# Aaaaahhhh moldy hay!!



## jscharling (Jul 10, 2014)

I just noticed that the hay I have has what looks like mold on the outside cut edges!! I have been feeding this and do to know how long it has been like this. Everybody is acting normal. Do I have to toss all of it and start over?! I have it stored in a barn and originally had it on the ground but then moved it up onto pallets. I think having it on the ground is the cause (newbie mistake I guess) and I won't do that ever again! If I do have to toss it all what do I do with 20 bales of moldy hay?


----------



## Jessica84 (Oct 27, 2011)

Now this is me and fair warning I'm cheap lol. If it's just the out side edge I would pull that off and REALLY look at the hay I'm planning on feeding them. But do what you feel what's best for you. If your gonna be freaking out after feeding it to them then don't do it. Before I knew mold would kill them I fed moldy hay like that without taking the edges off and they left it behind. But I read on here every now and then of goats getting sick and goats that are fed better then mine so I say your choice on it. As for what to do with it put it up for sale on Craig's list for cow hay. Any time I have hay with a little mold that I isn't easy to pull out I mix with the cows good hay.


Sent from my iPhone using Goat Forum


----------



## jscharling (Jul 10, 2014)

It doesn't look like it's all through the hay just the outside. I have put my face right into the center of the flakes and bale and it doesn't smell moldy, just smells like hay. I don't want to have to trash all those bales if I don't have too. Money's a little tight right now so I don't really have the means to start all over, but could buy like 5 bales at a time if I had too, until I get back to work in September. Im all new to this and appreciate and input and experiences others have had with this. Thanks!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

I would tear off the bad and sniff the rest of the flake, if it still smells bad, don't feed it. No mold should be fed.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

jscharling said:


> I just noticed that the hay I have has what looks like mold on the outside cut edges!! I have been feeding this and do to know how long it has been like this. Everybody is acting normal. Do I have to toss all of it and start over?! I have it stored in a barn and originally had it on the ground but then moved it up onto pallets. I think having it on the ground is the cause (newbie mistake I guess) and I won't do that ever again! If I do have to toss it all what do I do with 20 bales of moldy hay?


If it's just on the outside and it is dry, cool, and white, I would go ahead and feed it. Mine won't eat mold. However, if it is still wet, hot, or any color but white, I would peel it off and check the adjacent areas carefully prior to feeding.

You are right about stacking it on the ground being the cause. As far as what to do with moldy hay, you can burn it, use it as humus in your garden or, if you know someone who farms, ask them if they want it spread on their field.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

MsScamp said:


> If it's just on the outside and it is dry, cool, and white, I would go ahead and feed it. Mine won't eat mold. However, if it is still wet, hot, or any color but white, I would peel it off and check the adjacent areas carefully prior to feeding.
> 
> You are right about stacking it on the ground being the cause. As far as what to do with moldy hay, you can burn it, use it as humus in your garden or, if you know someone who farms, ask them if they want it spread on their field.


 I am glad your goats have not gotten sick But please know, just because your goats will not eat mold, doesn't mean they won't ever. All it takes is a trace for some and it knocks them off.

My opinion is: "do not" feed any mold, whether it be wet or dry, remove it, if you tear off the bad part and it still smells moldy, do not feed it. If it smells OK, then it should be OK. If you pull it apart and the air fills with grey or white powder, don't feed, that is mold. If you have to throw away that flake do it, or a bale, only feed what is good or you may have Polio/Listeria on your hands or something else may strike, making it a very devastating situation with high risk of losing that animal. Pregnant Doe's should not get any mold or it can cause them to abort. It is better to be safe than sorry all around IMO.


----------



## LadySecret (Apr 20, 2013)

Last winter I bought 10 damaged bales of what looked like straw for $3 per 50# bale at my locate TSC. A great deal in my area and I thought I could use it for bedding to keep my babies extra warm during those cold winter nights. 

