# Round bales, alfalfa mix, tobacco smell



## Orchard (Mar 12, 2013)

Anyone ever encounter this- hay that smell like a cigar or tobacco? Around July 4th I cut some alfalfa /mixed grass hay. The weatherman lied to me and it did not dry down as much as I would have liked. I had to get it up and rolled several 5x5's. the inside of the bales smell like tobacco. Good? bad? Harmful to livestock? Does not seem too dusty.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Yes. Had some this year in my big squares. The weatherman lied to me also. Cows love it I'm told. However in my hay that smelled like that the color also changed to yellow.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

It caramelized, cows absolutely love that stuff, or at least ours always did.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

You lose feed value but not feedability.


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

That "brown stuff" is heat damage. Turns black==big problems; smoke==bigger problems. Want to guess what the biggest problem is?

Still feedable, cattle love it, but they don't gain much weight.

Ralph


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

I agree heat from baling at too high moisture burns up most of the protein in the bales.


----------



## JMT (Aug 10, 2013)

Ditto for all above, cows love it, but nutrition is lacking or locked up. If they are stacked in a barn be real careful of heating. Our neighbors barn burnt several years ago and he said that there was a tobacco smell that came a few days before it burnt. Yours are probably done heating by this time, but it never hurts to watch it.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

Some of mine have gotten that tobacco smell and never risen above 80 degrees. They just turned yellow.


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Everyone says the feed value is way down but have you tested it?I did one time and found that it wasn't hurt all that bad maybe 10-20% loss in feed value.


----------



## Supa Dexta (May 28, 2014)

10-20% isn't bad? lol If you lost that from your bank account, or fuel mileage would you still agree?


----------



## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Supa Dexta said:


> 10-20% isn't bad? lol If you lost that from your bank account, or fuel mileage would you still agree?


It's not good but shit happens,you may bale some a little wet because a rain is comeing or end rows are a bit to wet or some bales along a tree line.My point is its not a total disaster as some think it is.Another good reason to have some cattle around to feed up a few mistakes.


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

I don't have cows, but when this happens to my bales I just lower the price $10-$15 a bale put it on craigslist and generally a cow guy calls and buys it all in a matter of a day or so.


----------



## lcjaynes (Jul 25, 2014)

This might help:

http://www.progressiveforage.com/forage-production/management/feeding-rained-on-hay


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

swmnhay said:


> Everyone says the feed value is way down but have you tested it?I did one time and found that it wasn't hurt all that bad maybe 10-20% loss in feed value.


The question I dont have an answer to yet is. The feed value is down but at least in cattle the heated stuff gets digested faster. The animal can eat more in a day. So is it all bad? Do the calves gain more from eat this?. Feed value down 10-20% but an animal can eat 25% more of this in a day.


----------



## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

hog987 said:


> The question I dont have an answer to yet is. The feed value is down but at least in cattle the heated stuff gets digested faster. The animal can eat more in a day. So is it all bad? Do the calves gain more from eat this?. Feed value down 10-20% but an animal can eat 25% more of this in a day.


What facts do you have that cattle can eat 25% more if hay has a tobacco smell or this same hay can be digested quicker?


----------



## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

Tx Jim said:


> What facts do you have that cattle can eat 25% more if hay has a tobacco smell or this same hay can be digested quicker?


Based on feeding it myself free choice and keeping track of how much they eat. If it was baled just right and brown all the way through they can eat more. If its moldy no they wont eat more.


----------

