On Mon, Apr 7, 2008 at 2:34 AM, Mic Rushen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Sun, 6 Apr 2008 16:42:29 -0600, you wrote: > > >In my experience, small square bales can have just as much mould if > >improperly baled as the large round bales if improperly baled. > > I think the main difference is that bad small bales may cause > respiratory problems, coughing etc which is a real nuisance, but > improperly baled large bales can cause botulism, which is fatal. > > Mic >
which I am sure botulism is a horrible risk in some places? But honestly, I have never once heard of a dead critter in a bale or roll of hay in all the years I have had horses, never seen one, never heard of one! ANd we were at a huge boarding barn feeding both for many years. I did hear of dead rodents found in the grain bin, the large gravity fed one. And as I write this I am wondering why, just seems field mice etc would accidentally get into the hay... but I have never heard of a single case of botulism. In fact, the only bad hay probs I have ever heard of is one case of a young horse dying from black mold in hay, that was in mid alabama, and then the blister beetle disaster in alfalfa brought in from somewhere up north. why no dead critters? Gosh you can only speculate, but its a fact here. Just doesnt happen! I wonder if it has something to do with most hayfields being 50-100 acres of open fields surrounded by lush wooded habitat that animals would naturally prefer? Maybe has something to do with things out in the sun with no shade here are treated to merciless heat even on a nice day? Maybe something to do with how hay is mown, then left for hours to dry in the sun before being baled? (Maybe critters injured have time to crawl away and die?) but seems to me for it to be such a real concern with you Mic, and no one I know ever hearing of it except from you, that it is for whatever reason a way lesser threat here? I just know... look at today, how many of you can say its 6 AM and you have 70 degrees and 97% humidity like it is here. Our biggest problems are insects I think. Speaking of, the formosan termites are finally here, working east from new orleans, they eat houses bricks and all...just what we need! Plus we have fire ants, they get in hay not stored on pallets. But peeling hay off the round bales lets me know when there are fire ants. I really need to feed free choice but cant afford it right now, but honestly free choice it goes so quickly, dont have to worry so much about rot, mold etc. But the botulism thing is a puzzler. I think in another thread people posted about possums, raccoons in their barns etc, I have never seen a possum or raccon on my place and we live on the edge of 36,000 acres of wildlife preserve, but we have foxes, coyotes etc. You have ecological balances that vary place to place, and even in a place from season to season. Some years for instance, we are overrun with rabbits. Then you suddenly see dozens of hawks. No more rabbits. Or in wet areas, people will have hundreds of frogs croaking and say each spring a red tail hawk family comes in, eats them all, and moves on. Also, what causes botulism? Is it an organism in every dead animal? or is it brought in? Like you talked about botulism in the soil. I have never ever heard of that. In our soil we have worms, larvae, fungus in wet soil, never heard of botulism. Botulism is something you get here from eating ancient canned food where the can is swollen,,, so I can only presume things are so much different there... Here we have muck soil, which is swamp and water will take a long time to filter and perc thru it, we have sandy soil like at my house, we had four inches of rain in two hours saturday and not a puddle on the place. We have clay, and loamy soil. But like you see on tv about peat bogs etc. I have never seen anything resembling peat. Our swamps are different. I dont think things stand and rot long enough to turn to peat. They are pretty much peat overnite... these are interesting things to wonder about i think! verrrry interesting! Janice-- even good horses have bad days sometimes.
