# Moldy round bales and pregnant dairy cows



## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

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 (Jan 2, 2008)

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 (Mar 24, 2008)

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 (Jan 2, 2008)

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 (Jun 9, 2008)

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 (Apr 30, 2010)

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 (Mar 24, 2008)

ufo_chris said:


> 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 (Dec 10, 2011)

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


----------



## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

Dreamfarm said:


> 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 (Feb 27, 2007)

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 (Mar 24, 2008)

double post


----------



## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

Callieslamb said:


> 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 (Apr 30, 2010)

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 (Nov 30, 2012)

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


----------



## kycn (Nov 27, 2012)

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 (Mar 24, 2008)

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 (Mar 24, 2008)

kycn said:


> 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 (Jan 2, 2008)

kycn said:


> 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 (Nov 27, 2012)

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 (Feb 27, 2007)

BlackWillowFarm said:


> 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.


----------



## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

kycn said:


> 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!!!


If you live in a dry area, you can stack them outside. Most that I see outside now are wrapped in plastic of some kind. You lose less if they are covered. Small squares are more suceptible to moisture -as in DO NOT get them wet suceptibility. I store mine in my barn. My dad used to make long stacks of small round bales - 30 feet long and 10 feet high and cover with a tarp but keeping the tarp down was a big job.


----------



## bigmudder77 (Jun 9, 2008)

Most of the wrapped bales are wet bales high moisture content good hay but mostly for milking cows we use it some times in the mixer and it gets all ground up its kinda like an easy way to get away from the ag bag hay 

And as far as what I use it all depends on price and what's there to buy I like small squares for the calves cause they don't eat a lot they seem to waste more than eat if I throw a round bale in there 

For the bigger ones I use mostly round bales cause I have a round bale feeder and Ican just throw one in there and let them eat it 

And big squares are good for both if cut rigt most of it will go in the round bale feeder or put it by the head locks but it takes too long for them to eat a whole bale and after about half is gone I have to push it up 

But I have a huge 4 bay bank barn that I store all the hay in if it has to sit out side I like round bales because they shed water rather than soak it up 

Also with bedding in case you want that info too I don't like straw that sits out side it always seems like there is more waste 

But corn fodder bales can sit out side they don't seem to waste much of that they pick through it straw they don't


----------



## haypoint (Oct 4, 2006)

If someone had third cutting from a new seeding that was stemmy in a state had just experienced its greatest hay shortage in memory for give away, I'd be concerned. 

Third cutting is generally so soft and leafy, you might think you could eat it as a salad. But yours is stemmy? That puzzles me. 

Round bales are formed to shed water. Some mold might be there, plus the part that sat directly on the ground. 

If you pealed the moldy layer off, it sounds like you'll have fresh smelling pure alfalfa. How will you get your cattle adjusted to this rich tasty feed, without them over eating?


----------



## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

haypoint said:


> If someone had third cutting from a new seeding that was stemmy in a state had just experienced its greatest hay shortage in memory for give away, I'd be concerned.
> 
> Third cutting is generally so soft and leafy, you might think you could eat it as a salad. But yours is stemmy? That puzzles me.
> 
> ...


He's not giving it away, he offered it to me for sale, but is willing to let me try it and pay him what I think it's worth. He's a neighbor and we've done business together before. We've already discussed a price but he's fair enough to let me get one open and see what's inside before he wants any money.

I don't know too much about round bales, but I do know good alfalfa should be soft and leafy, when you can find it. Can you even get that type of hay baled into a round bale?? Some of the small squares I've had literally fell apart when opened. This hay has plenty of leaf but also more stem than I like. It seems to be good hay just a little coarser than I like to see. Last year was terrible for hay like you noted and even the alfalfa wasn't in prime condition. These bales were covered but the wind blew the cover off and they got wet. They are not sitting on the ground. My original concern was how deep the mold might have gotten. I'll peel the outer layer off before feeding and I'll only give them a small amount to start with if any. I have to get one open and then decide. If I don't feed them, they're going to be mulch in my gardens. 

My cows are on 2nd and 3rd cut pure alfalfa now. It won't be a switch for them.

Good questions though.


----------



## Awnry Abe (Mar 21, 2012)

We keep round bales outside and don't have a mold issue, but improper "stacking" can sure ruin them with mold. By stacking, I mean placing the snug against each other so that water can't shed. Butting them end-to-end is ok if you get them really tight, but I just prefer not to attempt it because one little change in the ground plane can create a V that will trap water. I just prefer to let them have plenty of free air all on all sides. It isn't picturesque, but who cares. They keep for several years for us like that. I imagine if I didn't have a bunch, laying them on tires or pallets and covering in a tarp would be as good as inside storage.


----------



## Jennifer L. (May 10, 2002)

kycn said:


> 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!!!


I have had a lot of hay in the past so just leaving round bales outdoors and losing 6" is no problem to me. Some I bring to the barn and put in rows, some get left in the field until I go get them with the tractor, and I have room for about 300 5' x 4' round bales inside that go in when the bales are a few weeks old when I'm not too busy. That barn is what I used to stack small squares in and is 82' x 36', open sided. I can put them up three tiers with the Bobcat with 33 bales to a row this way. Probably more than most people on here need or want. I get about 1000 bales off of this farm every year. Next year, however, I'll be down to about 300 bales because I've put 3/4 of my hay acreage into a NYS conservation program for upland birds. The money was more than I was making on the cows, so the cows are going to be cut back and I'll have a smaller herd.

Only put round bales up in the triangle shape outdoors in a wet climate if you can feed it fast or you can cover them. The rain will funnel down between the lower bales and never dry out and you'll lose a lot of the value. When you put them in the long rows, leave them 6" apart in the row and don't let neighboring rows touch. You HAVE to have air circulation around unwrapped bales or you will lose hay where there are cracks for rain to get in and not enough air to dry them out. Don't cover with a tarp to the ground or you'll get more mold that way as well. Round bales thatch well and keep quite well uncovered alone, but you need to be able to afford the waste. I figure the cows use the outside for bedding and don't worry about it. Plus, that's simply weathered hay, not moldy hay, so it's not going to hurt a cow if they nibble on it.

Good luck.


----------



## LittleRedHen (Apr 26, 2006)

I had bought round bales and through my stupidity, they got a little moldy. I pulled the moldy parts off and fed the rest to a newly pregnant heifer. I went back to square bales after that. I just cannot do round :/ but anyways, if it was me, as someone else who knows what trying to buy hay in MIchigan is like, i'd try the bales too. His heifer could have died from unrelated issues or just the fact of going on good hay too quickly and her tummy wasn't adjusted


----------

