Moldy round bales and pregnant dairy cows

BlackWillowFarm · #1 01/27/13, 11:05 AM

My neighbor offered me a couple of 3rd cutting, new seeding alfalfa round bales at a discount because they got rained on. Hay is in short supply because of the drought this summer so I'm going to look at them this afternoon.

He said they have about six inches of bad hay on the outside from rain. What are the chances they're moldy deeper than that? If I get past the outer layer and see good green hay, is it okay or is there something else I should be looking for?

I only get small squares so I don't know too much about round bales.

Thanks for the help.

Lazy J · #2 01/27/13, 11:18 AM

I wouldn't risk abortions or healt risks by feeding moldy hay to pregnant cattle. If you can unroll the bales to get the "moldy" hay off the bale it might work. There is too much risk in my educated opinion to just throw out the entire bale.

BlackWillowFarm · #3 01/27/13, 11:23 AM

Yeah, I was planning on rolling off the bad stuff. I'm just wondering if the mold can get deeper into the bale than what I could see with my eyes. I'll look at it and smell it. Good dairy hay is selling for $10.00 a small square around here. I'm hoping there is some good hay down inside these bales.

Lazy J · #4 01/27/13, 11:26 AM

the other factor to consider is that some toxins pass from the GI Tract directly to milk, this is why Alflatoxin is regulated to stringently in livestock feed.

bigmudder77 · #5 01/27/13, 11:55 AM

I wouldn't feed it to my cows that were making me money milk of calf wise

But steers id drop the whole bale in and let them eat it pull off the moldy part and leave it on the ground and let them lay on it or pick at it

That's what Iwould do and to answer your question about mold being on the inside it all depends on the weather and how it was bailed I got cheap hay that was bailed I guess wet and then left out side and there was trace mold all the way through and I got others that was just the top outer layer

But its what it is cheap hay feed cause its problem hay if money is tight and you wanna risk more problems and more money spent in the long run go for it but other wise id say pass or get one and see how bad it is all the way inside it and make a judgement call from there

I've got some crap sun bleached first cutting squares that I got this summer for $1 a bale just to get them off the guys wagon and there mostly for bedding some are ok and some are covered in mold but for the steers i throw in 6 bales and kick them around some and they eat what they want and lay on the rest and with straw at $5 a bale its a win win for me there cutting the cost of the good $8 hay and cutting the cost of the $5 a bale straw to use this $1 stuff for food and bedding

So that might be a way to go if you use straw to bed with use these as bedding and let them eat what they want and lay on the rest

And Ithink these high dollar hay and straw prices are gonna stay around up till this time next year when peoples barns are packed and its getting close to spring and there not moving enough to fill there barns with 2014s crop AND if we have another summer like last year and the prices move up even more its gonna be a really fast down word fall lots of people will be selling there animals out

ufo_chris · #6 01/29/13, 11:21 PM

did they get rained on b/f they were baled? It almost sounds like after (6" on outside) . Most round bales get rained on....
If it was b/f it will be most likely moldy inside, if after it will just be on the outside....

BlackWillowFarm · #7 01/30/13, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ufo_chris

did they get rained on b/f they were baled? It almost sounds like after (6" on outside) . Most round bales get rained on....
If it was b/f it will be most likely moldy inside, if after it will just be on the outside....

I went to take a look. The tarp they were under had blown off and some of the outside was browned. They looked like a lot of round bales I've seen before but the weathered hay around the edge goes in about 6-8 inches. It had gotten wet from snow but was baled dry. The hay inside was green and fresh smelling.

He told me after I got there he had fed it to a young heifer he'd been given free because she had gotten off to a rough start in life, wouldn't nurse the cow, not sure how much colostrum, etc. Apparently she ate some of this hay, bloated and died and now he's afraid to feed it to his other cows. He's got Angus crosses.

It's third cutting alfalfa from a new seeding. It's a little stemmy and coarse but the alfalfa I'm feeding now is that way too. It was a bad year for hay.

