worms in hay and wheat straw

Question
hello, does all breeds of fresh hay and fresh wheat straw contain worms in it? if yes, then how to feed it to horses? do horses eat wheat straw?

Answer
Hi Caine,

Thank you for your question.  Generally, dried hay and straw are not affected by worms...although occasionally contain mycotoxins which are a by-product of fungus on the forages. Fresh pasture and growing wheat plants can be infested with insects or parasites depending on your growing season, and any local outbreaks. The general rule of thumb would be to NOT feed infested fresh or preserved forages to horses.  Some insects, like the armyworm, have been associated with horse health issues including the potential to cause abortion in pregnanat mares.  So without knowing what type of parasite you are concerned with, I would have to recommend finding another source of feed for your horses.  If your options for hay is limited, think about feeding hay replacements like alfalfa/timothy cubes or pellets, or beet pulp...in addition to some quality forage.

Horses will sometimes pick through wheat straw, especially in the absence of sufficient effective fiber in the diet.  It is not a very good forage source for horses though, as it does not have a lot of nutritional value for the horse and can be quite indigestible...potentially predisposing your horses to the risk of impaction colic.  Realistically, straw makes a much better bedding source for horses than a feed source.

I hope that helps.

Thanks, Corlena