Any definitive answer to mould (yeast) on big bales and sheep ?

[andybk]

we feed mostly haylage (8 layers ) to ewes inside in winter , mainly with lambs at foot . For many years i have cut any mould growth off the outside with old hayknife (mostly white ) , and as we generally leave the string on a bale when we feed it to keep it together , this practice cuts the string so ewes can pull half the bale over the floor when eating it , I did put 2 or 3 bales that had molded badly (through punctures) on the rot down and spread heap , but sheep got in there and ate most of it last autumn leaving any really bad bits , didnt have any issue at all so just wondering if i have been wasting my time over the years .

 

[sticky]

My vet has said that the white is safe it's the black mould that causes the problems.


But don't quote me on that.

 

[Dry Rot]

One year an "expert" told me I had not put enough manure on my hay fields. (One very large muck heap, plis 100kgs 20:10:10/ac. The swathes were the size of a small bungalow so I got a contractor in to wrap it. I was still using it three years later!

Some of the bales had white mould, so I gave them to my neighbour for his cattle. I was not too pleased to hear he had sold them on to his (horse) liveries. No horses died and I've always fed anything with white mould since. All have survived.

I would think it pretty safe to leave it to stock to choose provided the animals are not kept too short. I certainly won't be giving any bales away again! All my research confirmed that white mould is OK but black mould is poison.

 

[JD-Kid]

never had. any probs with white moulds but seen some blacks a dusty grey one. and some pink moulds I would not trust
ones like that feed out to. rams etc. just to have a pick though what they leave will rot down

 

[Anymulewilldo]

We get bits of white mould on haylage bales. As long as the rest of the bale is good we feed them. Grandad reckoned it would be fine as long as we didn’t leave them too eat the mouldy bits like we would leave them normally too clean up before a new bale.

 

[andybk]

Think it all stems from feeding maize silage long time ago and were fed some a bit mouldy off the shoulders of the clamp and we lost a couple with listeria thats was funny colour though , but sounds like the simple white is ok , thanks for replies

 

[TexelBen]

I've a few bales pecked with white mould, cut it all off and gave it to the cows, I'll try ewes with it when they come inside this week, surely they'll leave owt they dont like?

 

[JD-Kid]

I've a few bales pecked with white mould, cut it all off and gave it to the cows, I'll try ewes with it when they come inside this week, surely they'll leave owt they dont like?

yea they should do just feed tham a bit more so not forced to eat it

 

[clover]

Surprised that you have mouldy bales if you are using 8 layers film.
Mould is an indicator that oxygen is present, and if mould is present it is likely that the conditions are suitable for listeria to proliferate as well (it also required oxygen) The listeria will be present within the silage around the mouldy bits. You CANNOT see it. The listeria is more likely to kill or cause abortion in your ewes than the mould itself. If you are taking off the mould before feeding, try to take off the surrounding silage as well

 

[andybk]

Surprised that you have mouldy bales if you are using 8 layers film.
Mould is an indicator that oxygen is present, and if mould is present it is likely that the conditions are suitable for listeria to proliferate as well (it also required oxygen) The listeria will be present within the silage around the mouldy bits. You CANNOT see it. The listeria is more likely to kill or cause abortion in your ewes than the mould itself. If you are taking off the mould before feeding, try to take off the surrounding silage as well

there are a few punctures from birds here and there , mainly it could be yeasts from air trapped in bale (thats why i added it to op ) as we do tend to make "nearly" hay with an old RP12 so not to tightly packed , am always very careful with mole hills / dirt contamination , but take your point

 

[sheep breeder]

How long between baling and wrapping, this can cause a problem if a couple of hours with air on bales and start heating. Some plastic is not as good quality as others. We always get the contractor to turn up the mower a little to avoid clay in to silage or haylage.

 

[Y Fan Wen]

We used to dump any below par bales in a rushy corner and remove the string. Usually about 3/4 would disappear.

 

[honeyend]

I thought they were yeasts from fermentation, and have always fed it,
'White spots that do not smell may be yeast. Yeast may grow slowly on haylage that had high levels of sugar in it. It can also grow where there was a pocket of oxygen or if it was inadequately pressed failing to remove all the oxygen. This is because yeast can grow both aerobically and anaerobically. Generally, yeast is not bad for horses, but frequent occurrences of it on bales would suggest a deeper problem.'
Its usually on the outer layer of the bale and easily removed if you are worried.

 

[michael N123]

The cost of 6 layers is bad enough never mind 8

 

[andybk]

The cost of 6 layers is bad enough never mind 8

we do that because its very nearly hay and often is where crop is short gets over dry , and on the amount we make (50-60 bales ) its better to have quality feed than cheapness , we get very few with whatever its is , on stuff fed within 12 months and fodder comes out the sweetest hay you could have made , any issues are usually older bales left over from other years , having it dryer means it doesnt heat if your between groups of ewes and it gets left for a week or so .

 

[polk_farmer]

My Mrs done about mould on silage and animal health as a college project. She says whites ok it's the red/pink mould that is the problem for inlamb ewes.

 

[hally]

Personally would never give anything with mould to sheep but we have sucklers which are obviously less fussy. In fact I’ve stopped using a baleshear because I’m not comfortable dumping a bale into the diet feeder without knowing if it is suitable for cattle or sheep

 

[Pistonbroke]

Quick question,with quick answer needed. What antibiotic gets best results for listeria in sheep. Got a suspect

 

[Al R]

Alamycin LA stops abortion from what I’ve been told, know of a few flocks that jab every ewe at housing plus they Enzo and toxo everything

 

[andybk]

Quick question,with quick answer needed. What antibiotic gets best results for listeria in sheep. Got a suspect☹

i was told oxytet and a big dose , with anti inflamatory .