Dreamfarm · #8 01/30/13, 10:38 AM

Um..if he is afraid to feed it to his cows..I wouldnt feed it to mine....just saying.

BlackWillowFarm · #9 01/30/13, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamfarm

Um..if he is afraid to feed it to his cows..I wouldnt feed it to mine....just saying.

Yeah, that thought ran through my head too.

Callieslamb · #10 01/30/13, 11:06 AM

Could you break one open and see if it's moldy in there? if it's no good to him, it seems like there's be no harm. I've seen many bales that are yucky on the outside and just fine inside. If they are baled properly they should be pretty tight.

I could come and do my sniff test. If it's moldy and I put my face in it, I'll swell up in about 2 minutes.

BlackWillowFarm · #11 01/30/13, 02:18 PM

double post

BlackWillowFarm · #12 01/30/13, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Callieslamb

I could come and do my sniff test. If it's moldy and I put my face in it, I'll swell up in about 2 minutes.

Deal.

He's only a couple miles away. And the emergency doc is pretty close too. Come on over.

ufo_chris · #13 01/30/13, 02:55 PM

could it be that heifer died from getting pure alfalfa hay, 3rd cutting?
Not getting much to eat before?
Or something else if she was so poorly?
I know they'll bloat from fresh alfalfa if too much....
sounds like a normal round bale to me

dkhern · #14 01/30/13, 05:18 PM

here we bale and move rolls to edge of field and leave till time to feed. get several rains on it no problem

kycn · #15 01/30/13, 05:36 PM

Newby cow person here. People around here (central KY) feed all kinds of hay to their cows. I am confused? I thought with their multi-part stomach they could eat anything? When we first bought this property we rented it to the neighbor for a few years before we moved here. There was old hay up next to the barn (like a couple years or something) and his cows cleaned it all up. Like to get "edumacated".

BlackWillowFarm · #16 01/30/13, 05:39 PM

I'm going to take them. He's going to let me have them and then decide if they're worth anything. When he pulled hay from half an arms length in it came out green and smelling like hay should smell. I'll pull the weathered hay off the edges before I feed it, but first I'm going to offer them about half a bale to eat and see how they do.

If I can't feed it I can use it for mulch on the garden.

BlackWillowFarm · #17 01/30/13, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kycn

Newby cow person here. People around here (central KY) feed all kinds of hay to their cows. I am confused? I thought with their multi-part stomach they could eat anything? When we first bought this property we rented it to the neighbor for a few years before we moved here. There was old hay up next to the barn (like a couple years or something) and his cows cleaned it all up. Like to get "edumacated".

Moldy hay can cause pregnant cows to abort their calves. Steers could eat it fine, but have to be careful with the pregnant girls.

Lazy J · #18 01/30/13, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kycn

Newby cow person here. People around here (central KY) feed all kinds of hay to their cows. I am confused? I thought with their multi-part stomach they could eat anything? When we first bought this property we rented it to the neighbor for a few years before we moved here. There was old hay up next to the barn (like a couple years or something) and his cows cleaned it all up. Like to get "edumacated".

Cattle and other ruminants defintiely can eat a broad range of forages, but they can't eat poison. Many molds produce toxins that are harmful to animals, the effects range from decreased growth and feed efficiency to abortions and sometimes death.

The best course of action with pregnant animals is to not tempt fate by feeding moldy feedstuffs.

Jim

kycn · #19 01/30/13, 08:26 PM

Good to know!!! So what does everybody do for hay storage? Round vs. square? Again, I am a newbie and just go based on what people do around here. I would say the vast majority of people keep them outside in rows, end to end to make one long tube. Sometimes if they have a loader they will make a triangle of rolls. You rarely see or hear of people who keep them inside or in the white plastic or other types.

I just have to say how much I like this forum!!!

Callieslamb · #20 01/31/13, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackWillowFarm

Deal.

He's only a couple miles away. And the emergency doc is pretty close too. Come on over.

It'll have to wait until this storm passes. Do you know how to work an epi pen? It's not like giving cows shots- it goes in the thigh, not the butt.