Hay for sale

 Hay Preservatives

In order to cure hay there are at least twenty different preservatives that can be added to the hay at time of baling and cutting by the farmer. Most of these have been tested for safety with cattle, but may or may not have been tested on horses. There is some evidence to suggest that certain preservatives, while all are undetectable to the eye or nose, may cause respiratory inflammation in horses of all ages. As your horse spends hours with his nose in hay for much of the year, it is not surprising that he might be affected in this manner.  Why do farmers add these products? Simply put, it saves time waiting for Mother Nature to dry the hay, will reduce dust in the hay which will result as hay ‘sweats up’ then cools down if it baled with too much moisture. It also allows farmers to bale with more water content in the hay, which means if they sell by the ton they will receive a higher price. , it is not all about the weight.