People often use the words hay and straw interchangeably, but they are different materials with different purposes. One feeds animals; the other is mostly bedding or mulch. Below is a straightforward guide to what each is, where they come from, and how to tell them apart.
Hay is feed; straw is the dry leftover stalk used for bedding, mulch and crafts.
Hay vs Straw
| Hay | Straw | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Cut grasses & legumes (alfalfa, timothy, clover). | Stalks left after cereal harvest (wheat, barley, oats). |
| Primary use | Feed for livestock. | Bedding, mulch, packing, crafts. |
| Nutritional value | High — contains protein, fiber, minerals. | Low — mostly fiber; not a primary feed source. |
| Color & texture | Greenish to tan; leafy and soft. | Golden/yellow; coarse and hollow. |
| Moisture & storage | Must be properly dried and stored to avoid mold; more sensitive. | Generally drier and stores well, but still needs dry storage to prevent rot. |
| Price (typical) | Usually more expensive due to feeding value. | Cheaper — often sold by-product of grain harvest. |
What Hay Is
Short: dried grasses and legumes harvested to feed animals.
Hay is made from grasses or leguminous plants (like alfalfa, clover or timothy) that are cut, wilted in the field, and baled while still retaining leaves and seed heads. Because it contains leaves and seeds, hay is nutrient-rich and commonly used to feed cattle, horses, goats and other livestock.
- Main use: Animal feed (fresh or stored).
- Nutrition: Higher in protein, fiber and vitamins than straw.
- Appearance: Greenish to tan, leafy, softer texture.
Good for: feeding ruminants and herbivores, especially when pasture is limited.
What Straw Is
Short: the dry stems left after harvesting grain crops.
Straw is the hollow stems left over when cereal grains (wheat, oats, barley, rye) are harvested. It is drier, much less nutritious, and primarily used as bedding, packing material, mulch in gardens, or in construction and crafts.
- Main use: Bedding, insulation, mulch, erosion control.
- Nutrition: Low — not a reliable feed source for most animals (can be used as roughage).
- Appearance: Golden-yellow, coarse, stalky and dry.
Good for: stalls and nests, garden mulch, and decorative bales.
👉 Watch the video explanation here:
Bottom line: If your goal is to feed animals, choose hay. If you need bedding, mulch or a dry filler, choose straw. Using the wrong one for the wrong purpose can be costly — both in money and in animal comfort.
Practical Tips & Warnings
- Check for dust and mold: Both hay and straw can develop mold if baled wet — moldy hay is dangerous to animals and dusty bales can cause respiratory issues.
- Smell test: Good hay smells fresh and grassy. A musty or sour smell often means spoilage.
- Inspect color and leaves: Hay should retain leaf and seed content; straw will look like hollow stems.
- Use case matters: Don’t use straw as primary feed — it lacks nutrients. Conversely, hay used as bedding will be eaten and may be more expensive.
- Storage: Keep bales off wet ground and covered; ventilate storage to prevent condensation.
Tip: If you raise horses, always verify hay quality — horses are sensitive to mold and dust. For gardens, straw is an excellent mulch that breaks down slowly and suppresses weeds.