[Fishyhaddock]

Hi Folks, 


My question is straight and simple I think.  I have a few bails of last years hay left.
Is this still ok to feed to my Wiltshres this winter when the time comes.


I assume it is just not as rich in the nutrients of more recently bailed hay.


Thanks in advance.


Fishy

[shygirl]

yes, it would be fine. this years hay should be rested for a few months before anyway.
 

[Fleecewife]

As long as it's not got wet or damp so it's mouldy inside the bales, then it will be fine.  Make sure you also provide a mineral bucket.  I would put it out half and half with newer hay.

[SallyintNorth]

I would put it out half and half with newer hay.

It's very rare I don't agree with Fleecewife  - but if it were my sheep, I'd expect them to eat the better stuff and look aghast and ill-treated at the other, so I'd feed them the older stuff first, which, with nothing to compare it with, they would of course clean up with gusto.

A few years back BH had a bay in the Dutch Barn filled with four year old hay.  That first really bad winter he had sheepkeepers queueing up for it, their sheep were loving it.   

[Foobar]

I'm with Sally, don't let them even sniff the new stuff until they have finished off the old!

[Fleecewife]

We've tried all three ways - just the old stuff first til they've been good children and eaten it all; one bale of old and one of new in each end of the hay heck; filling the heck with old one day, then when that's gone, replacing it with new, and alternating like that.  We also usually sell off most of the previous years crop after we get the new crop in and we know it's safe.
 
Of the three ways, just feeding them the older stuff works ok, but I worry about the nutritional content, so that normally goes to the tup field and to non-breeding ewes. One end of the heck with old and one with new doesn't work, I agree, although if they eat all the new then they don't get any more til they've cleared the old.  It works best for us with alternating new and old.  Early in the season we are happy to do that, but then for the breeding ewes we just use the new over the winter.
Sometimes the older hay is actually better quality than the new, then we keep the best stuff for the ewes coming up to lambing.  It all depends on the quality of each haymaking.