Editing Hay (section)

=== 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.