# Symptoms from eating moldy hay?



## nappy (Aug 17, 2003)

What are some symptoms for goats that eat moldy hay? I have asked about possible moldy hay in the past on here, and thought I'd gotten reassurance that what I described was not moldy hay. The bales, when opened into flakes and placed into the hay feeders, give off a white powdery substance into the air. In a few of the bales I've found darkened (moldy?) spots that I just throw away. Actually, I think the hay smells okay, and the goats enjoy eating it. The goats are not ill but their heat cycles are irregular, and some have come back into heat soon after being bred. The bucks are being kept separate with the appropriate does for a total of 4 weeks to overlap heat cycles, making sure that all are bred. But, if the hay is the problem, I might need to find another source. What do you all think? Even though I have my own breeding bucks, I don't want to breed too late just because of hay quality. 

Nappy


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## Milking Mom (Oct 2, 2004)

We bale our own coastal and alicia hay and when I pull off a flake for the goats it does not have any white powdery substance. I am not sure what this could be if it isn't mold. If it doesn't smell moldy and has a sweet hay smell, gosh....then I don't know. If you are buying your hay I would try picking up a couple different bales from somebody else and see what their hay is like. If it is better hay without the white powdery stuff then I would use theirs instead.


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## GoatTalkr9 (Aug 1, 2002)

I've dealt with the "white powdery stuff" before. Toss it now,before it gives your goats trouble. I bought a 100 bales,THEN saw the mold..but tried to use it..thinking of the loss moneywise if I tossed it. I ended up with sick goats. It's cheaper to toss it now before you have sick goats.


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## nappy (Aug 17, 2003)

Thanks for your replies. I guess I know the answer to my question. Milking mom, I envy you having your own hay. You know what is in your hay and the haying conditions in which it was baled. This hay may have been baled damp but we are not sure of that. 

Nappy


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