Hay Rides?

[Smunkeemom]

I am trying to set up a hay ride this fall and guess what the hay is made out of? wheat

Do you guys think it would be okay for us to sit on it if we don't come into contact with it (blankets ect.) and then eat at the bonfire after if we really really really scrub our hands?

[2kids4me]

That's iffy - on hay rides, kids start throwing straw , or someone gets up and down -poof - a cloud of dust...

My daughter got sick from playing inside and empty grain bin - just enough dust hanign aorund made her sick for the rest of the day.

Too bad they didnt use alfalfa hay!!

well, technically they call it a hay ride but its really straw and straw is usually from a wheat crop...ok thats the technical tidbit of the day

[sparkles]

It has to be in the air.... I never thought about hay rides as causing problems. We go on a hay wagon to pick out our pumpkin. I guess I will have to think about that .... I will be interested in other comments. I guess celiac disease could be a real bummer if you were a farmer, dairy farmer, or owned a horse!!!!! It really could affect your livelihood.

[VydorScope]

Oh crud. I did not even think of this! Thanks for posting... I am SURE my son would eat some of the hay.

[CarlaB]

Another revelation in my life ... I was always severely ill around hay/straw. Hay just gets in the air. I don't know how you could avoid getting it in your mouth.

[morganb]

Hay season is the worst... omgosh, I never thought of that

[CarlaB]

Hay season is the worst... omgosh, I never thought of that

Reminscing about our days living in the country? Haying the fields was a tough time to be there for seasonal allergy sufferers!

[Smunkeemom]

Reminscing about our days living in the country? Haying the fields was a tough time to be there for seasonal allergy sufferers!

so the consensus is "not safe"?

I found a place with Alfalfa hay, is that safe?

[CarlaB]

I lived in the country for 6 years, but never really caught onto country life. We had our fields hayed, which is what Morgan was referring to. It was miserable. Our fields were just generic grass. We didn't see much straw around us, which is what was said to have come from wheat. In the alfalfa fields, do they just have alfalfa? Or could there be rye mixed in? I wouldn't think alfalfa would be a concern, but rye would be. I don't really know what the answer would be ... but since every hay ride I seemed to go on was straw, I now know why I had such problems!! I seem to have a secondary allergy to wheat in addition to the dietary problem, so it might not be the same for your kids, but then again, I don't see how you can avoid getting the hay dust in your mouth. Sorry my answer is so amiguous. I'd get some more opinions before you base your decision on what I say!!

It's funny to me that straw comes from wheat .... I don't remember any wheat fields anywhere near where we lived.

[dahams04]

I know it would look weird but what if they wore a surgical mask? That would block out the particals from entering the mouth. It's something to consider if you dont want them feeling left out.

[justjane]

Another revelation in my life ... I was always severely ill around hay/straw. Hay just gets in the air. I don't know how you could avoid getting it in your mouth.

Hay season is the worst... omgosh, I never thought of that

Too true. I have always been sick around hay and horses and would break out in hives around it, and grew up around a ranching community. Thanks for telling us this.

[TERESE]

Were I live (in the midwest) there is oat straw and there is wheat straw. Also most hay is mixed grasses but that some times includes rye grass.

[beaglemania]

never thought about the hay. I love horses. Want to own them someday!

[Smunkeemom]

I know it would look weird but what if they wore a surgical mask? That would block out the particals from entering the mouth. It's something to consider if you dont want them feeling left out.

that could work, and we could decorate them too!! (yeah, we are that silly)

[2kids4me]

Barley and wheat are commonly used for straw (the stalks and leaves are what's left over after the heads are taken off). Rye is another source of straw.

Timothy hay - is a grass hay (no gluten)

Hay is from a grass or legume vs straw which comes from a cereal crop.

Straw is used for bedding.

Hay is used as a feed for cattle and horses.

Hay tends to cause those with inhalant allergies to react - they still have seeds etc and tend to be more dusty than straw. Hay can also be mouldy which can set off allergies too.

Catch 22- straw is less dusty but comes form gluten crop

Hay comes from a grass or legume but is dusty .......

arrrgghh where are the days of a simple hay ride

[penguin]

My experience with farming is limited to seeing 4H demos at the fair, but... shouldn't most of the gluten be processed out of it when the grain is taken from the stalk? The gluten isn't in the stalk, right? I realize a lot of the dust will still be kicking around, but it's not as bad as frolicking in an about-to-be-harvested wheat field, right?

[Smunkeemom]

My experience with farming is limited to seeing 4H demos at the fair, but... shouldn't most of the gluten be processed out of it when the grain is taken from the stalk? The gluten isn't in the stalk, right? I realize a lot of the dust will still be kicking around, but it's not as bad as frolicking in an about-to-be-harvested wheat field, right?

that's what I thought, but I have been surprised before.......

I remember harvest being hard on my allergies when I was at my uncle's wheat farm, but I really thought it was the dust.......looking back it could have been a combo

I wonder though if you are right about the stalks being "de-glutened"

[Luvs to Scrap]

I talked to one of the wheat farmer moms who farms a field next to us this morning and she said that if they have a "modern" combine (not really old from the 50s or something) it should harvest all of the wheat heads and there shouldn't be gluten left in the straw. She suggested asking what the straw if from--wheat or something else. Rye isn't a concern unless it is a wheat field and the better the farmer the less likely they will have rye in with their wheat. (They get docked for it when they try to sell their wheat). Also if it is hay not straw you should find out what kind of hay--she said alfalfa, broam or some other kinds shouldn't cause a reaction with gluten intollerant people. (Of course my allergies act up for entirely different reasons around hay!)

Hope this helps and doesn't make the whole situation even more confusing. Since I live in southern Kansas we have lots of wheat fields around here! Kendra

[penguin]

Thanks for that...even if there is some gluten left, covering it with a tarp or blanket or something should minimize exposure...

[Eeyorific]

Timothy hay - is a grass hay (no gluten)

Thank you very much for posting this, for we recently got a Rabbit and after speaking to the zoo keeper last week at our visit to the local zoo. I picked up some hay for our bunny.

1st I got Alfalfa, but daughter (who not celiac but gluten intolerant) broke out with mild case of hives after handeling the hay.

So I bought Timothy Hay last night, before going to bed, we questioned if it had wheat or not. Our 3 yr old is celiac and has also tested positive to a wheat allergy. Thank you for clearing that up.

[psawyer]

Neither timothy nor alfalfa are sources of gluten. They are grasses, not grains. Contamination is a possibility. It is also entirely possible to be allergic to either of these plants! Hives suggest an allergic response, not one of gluten intolerance.

[Rachel--24]

My experience with farming is limited to seeing 4H demos at the fair,

Me too Chelse...

I'm actually going to the fair on Sunday. There's hay everywhere at the fair...Do I really need to be worried about hay?

[CarlaB]

Me too Chelse...

I'm actually going to the fair on Sunday. There's hay everywhere at the fair...Do I really need to be worried about hay?

I think it's different sitting on it for a hayride and walking around it at a fair. If someone is making a dusty mess from it, keep your mouth closed!

[Eeyorific]

Hives suggest an allergic response, not one of gluten intolerance.

This I understand,... my daughter seems to have extremely sensitive skin, and is allergic to many things that cause her to break out with hives. However, it was her reaction to the Alfalfa that made me think about my celiac son who is also skin positive for a wheat allergy.

Kristie

[Guest nini]

my daughter is also one that is not only gluten intolerant but allergic to wheat. She breaks out in hives just from touching it.