My neice offered to help me with the goats and I told her to put the moldy staw down as the first layer of bedding and then put a layer of good grass hay down over it so if my goats took a few mouthfuls it wouldn't be the moldy stuff on the bottom. I went inside and left her to it. The next day I came outside to find my goats having a grand time foraging under the grass hay and eating what was underneath. It turns out those yellow bales of straw were actually alfalfa. The outside was yellow with some white mold on it but inside was green goodness that all my goats were happily goarging themselves on. I freaked! I was sure my entire herd was going to die because I was cheap and I didn't bother to open a bale first to check what was inside before letting my neice spread it around on the ground. I had three does pregnant at the time (with my first babies) and I just knew they were going to miscarry. To add to the frustration, they had mold free alfalfa in their feeder which they left untouched in favor of the moldy stuff on the ground.

However, none of my goats got sick or acted in anyway abnormal. And they ate a ton of moldy alfalfa that I would never feed to anything but a cow. My pregnant does delievered healthy babies on schedual. I can only conclude that my goats either have a high tolerance for mold or they were careful not to eat any of the really moldy parts.

Because of this, I'm not too worried about a little moldy hay as long as it isn't for pregnant goats. But your going to have to decide for yourself what level of risk your confortable with.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

LadySecret said:


> Last winter I bought 10 damaged bales of what looked like straw for $3 per 50# bale at my locate TSC. A great deal in my area and I thought I could use it for bedding to keep my babies extra warm during those cold winter nights.
> 
> My neice offered to help me with the goats and I told her to put the moldy staw down as the first layer of bedding and then put a layer of good grass hay down over it so if my goats took a few mouthfuls it wouldn't be the moldy stuff on the bottom. I went inside and left her to it. The next day I came outside to find my goats having a grand time foraging under the grass hay and eating what was underneath. It turns out those yellow bales of straw were actually alfalfa. The outside was yellow with some white mold on it but inside was green goodness that all my goats were happily goarging themselves on. I freaked! I was sure my entire herd was going to die because I was cheap and I didn't bother to open a bale first to check what was inside before letting my neice spread it around on the ground. I had three does pregnant at the time (with my first babies) and I just knew they were going to miscarry. To add to the frustration, they had mold free alfalfa in their feeder which they left untouched in favor of the moldy stuff on the ground.
> 
> ...


Mold is nothing to mess with, but if you want to risk it, that is your prerogative. I can only warn of the dangers. 
I will not say, it is safe for all goats, some are very sensitive to it.
I rather not take that risk and feed it knowingly, if sometimes a small area smells like mold and I miss it, my boers will sniff and walk away, then I will remove it.

I am sure your goats just picked through the bad stuff and ate what was good. It was more convenient for tham to eat it from underneath them, than to go to the feeder and fight.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

I wont risk it either. Not even moldy straw. One time I got bale of alfalfa with about a third mold. Not through & through but enough to bring half of it back to the store. They replaced the entire bale at no cost.


----------



## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

I will not risk feeding anything with any type of mold period. The cost of throwing a bale out is much less than the cost of animal. 

I won't even pick off the bad place around the edge and feed the rest because their can be spores threwout the hay and you just can't quite detect it yet. Just not worth the risk. 

Even cows can get listeriosis also know as circling disease


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


----------



## Greybird (May 14, 2014)

Mold scares the living daylights out of me unless it's part of blue cheese.
I know that there are different species and that some are not as deadly as others, or maybe not dangerous at all, but I can't tell which is which so I avoid all of it.

Not worth the trouble or the risk, IMO.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

toth boer goats said:


> I am glad your goats have not gotten sick But please know, just because your goats will not eat mold, doesn't mean they won't ever. All it takes is a trace for some and it knocks them off.
> 
> My opinion is: "do not" feed any mold, whether it be wet or dry, remove it, if you tear off the bad part and it still smells moldy, do not feed it. If it smells OK, then it should be OK. If you pull it apart and the air fills with grey or white powder, don't feed, that is mold. If you have to throw away that flake do it, or a bale, only feed what is good or you may have Polio/Listeria on your hands or something else may strike, making it a very devastating situation with high risk of losing that animal. Pregnant Doe's should not get any mold or it can cause them to abort. It is better to be safe than sorry all around IMO.


I'm not even going to dignify your "opinion" with a reply.


