Dusty (Mold?) on my hay bales for sheep....

[IndianOak]

Hello: I just noticed my alfalfa hay bales have a dry, dusty, white or grayish layer of dust on them. It is dry because I can blow it and it comes off. IS this mold? The bales have been stored in a 100% dry area, but the rain and humidity has been just horrible in central Virginia.
Since its just on the outside (the insides look fine), is it ok to feed to my sheep? This is new, second cutting alfala that I just bought about 4 weks ago.
Thanks

 

[Baymule]

Hard to know without being there and seeing it.
Since it’s on the outside and not on the inside, I’m going to hazard a guess that it’s ok. Normally mold occurs on the inside because of dampness when baled.

It might be a good idea to pen a single sheep and feed some of the hay. If things go wrong, you won’t be risking the whole flock.

 

[Mini Horses]

Take a brush to it. Hose it as you feed. Also mold test from WM ?

 

[IndianOak]

My wife vacuumed most of it off with a shop vac, so we will see if it grows back. The insides are perfecly clean, so it may be a case of throwing away the stuff with the dust on it.
Probably not a good iea to test on 1 since that would reduce my herd by 50%. We only have 2... Not much of a herd... Lol.
Thanks for the continued input!!