Yes moldy hay is easy to identify. I have lost a lot of moldy hay to the winter months here, which my vet loves cause his sheep get it. lol
Mild cases on the outside of the bale can turn the hay black and is powdered on it and it has that musty smell which for me having hay fever and allergies, really gets my nose going. typically if it is just the outside and the inside of the bale is dry and cool to the touch I just pull off the moldy stuff and feed the rest.
Now it if looks fine on the outside but when you open it up the hay is steaming or hot to the touch...TOSS IT OUT! it is starting to combust and you don't want to feed it. This happened once to me when my tarp blew off and my hay got wet all the way through. the next day I had 10 bales of hay all opened up and all over to dry, and i only lost half a bale that didn't dry but within 2 days became hot and steamy.
Some horses will avoid it but I don't take that chance. I send it to the sheep or cattle with their rumanat tummies they can handle it. Horses can colic on it and get really sick.
Hope this helps! I am so ready for summer to get here when I don't have to worry about moldy hay anymore and stupid tarps. lol
Jennifer in cali
--- In haflingerfriends@yahoogroups.com, Marilyn Mitchell <marilynmitchell61@...> wrote:
>
> Do any of you know anything about moldy hay? What does mold do to a horse? Will they naturally avoid it? Can we tell if hay is moldy just by looking at it?
>
> Please advise.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Marilyn
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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