I bought a bunch of hay . The horses were eating it fine. The hay came off of 4 or 5 wagons. Farmer then used some preservative on there . I believe that this hay I am trying to feed now, is loaded with the presevative. I just tried to top dress it with molasses. If anyone has any ideas for me it sure would help . Farmer is willing to take the back but that is no easy chore as I have around 300 bales to haul back . Preservative used to make it dry faster in field.

My Practical Horseman or Horse Illustrated magazine just answered a similar question.

The preservative is sprayed onto the hay after cutting and right before baling to keep mold from growing. It does dry the hay out. The preservative has been used for awhile now and chances are your horses have already eaten preservative sprayed hay. Chances are most of these people who replied saying that your horses could get sick and die, have already fed their own horses preservative sprayed hay without being aware of it.

Almost all major hay growers have been spraying their hay with the preservatives. They do not harm horses in any way, however it does change the taste of the hay and it will take some getting use to for your horses. Even the most picky eaters will consume the hay if that is all the choice they have.

Someone suggested you soak the hay for at least 30 minutes and I think this is excellent advice. It may dilute the smell of the preservative enough for your horses to "settle" with the hay they're given.

Most importantly it will NOT kill or make your horses sick. It has been a great benefit for those of us living in the south east to prevent mold, which is an illness causing bacteria (or whatever mold is). The provider of this 300 bales of hay sounds like he knows what he is doing and even better is a good businessman if he is willing to take back the 300 bales.

Filed under: hay hauling

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