A straw question...

I have started getting bales of straw as Patch and Daisy keep warm snuggled in a huge pile of it. The first bale was normal yellow straw but this second bale has small green leafy stems through it.

Is there anything to watch out for with straw? There are too many green leafy bits to remove from this bale so I could throw it away.

Patch and Daisy love foraging through new straw but I worry about poisonous weeds harming them

Can you post a pic of the bits you are worried about?

Yes, here are some pictures:









I'm thinking of throwing out the whole bale, worrying and potentially hurting Patch and Daisy is not worth £3.50

Thanks for helping!

I have no idea what that is - I'd be being cautious too .

yeah, it's weird stuff isn't it?! I think it's the bin for this and get something new in. Patch and Daisy have been a bit lethargic today too, although it could just be that they want to stay out of the mega wind and rain we have outside. The bad weather is supposed to get worse too until christmas   

Is the stalk smooth or ridged? I thought it looked similar to this but having looked closely I don't think it is.

https://happyhoppers.forumotion.co.uk/t23524-anybody-know-what-these-are

It could be this  

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium_album

but for £3.50 I think you would be better not using it to be on the safe side.

the straw is now gone to someones compost. I have bought new stuff, packaged from the shop - it says it has been screened for hygiene so its probably safer.

Thanks for helping!

I can't identify the plant for certain. *Most* of the plants which have that sort of ridged stem and which do not have red blotches are bunny safe, but I think you have done the right thing in getting rid of it. That stem with red blotches is likely to be giant hogweed which is extremely toxic, although thankfully very unlikely to get into animal feed or bedding. It's not to be mistaken for common hogweed, which is safe and very nommy.


There has been another recent warning about straw which people should be aware of from Twigs Way, a very knowledgeable bun-mum.

Not seen that in ours, must be something in the fields or transferred in the barn.

Sparky wrote:I can't identify the plant for certain. *Most* of the plants which have that sort of ridged stem and which do not have red blotches are bunny safe, but I think you have done the right thing in getting rid of it. That stem with red blotches is likely to be giant hogweed which is extremely toxic, although thankfully very unlikely to get into animal feed or bedding. It's not to be mistaken for common hogweed, which is safe and very nommy.


There has been another recent warning about straw which people should be aware of from Twigs Way, a very knowledgeable bun-mum.

I never just put a bail in, it goes in the container then I pull out small sections, so can see whats in them.

the straw we used to get from the bad man had some heads left in it, Patch and Daisy loved to sniff thorugh finding them all! They would only get a small amount at a time though - I switched to a different supply before winter.