----------



## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

Greybird said:


> Mold scares the living daylights out of me unless it's part of blue cheese.
> I know that there are different species and that some are not as deadly as others, or maybe not dangerous at all, but I can't tell which is which so I avoid all of it.
> 
> Not worth the trouble or the risk, IMO.


Haha! I wouldn't even touch blue cheese with a ten foot pole! Yuck! However some people love it!

Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

LadySecret said:


> Last winter I bought 10 damaged bales of what looked like straw for $3 per 50# bale at my locate TSC. A great deal in my area and I thought I could use it for bedding to keep my babies extra warm during those cold winter nights.
> 
> My neice offered to help me with the goats and I told her to put the moldy staw down as the first layer of bedding and then put a layer of good grass hay down over it so if my goats took a few mouthfuls it wouldn't be the moldy stuff on the bottom. I went inside and left her to it. The next day I came outside to find my goats having a grand time foraging under the grass hay and eating what was underneath. It turns out those yellow bales of straw were actually alfalfa. The outside was yellow with some white mold on it but inside was green goodness that all my goats were happily goarging themselves on. I freaked! I was sure my entire herd was going to die because I was cheap and I didn't bother to open a bale first to check what was inside before letting my neice spread it around on the ground. I had three does pregnant at the time (with my first babies) and I just knew they were going to miscarry. To add to the frustration, they had mold free alfalfa in their feeder which they left untouched in favor of the moldy stuff on the ground.
> 
> ...


I routinely use partially moldy hay for bedding, however, I will not use badly molded hay - 1/2 or more of the flake. If I didn't, I wouldn't have bedding. Having said that, I would caution you on a few things. 1) Before putting any type of moldy hay down for bedding, feed your girls and give them time to get full - that way they are less likely to eat the moldy hay. 2) If the hay is alfalfa, and the mold is hot and wet, _DO NOT_ give them access to it. They will eat it, and it will cause listeriosis/goat polio. Hot, wet mold has fermented, it tastes sweet, and my girls will literally fight over it. 3) If the mold is any color other than white, or if it is slimy(grass hay, usually) _DO NOT_ give them access to it. 4) Do not use moldy hay for kidding. If your bedding hay you are using for kidding is dusty, shake the snot out of it and get as much dust out as possible. The dust from either one can cause serious problems for the kids because they are so much closer to the ground, and they do not have a developed immune system yet. I'm not encouraging any of these practices, but I've been there and I'm simply trying to help fellow goat owners who are in my situation.


----------



## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

Moldy hay shouldn't even be used for bedding. Very bad for the upper respiratory tract. It can cause damage and scarring without symptoms. 


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Some of us don't have hobby farms, and we live in the real world. The one where you have to find a way to make things work.

ETA: I've spent the last 3 or 4 weeks juggling irrigating 320 acres, poisoning gophers, eliminating foxtail, whacking sandburs, feeding goats, and watering 160 head of goats with a garden hose because the pressure on my new well blew a water line and I had to shut off the water to the pens until the guys could get out here to fix it.


----------



## nannysrus (Jun 21, 2014)

I don't have a hobby farm. Me and my husband work off our farm for our monthly income and food. In order to get good hay we go out in a field and pick up 500 bales of hay in order to get 50 bales for labor. I don't use questionable stuff on any of my animals because I can't afford to loose any of them.


Samantha

"5 minutes of fresh air is equivalent to 5 mg Valium"


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Good for you! :thumbup: Doing what you do to get those 50 bales of hay should make it clear where I'm coming from. I'll be the first person to agree with you that it isn't ideal, but it's what I'm stuck with so I make it work.


----------



## canyontrailgoats (Jan 4, 2014)

My goats prefer the mold, so I don't bother feeding it. Especially after my doe suffered from polio..l don't wanna risk that disease Again. But sometimes you have no choice, so be careful and things should be ok. Have thiamine on hand just in case.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

Thank you, Rebecca.  I can absolutely understand your position, and I would be the last person to try to change it. I do keep thiamine on hand, along with Nuflor, LA Penicillin, and electrolytes. I check my girls at least once a day, and usually twice. If Elise had displayed the usual symptoms of goat polio, she would probably be alive today. I knew something was wrong, I just couldn't put my finger on what it was.


