The following are some rules that are good to following when feeding hay:
1. Hay quality should be matched to animal needs.
2. When animals are fed outside, a well-drained site should be selected to reduce feeding losses.
3. Hay (square) should never be stored outside without proper cover.
4. Putting a barrier between animals and hay will help reduce feeding losses. Hay racks can be particularly effective.
5. Minimizing the amount of hay to which animals have access at one time will reduce feeding losses.*
6. Forcing clean up of hay by animals which have low nutrient requirements, before feeding more hay, can help reduce hay waste.
* Higher quality hay requires less quantity to be fed as long as it is kept within the animals nutrient requirements
