrich the soil. Alfalfa hay is especially good, because as a legume, it provides nitrogen to your soil.

What do farmers do with 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.

Is moldy hay toxic?

Most molds don't produce mycotoxins (mold toxins), but any moldy feed has the chance of having mold toxins. Watch animals for mold toxin symptoms if you feed moldy hay. It's best to not feed horses moldy hay or grain.

What do you do with rotten hay bales?

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.

How can you tell if hay is moldy?

Look for Mold

Cut open a bale of hay and separate the flakes. Look for the presence of mold in any of the flakes. Moldy hay generally presents as darker areas which are grey or black. If you find mold, refuse the bale – mold indicates that the hay was baled when it was too wet.

What is the white stuff on hay?

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.

How long does hay stay good for?

If stored correctly, hay will stay good for about 12 months after harvest before losing any of its fresh taste or smell.

Is moldy hay bad for cattle?

Cattle aren't as sensitive to moldy hay, but certain molds can result in mycotic abortions or aspergillosis. 3. Moldy hay also puts ranchers at risk. Mold spores can cause “farmer's lung,” which results in the fungus growing in the lung tissue if it has been inhaled.

What do you do with spoiled feeds?

At feedout, discard visibly spoiled feed and the forage immediately around it. Situations occur where the visibly spoiled feed is actually stable again, albeit robbed of nutrients, and active deterioration is taking place all around the spoilage, 50 percent or greater in size of the spoiled feed.

What are black spots on hay?

Hay that was bone dry in the field has, in many cases, developed mold problems in the barn. This later issue has been problematic for us in 2015, resulting in a large number of square and round bales covered with black sooty mold.

Can moldy hay be saved?

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.

Can you get sick from moldy hay?

Farmer's Lung is an allergic disease usually caused by breathing in the dust from moldy hay. However, dust from any moldy crop - straw, corn, silage, grain, or even tobacco - can also cause Farmer's Lung.

At what temperature does hay mold?

“Hay bale temperatures of 120°F to 130°F will likely result in mold growth and will make the protein in the hay less available to animals,” Hartschuh says. While these temperatures will not cause fires, continued mold growth can raise temperatures to dangerous levels.

Should you keep hay in a barn?

It's far safer to store your hay in a separate building away from your barn. The building shouldn't leak and should have decent ventilation. To make your life easier, you can bring a few bales into the barn every couple of days as needed. This way you protect your barn, your horses, and your hay supply.

What causes hay to go Mouldy?

What Causes Mold to Grow on Hay? Much hay has been rained on or left lying in the field for prolonged periods of time due to excessively wet and humid conditions. The long drying periods with high humidity can allow mold to grow on the hay in the field.

Will horses eat moldy 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.

What to do with hay after grass grows?

How long does it take for hay straw to decompose?

The Lemhi straw in the bags decomposed 40% in 3 months. The University of Idaho No. 59- 10320 straw decomposed 49% in 3 months. Nitro- gen fertilization did not influence the decomposi- tion rate in either case.

Is it good to put hay around tomato plants?

They mat together to protect plants and retain heat. Straw: Straw makes great mulch for tomatoes. But stay away from hay, as it's full of seeds. Spread a 3-6” layer around tomatoes.