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Hay Huts & COPD/Heeves/Allergies?

4K views 5 replies 4 participants last post by  Joysthe14me 
#1 ·
Hi All,

I am moving to TN and looking at pasture board for my two girls. I am down to two different places, both not having what I want as far as hay delivery. One of my horses has COPD and it is triggered by dust/shavings/pine smell/molds/mildews/ and hay dust. The smaller but more expensive place is willing to let me slow feeder net the round bale which is what I have been doing for the past several years. (currently feeding flakes of hay from square bale which works out even better). While this is not ideal, it does work and my horse is pretty functional unless we have a bad weather and she hides out by the hay all day. I know how my horse will handle this situation, so I am not so concerned with it.

It is boarding stable #2 that has me concerned. The facility is nicer, less expensive (by $50), more grass (70 acres of more grass...that has its own ups and downs), and in the winter months they put out hay under hay huts.

They looks like this


I want to know if anyone who has or had a horse with breathing issues set off by hay, has used a hay hut. They said that one of the horses that is in the herd has copd and she does fine. I stuck my head in one of the windows and the smell of hay was very strong. Didn't seem like a breeze of anything would move it along...looks like it would be easy for mold/mildew to grew on the inside if the weather stayed moist.

What are your opinions of hay huts?
 
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#2 ·
I've never seen those critters but they look like a decent idea to lower waste and keep the weather from ruining the hay.

You aren't gaining much in terms of humidity by leaving the Carolinas for Tennessee, so I would venture to say the insides of those huts should be cloroxed down every time they go over a new hay roll, during the humid season. At least that is what I would do and seems to make the most sense:)

I have a horse with environmental allergies but he isn't COPD. No grain, nothing with soy as the protein source. He is on MagRestore and a condensed vit/min supplement that is soy-free. He can handle flax so I also feed him Omega-3 Horseshine. He is 22 with some stifle issues so MSM gets thrown in the feed pan.

What part of TN? The Plateau? there's at least a handful of TN folks on this forum. A couple of us retired here to get away from bone-chilling winters further north:)
 
#4 ·
I have seen them used, at the indoor area facility that I haul to at times.
Great for preventing waste, for 'normal horses', but I would be concerned with a CPOD horse.
Where studies were done, out west, the incongruity of a higher incidence of CPOD in western Canada, compared to eastern Canada, were horses were more likely to be stalled, was directly attributed to the more common practice of feeding round bales,out west, in such a manner that the horse can stick his nose in (ie, no slow feeder net), thus breathe the dust. I think that enclosed environment would even raise that risk.
 
#6 ·
I think that enclosed environment would even raise that risk.
That is my fear. She said they only feed with them for about 4 months, but that 4 months could be enough to kill my horse.... My mare will pick hay over grass every time. So I know she will spend all her time standing with her head in a hay hut eating instead of grazing on grass. The other barn there is not enough pasture to sustain all the horses on grass alone, which mean they have to have the hay, but at least i can net it.
 
#5 ·
Go look specifically at the quality of hay in each barn.

poor quality/dusty hay will be poor quality and dusty no matter what you put it in.


we use a hay basket for our two horses, and I just fill it daily or every few days. then nibble nets in the stalls. Personally I prefer this even if it is more work because then I can throw out any bad spots in a bale.

if we just pitch the whole bale into a feeder no way to really say what is in the middle of that bale
 
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