BREAKING DOWN 'Unintentional Tort'. In certain cases, a person causing an accident may be held legally responsible for their negligence and may have to pay a plaintiff for physical injuries, property damage and/or financial loss.
Straw is normally used for a bedding material, while hay is used as a feed supplement. Straw is dried out and works well for building nests and providing cushioning for animals to sleep in. It is not moist like hay and is unlikely to mold.
When farmers plant a hay field, the field is harvested before the grains go to seed. This keeps valuable nutrients in the stalks and makes for a much more well-rounded diet for horses and other forms of livestock. Straw, on the other hand, is a byproduct of other types of grain crops.