1. posterid:93035
  2. Volume of water to soak hay?

Re: Volume of water to soak hay?

meg_findhorse
 

Found a few minutes ago another research study that gives me more hope to avoid majorly running up my water bill. It uses a flake in 6.6 gallons of water.

"Four hay types were soaked, including bud (AB) and flowering alfalfa (AF), and vegetative (OV) and flowering orchardgrass (OF; Figure 1). Individual flakes were submerged for 15, 30 and 60 minutes in 6.6 gallons of cold (72°F) and warm (102°F) water, and for 12 hours in cold water (Figure 2). A control (non-soaked) sample was also evaluated. Water temperatures were selected by turning on the cold or warm faucets only. Subsamples of entire flakes were submitted for nutrient analysis at a commercial laboratory."

Wish they'd done coastal Bermuda grass hay. I may have to do my own experiments. Hoping someone else has done this already and can share their results. If someone doesn't want to post, then maybe you can email me?

I've been soaking about 4 - 5 pounds in hay net weighted down in 20 gallon plastic bucket as my most recent method, but trying to find something better and easier that can maybe even ask a pet sitter to do.

Thanks,

Meg

http://www1.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/hay-soaking/

--- In EquineCushings@..., "Linda" <PapBallou@...> wrote:



Here's my QUESTION for those reading this post...
I'm curious... how much dry hay weight to water volume do you all use? And has anyone done their own testing pre and post soaking? I'd be particularly interested for typical Coastal Bermuda hay.

Hi Meg -

I haven't read that website in a very long time, but I suspect the examples are to try to figure out what may and may not work and to ensure documentation of same. We have seen some folks think that just a sprinkle of water takes the sugar out...

Unless you are dealing with a very late, cold mowing, just submerging your hay in water seems to do the trick. I've put three flakes (about 15 pounds) in one of those hay/manure carts that costs $300 but should be sold more for $100, filled with water, making certain I had something across the top to keep the hay from floating.
Others have put a flake in a picnic cooler on wheels.

Sugars won't soak back into the hay, but if you use a small amount of water, the sugar now in the water and the sugar left in the hay might meet an equilibrium and no more soak out.

Linda
EC Primary Response
West Coast
May 2004
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