Mycotoxins and Timothy Hay

[MimzMum]

I know I found a link somewhere here about how you can judge good hay by it’s color and that certain colors tend to carry these terrible mycotoxins. Now where I live humidity is rarely a problem, as it’s an arctic desert, basically. But that doesn’t mean that the hay I buy in the stores might not have bought some nasty little buggers with it.

Generally, Mimzy will only eat Timothy Hay. (I buy the Kaytee brand) I did get a bunny blend hay from Binky, but whereas that was very appreciated at first, now my picky bun won’t eat it. Fortunately, Pip is not anywhere near as uppity! First thing I noticed about the Binky hay is that I couldn’t find any discoloration at all! It’s all beautiful and green!

I became worried when I realized just how much of the timothy hay in my last batch seemed brown, which could be suspect for mold. I don’t recall it being that bad before, but then I either got a bad batch this time, or I just haven’t noticed the color before. (The wild timothy that grows in our yard in summer tends to have a few brown wisps even in the heavy green.)

So my question is: is ANY brown hay bad? And how quickly do mycotoxins cause trouble? I mean, I start counting from the last minute that Mimzy eats (or poops) at any time, so I can know if he’s breaking the 12 hour rule…but since he’s my first bun, I don’t want to take any chances that I might miss the signs of an infection with these toxins, or since I’d rather be preventative, what kind of hay I should be on the lookout for to NOT feed him?

[LittlePuffyTail]

Hay should be a nice, bright green colour. The hay I feed (SunSeed) often has some brown mixed throughout. It doesn’t mean it’s bad. If your looking for mold in hay it’s usually black. The best method to judge your hay: Use your sniffer! It should smell sweet and never musty or dusty. I never feed any hay that I am not sure about but my buns are used to good hay so they probably wouldn’t eat it anyway.

[JK]

Well I don’t know for sure but I believe it’s normal to have some brown in there. Even the binky timothy does. The bunny blend from binky is all perfectly green. I have heard from other discussions that this has not been the best year for timothy hay. Hopefully someone with more knowledge will comment on the brown.

[MooBunnay]

The bale of Timothy Hay that I purchased before the bale I have now was almost entirely brown and my bunnies LOVED it even more than the green bale that I just got! I think you should take into consideration how old the hay is/where you get it from/if its moldy etc. I do not think that all brown hay is bad, and definitely some brown mixed in with green hay is quite normal. I think you want to be concerned about hay that has gotten damp, or that is very old and has been sitting for a long time (and I’ve had BIG bales of oat and timothy hay for a couple months at a time, so by “a long time” I’m thinking more like 3 – 4 months).

[Scarlet_Rose]

I also wanted to add, that I’ve actually been discussing this very thing with Binky Bunny. It has been a bad year for timothy hay and it is browner than usual all-around, however it has just as much nutrient-wise and is fragrant but it is just not as “pretty” as the beautiful green. Ideally, yes it should be green, however mother nature has not made that possible as of late. Timothy hay is usually a dry crop, meaning farmers do not irrigate the fields where hay is grown (they do for alfalfa) and just rely on mother nature for moisture. If it is an especially dry/hot year (which it was), the hay will not be as beautiful and green as we would like it to be (and the bunnies too), and with the weather being all whacky it is no wonder things are a bit “off” right now. Here is hoping for a beautiful green crop this year! *fingers crossed*

Oh and yes, with regards to mycotoxins here is a read on it:

http://www.morfz.com/myco.html

and while we’re on the subject (I think that article links this), here is how to tell how good a hay is:

http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/ChoosingGoodHay.htm

Definately use your nose.  Mold has a distinct odor and look and you can’t just go by color. 

[MimzMum]

Well that all makes a lot of sense. Yeah, food all around is not coming in ‘pretty’ this year. And I will do the sniff test from now on. I can pick out mold a long way away, so I should be able to be a good barometer.
Since we have this kind of hay growing in our yard in summer, perhaps I should learn to dry it myself and put it up. I would just be so afraid I wouldn’t do it right.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Ooo, hey Mimz I found a neat article on small-scale hay farming!!! Talks all about how our forefathers did it too: http://www.hobbyfarms.com/crops-and-gardening/making-hay-14902.aspx#smallscale  It never donned on me for you to get a hold of your local extension service and ask about which hays grow best in your locale. That was a duh moment for me.

[MimzMum]

Oh that looks VERY promising! ^^ Thank you so much, Scarlet! I’ll read that over right away!
And with our 24 hr daylight up here in summer, well…this could work out VERY well! ^^

[Scarlet_Rose]

You’re welcome and that’s EXACTLY what I was thinking about your neck of the woods. : ) I recall some shows I saw on the giant-sized veggies that grow there too, wow. I was reading through it myself too before I posted it LOL, so I thought hey, post it now before you forget! I just definately wanted to read it over though just to make sure it sounded O.K. or not and dependable info etc.

[Twilight]

I haven’t had brown Timothy Hay come through here. I buy mine in “bulk” from a man on eBay. My last shipment looks as good as each previous one.

My most recent purchase was 37lbs.

[Scarlet_Rose]

Leaf, what region does he grow the hay? Does he irrigate the crop?

[Author]

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