Bedding with Hay?

[Reble]

:new_shocked:

Hubby suggests not to bed down with hay in stalls, expecially if you have a sick foal.

Suggest not to use hay because hay has protein, mixed with their waste, causing the bedding to give off bacterial gases.

: :saludando:

 

[eagles ring farm]

Thanks for the info

We did use hay as bedding in our foaling stall last year

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

Interesting however I would assume that straw has protien in it as well ???? I dont know?

I know we have used hay in the foaling stalls for years now with the vets advice but of course everyone does things differently

 

[Annetta]

I don't know the exact values, but straw would have very, very low protein levels in comparison with hay.

I normally use straw for bedding but this winter have some really poor quality grass hay that actually ended up being cheaper than some of the straw I was getting delivered, so I've just been using it for bedding. It works okay, but I do notice that it gets much more smelly much quicker than straw does. It wasn't bad in the cold weather but now that spring is here & everything is kind of damp/wet, I clean the shed put in fresh bedding in the evening, & by the next night it's kind of wet & not smelling so good. With straw it would get wet but wouldn't smell within 24 hrs. I used some straw yesterday & the horses acted like they thought that was a big improvement in bedding!

 

[sblack]

I don't know the exact values, but straw would have very, very low protein levels in comparison with hay.

I normally use straw for bedding but this winter have some really poor quality grass hay that actually ended up being cheaper than some of the straw I was getting delivered, so I've just been using it for bedding. It works okay, but I do notice that it gets much more smelly much quicker than straw does. It wasn't bad in the cold weather but now that spring is here & everything is kind of damp/wet, I clean the shed put in fresh bedding in the evening, & by the next night it's kind of wet & not smelling so good. With straw it would get wet but wouldn't smell within 24 hrs. I used some straw yesterday & the horses acted like they thought that was a big improvement in bedding!

Do any of you have a problem with the horses eating the straw? Mine want to eat it like hay and that worries me some.

I also read where the straw had hurt some eyes on the foals. Do any of you have any info on this?

 

[Reble]

My minis when foaling, is the only time we use straw for about a week, than back to the horse pellets.

Put it down, turn around and all gone :risa_suelos: (Yes they do eat the straw.)

It will not hurt them that I am aware of. I did hear, some people used straw with mollases when hay was scarce.

:saludando:

 

[Annetta]

Do any of you have a problem with the horses eating the straw? Mine want to eat it like hay and that worries me some.

My horses will munch on the straw but I don't worry about it; I've never had one overeat on it nor had one suffer any ill effects from eating straw.
The straw we get here is generally soft & there are no worries of it poking a foal in the eye. I usually prefer oat or barley straw as it's generally softer than the wheat straw we got, but it does very much depend on the year too. The last few years we've been getting some very nice soft wheat straw. A lot of the straw here now comes off a rotary (?) combine--it's not the actual chopper the farmers put on their combine when they don't want to use the straw, so they chop it up real fine & blow it out over the field to be worked into the soil--these combines still drop the straw in swathes for baling but it's cut up quite short--harder for the balers to pick up, but it's sure nice bedding.

 

[HaazeMinis]

The straw we get here is generally soft & there are no worries of it poking a foal in the eye. I usually prefer oat or barley straw as it's generally softer than the wheat straw we got, but it does very much depend on the year too. The last few years we've been getting some very nice soft wheat straw. A lot of the straw here now comes off a rotary (?) combine--it's not the actual chopper the farmers put on their combine when they don't want to use the straw, so they chop it up real fine & blow it out over the field to be worked into the soil--these combines still drop the straw in swathes for baling but it's cut up quite short--harder for the balers to pick up, but it's sure nice bedding.

Yep,

: It is the same type of straw we get too. I love it! :bgrin It is fine chopped oat straw. It is oh so soft and pretty absorbent too! Our minis will eat some of it but since it is rather chilly here in WI we bed rather the stalls rather deep and give the mare plenty of hay to eat. After the mares have foaled we start mixing some shavings in a little at a time over about a week period of time and them gradually switch totally over to shavings within about two weeks.

Oh and we have never had a colic or even a belly ache with any of our mares with straw in their stall either.

:

I hope that helps

Jeri