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

MsScamp said:


> I'm not even going to dignify your "opinion" with a reply.


Sorry you feel that way, it is my job to give knowledgeable advice for the best interest of animals and safety of any goats health, which always come first IMO. 
You have to realize, I cannot give advice which is wrong or harmful, no matter the subject line or allow wrong information to be out there, which risks the lives of others.

New breeders or pet owners, may not know of the dangers of mold, so it is my job to warn them.

If you would like to, PM me privately.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

Normally we feed 3rd alfalfa. We were running low so I supplemented with grass hay.
One doe came down with listeria. That grass hay was the only change but there must have been just enough mold or something that only she got into. And it looked fine to me visually.


----------



## MedsHomestead (Jun 16, 2014)

Yes, my older brother called me very excited one Saturday afternoon because he access to a lot of moldy hay for me to feed my goats - the farm where he boards his horses wouldn't feed it to the horses, and didn't want to feed it to their dairy cattle herd - he got really insulted when I told him thanks but no thanks. He is still of the old way of thinking that goats will eat anything and nothing phases them. I don't (Thanks be to God) have very many problems with my herd, but it is devastating when I come home from work and anyone is off their feed or sick, and losing them is about a sorrowful as losing a member of your human family - money gets tight at our homestead too, but never so tight that I would even consider purposefully feeding moldy hay.


----------



## nancy d (Oct 5, 2007)

MedsHomestead, at times our goats eat better than we do.


----------



## MsScamp (Feb 1, 2010)

MedsHomestead said:


> ...money gets tight at our homestead too, but never so tight that I would even consider purposefully feeding moldy hay.


Nobody intentionally or purposefully feeds moldy hay, but there are times when a person has to make do with what they've got.


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

Msscamp you have truly stepped over the line with this comment...it was uncalled for..no where were you attacked....we all have our opinion..you and I have gone toe to toe a few times...and survivied!! there is no call to you to do a personal attack on Toth boers!!..


----------



## happybleats (Sep 12, 2010)

On a personal note...I am fighting mold illness from my hay right now..one by one my bucks all went through rumen shut down...even though I should have guessed mold..no one else was sick...I cleaned their pen got them well and took a breath of thankfullness...then Paige got sick this morning and then this afternoon Maybeline who just kidded triplets...Im sick about it I should have fingured it out sooner...But my son and I went to the hay and after a close look MOLD!! This is five goats I could have lost! Two of which are not out of the woods...I understand money can be a factor in purchasing hay..and tossing a bunch out..BUT its not worth the risk...Im still not sure how my girls will recover...Its not a game..and its not worth the risk..


----------



## sweetgoats (Oct 18, 2007)

OH, if you WANT to feed your goats MOLDY hay that is YOUR choice. We are all here and learning daily, some people here are Hobby farms and others are bigger serious farms, no matter if you have two goats or 1000, NO ONE needs to act like they know it all here. If you MsCamp are a VET then and only THEN would I really listen to what you are saying. Anyone that knows goats knows NOT TO FEED MOLDY HAY. Yes it happens something because it was done by accident, no one should EVER EVER feed it because they have it. To me that is like giving a child a gun with a single bullet and seeing IF they get the wrong chamber, if so well we will have meds on hand just in case. 

We need to remember that people are here and asking for advice and not here to be slammed like you are doing because they are asking for help. 

I don't care if I have all the thiamine in the world I would never feed goats moldy hay and just wait and see if it is going to kill them. :hair::hair:


----------



## jscharling (Jul 10, 2014)

I did not intend for this to become such a heated debate but I am thankful for everyone's input. I think I will take it flake by flake and if it's moldy toss it if it's not feed it and hopefully this will get me until I am back to work and able to stock up on some good hay for the winter. Thanks again for everyone's input and experiences!


----------



## toth boer goats (Jul 20, 2008)

It is not your fault, the matter will be taken care of.

All opinions are important and most are greatly appreciated. 
Not everyone is right, but not all are wrong. No matter if we agree or disagree or even agree to disagree, LOL.
Sometimes wrong oppions are out there, so all we can do is, try to re-direct it in the right direction. 

Hope for you the best. :thumb:


----------

