# Dusty Hay! How to Soak?



## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

I have had hay that I joked I needed a hazmed suit to handle. What I did is spread it out on the ground hose it off then pick it back up and distribute to my horses. Or I just put it in the wheelbarrow, hose it off and pass it out. Knock on wood I have not had one get sick from eating it. I am in the south so freezing is not a problem, but I just hose it off right before feeding I never soak it. I think cows are able eat less desirable hay without issue.


----------



## poundinghooves (Aug 5, 2010)

It's been pretty frigid here in Indiana, (How lucky you are to live in the South, by the way! ) so I'm not sure what to do. I may get a small length of hose that I can easily unscrew from the outdoor tap, so it will not freeze. I know some people from 4-H who have cows, so I may just have to give it away, though I'd hate to do so but it would certainly be better then letting it go to waste. Do you immediately feed it after hosing, or does it need to sit around for a while to really soak in?


----------



## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

poundinghooves said:


> It's been pretty frigid here in Indiana, (How lucky you are to live in the South, by the way! ) so I'm not sure what to do. I may get a small length of hose that I can easily unscrew from the outdoor tap, so it will not freeze. I know some people from 4-H who have cows, so I may just have to give it away, though I'd hate to do so but it would certainly be better then letting it go to waste. Do you immediately feed it after hosing, or does it need to sit around for a while to really soak in?



I feed it right away, just hose until it is dripping wet and deliver. I used to stuff it into slow feed bags then hose it off, but stuffing dusty hay into bags was a horrible task. I feed off round bales, it is really hard to get decent hay sometimes so I do what I have to do. As long as it is not caked in mold I clean it and feed it.


----------



## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Hi poundinghooves. First off, not all hay dust is equal. You will expect to see 'plant dust' because what we've done is gone and dried a bunch of grass so now the stem and leaves have no moisture and are not growing anymore so nature takes its course and the plant starts falling apart. What you need to be on the watch for is 'mold dust' - that stuff is never good; it is usually grey/white in colour and has an unpleasant smell to it.

Second, when we've had to deal with dusty hay in the winter (we get cold winters too) we've taken the pile of hay given it a good shake (do this up wind or else you get a face full:-() and then poured water on it using a garden watering can. You won't need a great deal of water as you just want to dampen it down (you'll see the dust dissipate almost immediately when you start doing this). Remember to empty the watering can out so nothing freezes in it and you can continue to use it all winter. The horses don't seem bothered by the bits of frozen water in the hay.


----------



## poundinghooves (Aug 5, 2010)

Chevaux said:


> Hi poundinghooves. First off, not all hay dust is equal. You will expect to see 'plant dust' because what we've done is gone and dried a bunch of grass so now the stem and leaves have no moisture and are not growing anymore so nature takes its course and the plant starts falling apart. What you need to be on the watch for is 'mold dust' - that stuff is never good; it is usually grey/white in colour and has an unpleasant smell to it.
> 
> Second, when we've had to deal with dusty hay in the winter (we get cold winters too) we've taken the pile of hay given it a good shake (do this up wind or else you get a face full:-() and then poured water on it using a garden watering can. You won't need a great deal of water as you just want to dampen it down (you'll see the dust dissipate almost immediately when you start doing this). Remember to empty the watering can out so nothing freezes in it and you can continue to use it all winter.


Thanks for the advice, I was concerned about mold and had a topic about that because some of the hay did get wet. However, I don't really smell anything strange about the hay. I have definitely gotten a face full of dust- I have horrible allergies so that doesn't work out well!  I like the watering can idea!


----------



## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

For the horses at my barn who need soaked hay, I just put a flake or two into a plastic storage bin like this:









Then pour a few buckets of water over it (warm water if it's winter). Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then tip it over to drain for a few minutes and feed.


----------

