Editing Hay (section)

== Safety ==

=== Mold ===
[[File:Hayfield in fall.jpg|thumb|These round bales have been left in the field for many months, perhaps more than a year, exposed to weather, and appear to be rotting. Not all animals can safely eat hay with rot or mold.]]

Hay is generally one of the safest feeds to provide to [[domesticated]] grazing [[herbivore]]s. Amounts must be monitored so animals do not get too fat or too thin. Supplemental feed may be required for [[working animal]]s with high energy requirements.

Animals who eat spoiled hay may develop a variety of illnesses, from coughs related to dust and [[Mold (fungus)|mold]], to various other illnesses, the most serious of which may be [[botulism]], which can occur if a small animal, such as a rodent or snake, is killed by the baling equipment, then rots inside the bale, causing a toxin to form. Some animals are sensitive to particular [[fungi]] or molds that may grow on living plants. For example, an [[endophytic]] [[fungus]] that sometimes grows on [[fescue]] can cause [[abortion]] in pregnant [[mare (horse)|mares]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/05-061.htm|title=Abortion in Horses|last1=Wright|first1=Bob|last2=Kenney|first2=Dan|publisher=Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs}}<!--Fact Sheet no. 05-061--></ref> Some plants themselves may also be toxic to some animals. For example, ''[[Pimelea]]'', a native Australian plant, also known as flax weed, is highly toxic to cattle.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Alice Plate |title=Toxic Weed Kills Cattle |work=ABC Rural: Queensland |date=March 2, 2006 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/rural/qld/content/2006/s1582357.htm}}</ref>

[[Farmer's lung]] is a [[hypersensitivity pneumonitis]] induced by the inhalation of biologic dusts coming from hay dust or [[Mold (fungus)|mold]] spores or other [[agricultural]] products.<ref name="Fishman">{{cite book | last=Enelow | first=RI | title=Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders | publisher=McGraw-Hill | year=2008 | pages=1161–1172 | edition=4th | isbn=978-0-07-145739-2 }}</ref> Exposure to hay can also trigger [[allergic rhinitis]] for people who are hypersensitive to airborne allergens.

=== Spontaneous combustion ===

Hay must be fully dried when baled and kept dry in storage. If hay is baled while too moist or becomes wet while in storage, there is a significant risk of [[spontaneous combustion]].<ref name="CFA">{{cite web |url=http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/firesafety/bushfire/documents/Preventing_Haystack_Fires.pdf |title=Preventing Haystack Fires |access-date=2011-11-10 |date=December 2008 |publisher=Country Fire Authority (CFA) Victoria, Australia |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321132235/http://cfa.vic.gov.au/firesafety/bushfire/documents/Preventing_Haystack_Fires.pdf |archive-date=2012-03-21 }}</ref> Hay stored outside must be stacked in such a way that moisture contact is minimal. Some stacks are arranged in such a manner that the hay itself sheds water when it falls. Other methods of stacking use the first layers or bales of hay as a cover to protect the rest. To completely keep out moisture, outside haystacks can also be covered by tarps, and many round bales are partially wrapped in plastic as part of the baling process. Hay is also stored under a roof when resources permit. It is frequently placed inside sheds, or stacked inside of a [[barn]]. On the other hand, care must also be taken that hay is never exposed to any possible source of heat or flame, as dry hay and the dust it produces are highly [[flammable]].

Hay baled before it is fully dry can produce enough heat to start a fire.  Haystacks produce internal heat due to bacterial fermentation. If hay is stacked with wet grass, the heat produced can be sufficient to ignite the hay causing a fire. Farmers have to be careful about moisture levels to avoid [[spontaneous combustion]], which is a leading cause of haystack fires.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.bcg.org.au/cb_pages/images/AG1356_oct2008.pdf |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160318231622/http://www.bcg.org.au/cb_pages/images/AG1356_oct2008.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2016-03-18 |title= Haystack Fires (Spontaneous Combustion) |publisher= Department of Primary Industries, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |date= October 2008 |access-date= 2009-06-21 }}</ref> Heat is produced by the respiration process, which occurs until the moisture content of drying hay drops below 40%. Hay is considered fully dry when it reaches 20% moisture. Combustion problems typically occur within five to seven days of baling. A bale cooler than {{convert|120|F|C}} is in little danger, but bales between {{convert|120|and|140|F|C}} need to be removed from a barn or structure and separated so that they can cool off. If the temperature of a bale exceeds more than {{convert|140|F|C}}, it can combust.<ref>[http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=14589 "Barn Fires: Avoid Hay Bale Combustion."] ''The Horse'', online edition. by: Oklahoma State University July 24, 2009, Article # 14589. Accessed June 13, 2010</ref>

To check hay moisture content, the farmer can use a hand, an oven or a moisture tester. The most efficient way is to use a moisture tester which shows the moisture content in a few seconds.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-24|title=Top 7 Best Hay Moisture Tester Reviews (2021 Updated)|url=https://sandcreekfarm.net/best-hay-moisture-tester-reviews/|access-date=2021-06-09|website=Sand Creek Farm|language=en-US}}</ref><!--this ref covers material from the phrase "Heat is produced by the respiration process..." to end of paragraph-->

=== Weight ===
[[File:Round bale 3066.jpg|thumb|Round bales require equipment to handle. This round bale is partially covered with net wrap, which is an alternative to [[twine]]]]

Due to its weight, hay can cause a number of injuries to humans, particularly those related to lifting and moving bales, as well as risks related to stacking and storing. Hazards include the danger of having a poorly constructed stack collapse, causing either falls to people on the stack or injuries to people on the ground who are struck by falling bales. Large round hay bales present a particular danger to those who handle them, because they can weigh over {{convert|1000|lb}} and cannot be moved without special equipment. Nonetheless, because they are cylindrical in shape, and thus can roll easily, it is not uncommon for them to fall from stacks or roll off the equipment used to handle them.  From 1992 to 1998, 74 farm workers in the [[United States]] were killed in large round hay bale accidents, usually when bales were being moved from one location to another, such as when feeding animals.<ref name="danger">{{cite journal|journal=The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health|url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2001-146/|title=Hazards Associated with Using Farm Tractors to Move Large Bales|year=2001|doi=10.26616/NIOSHPUB2001146|access-date=September 10, 2004}}</ref><ref name="Minnesota">{{cite journal|url=http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/279/9/647|title= Fatalities Associated With Large Round Hay Bales—Minnesota, 1994-1996|journal=JAMA|date=4 March 1998|volume=279|issue=9|pages=647–649|doi=10.1001/jama.279.9.647-JWR0304-2-1|access-date=September 10, 2004}}</ref>