Orchard hay

[Stela]

Hello I recently got orchard grass hay and it’s smell sour it’s not a bad smell but I’m worried if this mean it has gone bad ,what is orchard grass hay supposed to smell like?

 

[JBun]

Hay should have an aromatic grassy or tobacco-ish (the fresh kind) smell. A sour or musty smell is usually an indication of mold growth. I'd be concerned about feeding hay that smelled like that, even if there weren't visual indications of mold like dampness, white or black spots, or white dust. I'd return it and get different hay. It often needs to be from an entirely different batch, as hay from the same batch is likely to have the same problem.

www.medirabbit.com/EN/GI_diseases/Food/Hay/Hay_en.htm

https://equissavefoundation.org/is-your-horse-hay-safe-nutritious/

https://wabbitwiki.com/wiki/Hay