Horses won’t eat Hay - what to do with it?

So I’ve got 350+ bales of 1st cut orchard grass that’s super soft hay that My TBs refuse to eat and my ponies will only nibble it in a dry lot setting with zero other options. I can not figure out why they won’t eat it. Hell I’ve tasted, but if they won’t eat it, I’ve got to figure out something else. How do I get rid of it? I hate to give it away…advertise as goat or cattle hay?

Just because your horses won’t eat it doesn’t mean someone else’s horses won’t. I’d post it for sale at a discount over local prices and make the buyer pick it up.

I agree, no need to sell it as cow/goat hay just because yours won’t eat it. Out of curiosity, what type of hay are you going from? How long have they tried it?

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Can you smell the difference between hay that’s been treated with a drying agent and hay that has not?

I learned that lesson the hard way some years back. Same story as yours - my horses wouldn’t touch ANY of it. It smelled “different”. That different was a drying agent and they would rather starve thru the winter than eat it :woozy_face:

Far as getting rid it, yes I have sold hay at a very big discounted rate to my cow neighbor. He comes and gets it - he is ecstatic and so are his cows:)

That said, sometimes they refuse a bale here and there. I figure some critter has peed on it and the smell has dissipated to where I can’t smell it. That’s when my other neighbor’s goats like me:)

Have you tried working with your hay supplier?
Would they be willing to let you try a bale from another cutting, from a different field, or??
I’d expect a charge for removing the “inedible” & delivering(& stacking?) replacement hay, but that might be an option.
OR:
Try feeding a bale from another part of your stack. Could just be that particular section is not acceptable to your horses.
Another bale could be Nom!