question about hay

[CWshorthorns]

We just done putting up our second cutting and a few bales of hay smell almost like tobacco. The cows eat it like a kid eats candy. I was wondering if anyone had ever seen this before with there hay and if so what might cause it?

Thank You
Chris and Wendy

 

[Show Heifer]

Has it been put up for a while?  I am guessing it was a bit damp or had some moisture in it when it was baled, and now it is heating up, creating that "burnt" or "tobacco" smell.
Yes, the cows will love it, but it has lost some, not all, of its nutritional value.

 

[HGC]

It is called a Maillard reaction or sometimes also refered as Browning reaction or tobacco browning.  It occurs when hay is put up a little on the wet side and starts to heat.  If the bales get hot enough it will trigger a reaction between the sugar and protein in the hay resulting in the brown color and tobacco smell.  The only nutrient that you need to worry about is protein.  The protein will still be there, but part of it will be tied up.  If you sample your hay, the crude protein might look normal, but the ADIN will be alot higher, which is an indicator of the protein being unavailable. 

 

[lightnin4]

If it's building up heat and in a barn, be careful!  We lost a barn and about 200 bales of hay last year and smelled that smell shortly before the fire.  All due to about 10 bales that were put in the barn a little damp.  There's nothing like learning from experience!

 

[CWshorthorns]

Thank you for the info about the lost of protein. IT is not int he barn it was a bales that were along the edge of the field and we never put them in the barn just in case they do heat up. I always thought when a bales heated up they will mold? and they is very little if any at all that i seen when we rolled the bales out?

Thank You

Chris and Wendy