Without going into too much backstory, I bought some round bales (advertised as horse quality) that are just terrible. My cows are very hungry right now and have always gobbled up any hay I feed them.
I knew the hay way not great when they were delivered, but my cows won't even eat them. One bale hasn't been touched and the other has one cow that will root through it and occasionally take a bite of something in towards the middle.lots of lessons learned here, but now I'm just looking for a way to get the cows to eat this hay. If they don't eat it now they ll never eat it…ideas?

Spray molasses on them

Roll one out to see what's inside and make sure it's not moldy.
Could be a different kind of grass than what they are used to. There were some guys along the coast baling marsh salt grass this year. Hopefully that's not what you bought.

2nd on Molasses.

If they're hungry enough they'll eat it. Happens w/my cows sometimes. Right now the cows are eating a mix of some of the emerging green native grasses and not paying too much attention to hay bales.

My cows are taking twice as long yo eat a round bale now. New growth grass filling bellies.

Use the same molasses that's in my liquid feed tub?

I do have a little bit of green coming in (north central hill country)but my cows would eat any reasonable hay. They even starting picking through some old waste hay that's been scattered and pissed on for weeks after they got all excited and then disappointed when I dropped these bales off for them.

Can you not contact the seller and see if they'll make it right? I'm sure they weren't cheap.

I did. It's an old lady so trying to be polite as possible. She said her animals love the same hay she delivered to me. However, she did modify her add from saying "horse quality" with a picture of nice larger round bales to say mainly stem hay bales. So I guess mission accomplished in helping others not get shanked. I clearly got had but lessons learned and fortunately I'm in position to get had on a few bales. And hopefully she is a little clearer on her advertising moving forward so someone in a financial tight spot trying to keep their cows alive get ripped off.

What kind of hat is it supposed to be. If "horse quality" I guess alfalfa or coastal, or Tipton? If so I'm sure it was not cheap.
Had it been stored outside or in a barn before you bought it? Was it this years (22) cut?
As posted check for mold. It may have been rolled up with high moisture content. If it's been unrolled or loose reach into it and get a handful and smell it.... see if it smells musty or sour.
My dad sprayed molasses on some bad hay when I was a kid which resulted in an expensive vet call. Key words... "bad hay".

Sorry old Army. I posted while you posted about the old lady. So my questions were dumb.