Byhurst Farm Store

03/09/2026

Mainbale Haylage is back in stock! Yippee 🥳 our much loved haylage is back in stock and available for collection or delivery at the same price as before 🐴

28/08/2026

Some scammers are the lowest of the low!

19/08/2026

Can you see your feed? 👀👀

We stock many brands and products ready for you to collect or have delivered any day!

To find out what we have and stock levels please call Byhurst Farm on 01372745629 🤩🐴

08/07/2026

Well worth a read

With this dry weather, many farmers are cutting their fields for hay.

After last year’s shortages, lots of owners are keen to get their hands on new hay as soon as possible — but this often brings up the old advice that “𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑𝑛’𝑡 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑥 𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑘𝑠.”

So what does the science actually say about this?

Well, in short: 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲
(no more than introducing any other feed — gradual changes are always best where possible).

The six‑week rule comes from a time when hay was stacked in huge, dense ricks that could heat internally for weeks. Waiting wasn’t about horse digestion — it was about preventing fires and spoilage. Modern baling and storage simply don’t behave the same way.

What really matters is moisture. Properly cured hay — dry matter around 85% and moisture below 12–15% — becomes biologically stable very quickly. Once it’s dry and cool, microbial activity drops to almost nothing, meaning the hay isn’t fermenting, heating or changing in a way that would make it unsafe.

Heating only happens when hay is baled too wet. Moisture above ~18–20% can lead to caramelisation, mould growth and nutrient loss. That’s a moisture problem, not an “age” problem.

Some horses do get gassy when switching to new hay, but this is usually because the nutrient profile has changed — for example, moving from late‑cut to early‑cut hay, or from low‑sugar to higher‑sugar forage. It’s the type of hay that matters, not whether it’s “new.”

So the real red flags are simple: hay that’s still warm inside, smells sour or musty, feels damp, or looks mouldy. If it’s dry, cool and clean, there’s no evidence‑based reason to delay feeding it.

𝐼𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑒 - 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑙 ℎ𝑎𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝐼𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑

30/06/2026

Time to start filling up the barn 🤩

We now have hay available for collection and deliveries 🐴

25/06/2026

We have Haylage in stock! BurlyBale Economy

Available in store and for delivery 🤩

24/06/2026

Hay has finally landed on the ground! 🥳

Special offer for today and tomorrow only! £8.75 a bale when buying a whole pack ( 21 bales ) straight off the field. NOT FOR DELIVERY.

23/06/2026

Let the hay making commence!

2 fields down on the floor and many more to go!

☀️

18/06/2026

We are looking for a FULL TIME member of staff to join our Team!
we are looking for a versatile member of staff to work Monday - Friday to fit into the busy dynamic of our working day, working a long side a positive and driven crew.
the candidate would ideally:
- have some retail experience ( not essential)
- have equine and pet knowledge ( not essential)
- have excellent customer service skills ( essential)
- willing and able to work in our manufacturing warehouse ( essential)
please contact us for more information or to apply for the role

We are looking for a FULL TIME member of staff to join our Team!
we are looking for a versatile member of staff to work Monday - Friday to fit into the busy dynamic of our working day, working a long side a positive and driven crew.
the candidate would ideally:
- have some retail experience ( not essential)
- have equine and pet knowledge ( not essential)
- have excellent customer service skills ( essential)
- willing and able to work in our manufacturing warehouse ( essential)
please contact us for more information or to apply for the role.

15/05/2026

We have all your show prep needs here at Byhurst! 🤩