Some local hay I bought 14 bales of now is hard not fluffy?

Question

and smells funny and is dusty. what causes this?

will horses eat it if it is not good? They seem to like it. is the fluffy hay best?

do people ever ask for their money back??

Answer 1

Smelling 'funny' sounds like mold.  So does being 'hard.'

Yes, horses will even eat moldy hay.  They may pick all around it to, and make a mess.  Or just eat it anyways.

Hopefully the person you bought from will honor that they sold good hay to you.  Now, if you left it out in the weather...that's your fault not theirs.  Not saying you did...but IF you did...then it's your problem not theirs.

Alfalfa can be baled pretty tight and hard.  It won't be 'fluffy'  I've seen some grass mixes that were dense and heavy too.  And still really good quality.  Hard and smelling funny...is not good.

Get rid of the hay.  It can make your horse very sick.  If you believe you were sold bad hay...try to get your money back.  If they won't...then make sure you don't purchase from them again...and spread the word to your friends.  But only do this...if you KNOW you did nothing to ruin the hay.

Bummer...with the price of hay...

Answer 2

It sounds moldy and it can colic your horses.  It is also a fire hazard in your barn since it can become hot at the center and spontaneously combust.  Some horses will reject moldy hay, but not always.  You should return the hay, and stop feeding it to your horses.