A Squeeze: A truck that picks up 56 to 68 bales at a time and loads and off loads semi trucks. A squeeze is driven as an independent truck and is legal on all highways. A squeeze has two large hydraulic arms that are 10' long that squeeze a dump of hay to be loaded and off loaded. It takes a squeeze driver 30 minutes to load a semi truck with hay.

A ton: 2000# pounds of hay to the ton. A retail three string bale weighs 100 # there are 20 bales in a ton. A "feed store ton" can be 16 bales. A semi holds 24 tons on a truck.

Bleached Hay: Sun bleached hay on the outside of a stack or bale. This does not lower the integrity of the hay if it is fresh. The hay will turn a clean yellow color. It is similar to the "crust on toast" only affecting a thin layer on the outside of the bale, having little effect on the nutritional analysis.

Bucking hay: is a type of manual labor where hay bales, usually 65 lb. to as much as 140 lb., are stacked by hand in a storage area such as a barn, or stacked on a vehicle for transportation. The act of throwing the bales up to a higher level is called "bucking."

Cakie: A hard bale that looks compressed. It is the result of too much moisture during the baling process and too much hay in the bale. It is not appealing to the eye or to the touch. It will feed.

Chaff:  The loose hay that falls to the ground after cutting open a bale. Also Chaff hay is dried forage that has been cut into small pieces and bagged.

Chemical Conditioners: Some hay producers use a yeast product, others a salt product to maintain the high color and to dry the hay faster after cutting.  The chemicals are sprayed onto the hay to speed evaporation of moisture. These are expensive techniques and used in areas where there is a combination of modern technology, high prices for hay, and too much rain for hay to dry properly.

Clean:  Free of Weeds, dirt, debris and foreign material.

Flake: The way a bale splits. There should be about 17 flakes in a three string bale. A good flake should weigh about 8 # and makes a good feeding as long as the weight is there; always feed by weight!

Good Color:  Hay that is bright to the eye.  Judge the inside of a bale color, not the outside. When the bale is opened, it will be bright and clean.

Good Fiber Content:  For founder, overweight, sugar intolerant and colicky horses good fiber content is important and it is found in all good forage.

Good Leaf to Stem Ratio:  Leafiness is an excellent indicator of hay quality because 60% of the total digestible nutrients, 70% of the protein, and 90% of the vitamins are found in the leaves.  A high percentage of leaves indicate good harvest and handling methods.

Mold in hay: Spoiled hay has a disagreeable moldy odor that is created from improper moisture control either during the baling process or from exposure to moisture during storage.  Mold can be detected by sight; as white spores or a mold dust. Mold is deadly to horses.

Over mature hay: No matter what type of hay it is, over mature hay is never good horse hay.  Over mature hay can encompass many areas, from the stance of hay to the cutting cycle. Over mature hay is the number one reason for impaction for horses.

Premium Cutting: is done in a 28 day cutting cycle.

Premium hay: Safe, green, fresh, and soft, with a fine stem and a excellent stem to leaf ratio. The flake will hold its integrity. It will have a clean aroma and a palatable texture.

Poor Quality hay: Dry, poor color, over bleached, coarse-stemmed with poor aroma and feel. There is little leaf, heavy stem and the leaf falls off of the stem. It may be moldy, dusty or rotting.

Protein: Alfalfa and other legume hays are a good source of protein that can be easily added to the diet. Higher protein is important for lactating mares and young growing foals.

Rained on hay: Weather damaged hay that is poor in color: the outside of the bale will have a gray tinge. The inside of the bale can have mold or "slugs." Rained on hay can be very dangerous even when dried. The mold spores inside are deadly to horses. We recommend disposing of this type of hay.

Ropy: Very mature Bermuda hay that has the texture of rope.

Semi Full Load: a "truck trailer" also known as a "full load" of hay usually delivered direct to the ranch. Full loads consist of approximately 350 to 424 bales long distance domestic. 18 to 24 tons of hay are loaded on the truck depending on the truck type trailer length and axle capacity. This hay is usually sold by the ton versus by the bale and is more cost effective.

Semi Load: A full load, a semi load, a truck and trailer. Often referred to as a "Set". Hay purchased in this manner is delivered directly to your ranch from the farm, there is a savings when buying in bulk.

Slugs: A slug in a bale of hay is usually the size of a large flake inside the bale. You can see it from the outside of the bale. It can occur from the bale getting wet in one spot or during the baling process from the tractor. It is a bad flake in the heart of the bale. Do not feed that flake and check the remainder of the bale.

Soaking hay:  To remove excess sugars for founderd horses.

Square bales: Two string hay weighting 60#, three string hay weighing 100 # to 140 #, 44" x" 22"15" . Three string hay is what we focus on at Hay USA inc. A premium horse quality hay. Each bale has about 17 flakes. One bale feeds one horse for about one week if fed two times a day.

Stable hay: Heavy hay a three string bale usually delivered to the stables and off loaded by a squeeze. It is not handled by the retail client, it is more cost effective for the receiving ranch. Good to premium quality.

TDN: Total digestible nutrients.

Tender hay: A younger hay that is, easy to digest and soft to the touch.

Tobacco Cured hay: Can be brownish in color, it gives a sweet hay, tea, rose oil, or fruity aroma like tobacco, and it looks like tobacco. Horses love it, though people don't because it is not appealing to the eye. It is very rich, it is not molded.

Windrow: A windrow is a row of cut (mowed) hay. It is allowed to dry before being baled or rolled. For hay, the windrow is often formed by a hay rake, which rakes hay that has been cut by a mower.

Zebra Striped hay: Hay that was left in the wind row and bleached in the sun. It is considered a second grade hay.