# Tell me everything you know about sweet hay



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mowed hay first part of the week, have tedded three times, still won't be ready to bale today, depending on which forecast turns out right I may have the rest of next week to get it dry after Monday or the rest of next week might be crap too.

Have a wrapper available, I don't think it will make even the lower 20's today far as moisture, I seem to think I've read 20-22% moisture for sweet hay?

How hard a sell is it to horse customers?


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Good luck, depends if any of them ever had a horse colic on "sweet hay".......you know them horsey folk. I have some that won't buy a certain type hay "because it made a friends horse colic" still buy Bermuda just not the same type of Bermuda


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## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

Never made it, but if it gives horses colic, I say bale away!


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## hog987 (Apr 5, 2011)

I have only made a few bales of it for an experiment as I was wrapping the bales by hand. Baled at about 25% moisture. The bales did have a layer of water/ice on the outside by the time I feed them, but I think most of it was because of my wrapping method.

Excellent feed. Comes out the same way as it went in. The cattle ate all of it with out waste.

As for selling first year might be hard. But I do think there would be a market for it once people figured out what it is and how it feeds. Maybe would have to give someone one bale to try and then they might be willing to dry it.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I never sold any to horse people sold lots to cattle people. It feeds well just like a good dry hay or silage would...


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## JMT (Aug 10, 2013)

hog987 said:


> I have only made a few bales of it for an experiment as I was wrapping the bales by hand. Baled at about 25% moisture. The bales did have a layer of water/ice on the outside by the time I feed them, but I think most of it was because of my wrapping method.
> 
> Excellent feed. Comes out the same way as it went in. The cattle ate all of it with out waste.
> 
> As for selling first year might be hard. But I do think there would be a market for it once people figured out what it is and how it feeds. Maybe would have to give someone one bale to try and then they might be willing to dry it.


Can you describe your by hand wrapping method?


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

PaMike said:


> I never sold any to horse people sold lots to cattle people. It feeds well just like a good dry hay or silage would...


Nope, needs to pass the horse hay test. Have a vet that does embryo transfers in the area, doesn't care about price, just wants good hay for his 35 brood mares, never had a check from him bounce yet.


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## hillside hay (Feb 4, 2013)

Well, don't wanna screw that up.


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## IH 1586 (Oct 16, 2014)

Good luck. This year as an experiment I had almost dry hay rained on then the sun came out. Baled it at around 30% moisture. A camp that feeds 20 some horses on pasture bought all 30 of them and loved them.

Horses love the stuff, you just have to find owners that are willing to try something new.


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## Haylageuk (Jan 21, 2012)

mlappin said:


> Mowed hay first part of the week, have tedded three times, still won't be ready to bale today, depending on which forecast turns out right I may have the rest of next week to get it dry after Monday or the rest of next week might be crap too.
> 
> Have a wrapper available, I don't think it will make even the lower 20's today far as moisture, I seem to think I've read 20-22% moisture for sweet hay?
> 
> How hard a sell is it to horse customers?


. How did you get on with the "Sweet hay". ? Take it from me it is excellent horse forage and certainly better than average hay. We have made high DM haylage for 20+ years and my customers include the very cream of UK racing including the UK champion trainer , the Royal stud and Royal mews plus all the police horses in London (120) . In the early days it was hard getting past the customer misconceptions but in the UK I would guess 50% of horse forage is haylage. The problem initially was farmers made the product as if they were feeding cattle ,too high in protein and not enough fibre therefore making horses loose or giving them problems associated with this like skin conditions. Sorry I have read the thread late but if doing some next year aim for a protein between 8-10% and DM circa 70% www.eurobale.com


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## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

I did some 2nd cut OG wrapped hay this fall year for my commercial ewes. Wife has her horse in with them....told her if it kills it, she can get another. <_<

Anxious to see what "Ed" the horse does with it when it comes out of the tube in a couple weeks. Figured I'd try it on wife's horse before I try marketing it. haha


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

I feed the sweet hay to cattle. I will say they eat it fine but they will consume much more of a fermented feed. Not sure why...

I have a 2 bale hay boss feeder. I dumped sweet hay in one end and super wet/rank oat baleage in the other end. I didn't know if they would even eat the oats. They actually ate the rank stuff before the sweet hay....go figure..

Anyone else have results with sweet hay and cattle?


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