# 34 round bales of bad hay!



## AT (Aug 9, 2013)

Hello

I got the neighbour farmer to cut and bale my hay this year. However he baled it the very next day after a heavy rainfall. As a result the bales are thoroughly mouldy and not at all fit to give to my horses. Next question is, does anybody have any idea what one can do with 34 roundbales of mouldy hay? Can one plant crops in it perhaps? Or something else? Or do they all have to be composted? Any suggestions are much appreciated!

Anya


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## HoneyDreameMomma (Aug 9, 2013)

Lol - use them to make targets for an awesome archery field!  

Actually, composting them should be fine - I've composted moldy hay/star before and as long as you have a good, hot compost pile, it doesn't seem to cause any problems.


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## sawfish99 (Aug 9, 2013)

Sell them to a cow farmer.  The cows can still eat it.  Put an ad on Craigslist


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## Year of the Rooster (Aug 9, 2013)

If the hay is moldy I wouldn't feed it to ANY animal...


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## Riverside Fainters (Aug 9, 2013)

I have to tend to agree with Rooster.. moldy hay can cause reproductive issues in cows... and most cows wont eat moldy hay.. that is my expierence..


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## elevan (Aug 9, 2013)

Compost it


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## Southern by choice (Aug 9, 2013)

We just burned ours. With heavy rainfall this year the farmers are letting it dry out befor baling but sometimes it wasn't quite dried enough. We usually compost however we have so many free range chickens and grow out birds we chose to not risk any possible bronchial issues. Moldy hay isn't good for any animal in my opinion. We are taking the ash and mixing it into our compost.


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## bonbean01 (Aug 9, 2013)

Agree with Southern...burn it...if you have heavy flies and biting insects, critters learn quickly to stand in the smoke for relief...yes, even horses.  Would not feed that to anything.

Sorry you got moldy hay


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## Bossroo (Aug 10, 2013)

Many States ( especially Western)  have NO BURN laws... not even your own garbage, trash ,tree leaves / trimmings,  wood burning in fire place,  agricultural fields, etc.. Expensive fines all around.


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## Southern by choice (Aug 10, 2013)

Bossroo said:
			
		

> Many States ( especially Western)  have NO BURN laws... not even your own garbage, trash ,tree leaves / trimmings,  wood burning in fire place,  agricultural fields, etc.. Expensive fines all around.


Good point.. we are not in one of those areas... nothing but rain for now the 4th season...     The east is flooded!

But definitely all permits, local laws etc should be followed.


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## Dino (Sep 12, 2013)

Sounds like your neighbor farmer isn't too considerate... he could have turned it and let it dry first etc.


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## Hardy&Healthy (Sep 13, 2013)

I would pass on feeding it to my cows... Due to the love of my horses - I do not chance having moldy hay around! However, many (and I do mean MANY) around here would put it to use. I would put it on Craigslist with mention of the mold and let the cow people decide for themselves. What seems like horrid hay to horse people, might be fine for cow hay. Many vets in this area say "They're cows, it won't matter". On another note, I would avoid burning them. Round bales of hay (and square bales stacked) can burn/smolder and even relight for weeks (even after the fire dept has soaked the place)! I am thinking we use to use lime on them and they would erode away fairly quickly. Good luck with which ever route you choose.


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## KelsiNS (Sep 13, 2013)

How aggravating!  

I burn our moldy hay and turn it into the compost (the ashes make super-compost). If  that isnt an option, you can plant thinga like gourds and pumpkins directly into the bales and they grow 99% of the time. Use it for landscaping?  Till it into your garden?


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