Hay question - bales are warm

[Jennifer Fleet]

Hi everyone,

 

Not endurance related, but I need some advice and well, you guys all know your stuff, so here goes.

 

Yesterday I had some 120-pound bales of orchard grass brought in from Nevada delivered and stacked.  I went to feed today and when I got towards the middle of a bale, the hay felt quite warm.  It does not feel wet, does not look moldy and it smells fine.  In fact, in looks and smells great.  At least for now.  The horses are chowing down on it.  In fact, they seem to like it more than the orchard I usually get from Oregon.  But, I can’t ignore the fact that I felt heat in there.

 

Never having had warm hay before, I did a Google search and am reading all sorts of scary stuff – that the heat means it is fermenting and it could burst into flames and/or make my horses sick.  I have nowhere to cut all of these bales open and spread them out, as some sites suggested.

 

In 35 years of horse ownership, I’ve never had warm/hot hay before (or that I’ve noticed).  Should I send this all back or am I over-reacting?  Again, no visible signs of mold or smell.

 

Thanks,

Jennifer

 

 

[Marv Walker]

Sure, your horses love it, it's green grass. If
it's fermenting, it's wet. Maybe not to the degree
you can raise bubbles with soap but wet none the
less. I have heard of hay bursting into flame
but I've never heard of a proven case of it doing
so. Doesn't mean it won't, I've never heard of
a verifiable case.

I have skid steered a good bunch of fermenting,
smoking vegetable matter in my time and not once
has it burst into flame upon contact with air.

But I'm fussy with my hay. I don't want heat,
smoke, mold or anything else properly harvested
hay isn't supposed to have. I'd want the supplier to correct the problem.

Marv "Still working on the problem of telling a
duck to lower its head in an emergency." Walker
Horse Info & Training DVDs ~ http://MarvWalker.com

[Carla Richardson]

Oh yes, it can happen.  Especially with windy conditions, I saw a neighbor's barn burn down from a hay fire.  It can smolder a long time before it bursts into flame.  That's where the wind can "help" by fanning the flames, providing the oxygen.

Carla

On Jan 19, 2011 7:52 PM, "Marv Walker" <ma...@marvwalker.com> wrote:

> Not endurance related, but I need some advice and well, you guys all know your stuff, so here goe...

Sure, your horses love it, it's green grass.  If it's fermenting, it's wet.  Maybe not to the degree
you can raise bubbles with soap but wet none the less.  I have heard of hay bursting into flame
but I've never heard of a proven case of it doing so.  Doesn't mean it won't, I've never heard of
a verifiable case.

I have skid steered a good bunch of fermenting, smoking vegetable matter in my time and not once
has it burst into flame upon contact with air.

But I'm fussy with my hay.  I don't want heat, smoke, mold or anything else properly harvested
hay isn't supposed to have.  I'd want the supplier to correct the problem.

Marv "Still working on the problem of telling a duck to lower its head in an emergency." Walker
Horse Info & Training DVDs ~ http://MarvWalker.com

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[Buddy]

Send it back or ask them to cut it open so it can dry out making it
safe for your barn and horses to eat.. Most farmers that sell hay will
not deliver hay baled with moisture. Buddy

On Jan 19, 9:20 pm, "Jennifer Fleet" <jlfl...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Not endurance related, but I need some advice and well, you guys all know
> your stuff, so here goes.
>
> Yesterday I had some 120-pound bales of orchard grass brought in from Nevada
> delivered and stacked.  I went to feed today and when I got towards the
> middle of a bale, the hay felt quite warm.  It does not feel wet, does not
> look moldy and it smells fine.  In fact, in looks and smells great.  At
> least for now.  The horses are chowing down on it.  In fact, they seem to
> like it more than the orchard I usually get from Oregon.  But, I can't
> ignore the fact that I felt heat in there.
>
> Never having had warm hay before, I did a Google search and am reading all

> sorts of scary stuff - that the heat means it is fermenting and it could

[Kathy Sherman]

Do you know when it was harvested and baled? I can't imagine that it
could be fresh hay which is the only time I've ever felt much warmth
from hay, and even then, it was just for the first week. I buy approx
100-110 lb bales. I would talk to the seller. Maybe it'll cool down in
a week?

Kathy

On Jan 19, 6:20 pm, "Jennifer Fleet" <jlfl...@earthlink.net> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> Not endurance related, but I need some advice and well, you guys all know
> your stuff, so here goes.
>
> Yesterday I had some 120-pound bales of orchard grass brought in from Nevada
> delivered and stacked.  I went to feed today and when I got towards the
> middle of a bale, the hay felt quite warm.  It does not feel wet, does not
> look moldy and it smells fine.  In fact, in looks and smells great.  At
> least for now.  The horses are chowing down on it.  In fact, they seem to
> like it more than the orchard I usually get from Oregon.  But, I can't
> ignore the fact that I felt heat in there.
>
> Never having had warm hay before, I did a Google search and am reading all

> sorts of scary stuff - that the heat means it is fermenting and it could

[mor...@morganreed.net]

they might have gotten a little rain right before baling or loading up.

Take a roast cooking thermometer out there and stick it in each bale. If the needle starts to raise up,  get that bale out of the barn and into the sun to dry.

The hottest bales need to be opened up to cool and dry. So feed them, or open and stack them in another barn to dry and cool. Air on them wont 'start' a fire, because its the compression of the bale and wet fermentation that  may start to cook them. Wet vegitation compost piles will often smother from the compression and wet fermentation.

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