|
Little River, TX | Hay stored in a dark dry barn can maintain feed quality for 10 to 20 years. It will not look pretty and green, but then only the human sees green the animals are color blind and go by taste, smell, and feel.
As hay sits there is a small amount of carbohydrates and fibers that oxidize and leave the hay. Result is the percentage of protein can go up. The total amount of protein will remain the same or even go down a little as the percentage of CP increases.
Ideal storage is a hay loft with good ventilation but poor light, and no water leaks.
Storage on dirt, with an open stack is the fastest way to loose hay quality, especially in the humid part of the country.
I have not seen sodium listed in any of my hay test results. So I can not answer that.
It is not all that unusual for the quality of hay to vary every season. There probably is some difference in fertility, the number of days with full sun will have an effect, as will the critical Growing Degree Days. The number of days between cutting can have an effect, even a few days. The time of day the hay was cut makes a big difference if you have cool nights, but is only a small factor where the nights are in the 80's.
Besides there is considerable variability in hay test results. Try this, walk around a stack and sample the stack. Then go into the house and have someone else do the same. Than have a third do the same. Send the three samples off and be prepared to see a considerable difference in the resulting data. Hay testing is far from an exact science.
Edited by Hay Wilson in TX 10/3/2007 17:39
| |
|
Hay sample question?
