The “fiber” percentage on the label isn’t what you need to know. early bloom alfalfa hay, the difference is much smaller than for lower quality hays such as late-maturity grass hays. Horse hay is best produced using Italian ryegrass with a two year duration. Several characteristics of alfalfa make it an excellent hay for horses. This class of carbohydrates includes starch, water-soluble sugar, and fructan. Cutting Hay. Horses challenged by metabolic syndrome should be offered hays that are low in non-structural carbohydrates or NSC. Choose one designed for horses (those made for cattle have a bar across the top that can injure horses when they pull back from the hay). However, because of its high palatability, intake must be restricted to keep horses … NDF values between 40 and 50 are good for horses. High quality hay can be an excellent source of nutrition for - including protein and calcium - for horses and ponies and is a very palatable feed.. Many types of hay provide enough calories and crude protein to meet the needs of adult horses at maintenance or light work. It's not okay to feed just any dried fodder to horses. We get brome and prairie grass hay in this part of the country. Most horses will readily consume alfalfa hay. Meadow grass is a longer, softer stemmed grass than Timothy hay. By horse-drawn machine: In the 19th century, many machines that could cut hay were invented that could be pulled with horses. Mid- to late-maturity hays are best for horses with low nutrient requirements because the horses can eat more to satisfy their appetites without overeating and becoming fat.” Tough-1 Mini Web Hay Feeder, $25.49. The best way to determine the feed you choose will provide fiber of a similar type to the fiber in hay is to call the manufacturer and ask what the ADF, or acid detergent fiber, level is. Q: Which cutting of hay is best for horses? Generally, a mixed grass bale will work best for most horses. Young foals and mares in the first three months of lactation can benefit by the best legume hay available. Also offer both 1 st cut (high fibre) and 3 rd cut (high nutrients) in this range.. Meadow grass hay for rabbits. The hay is good quality, fragrant and soft. That is a topic for a whole article. Young horses predisposed to growth problems. First cut lucerne hay with a high C3 grass content must be soaked for high risk horses. Later cuttings may have them in it and they are toxic to horses. While hay alone may not meet the total dietary requirements of young, growing horses or those used for high levels of performance, high-quality hay may supply ample nutrition for less active adult horses. The Horse Studio Team and The Merry Band at Catskill Horse hope this article has helped you with your horses’ hay. An equine nutritionist offers advice on the best hay to feed a horse who is at risk of developing laminitis. Preference of horses for grass conserved as hay, haylage or silage C.E. Use your good judgment when purchasing hay for horses. Alfalfa hay would not be the best forage for certain groups of horses. Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of protein, both in content and quality. Legumes are higher in protein, energy, calcium, and vitamin A than grass hay. OMAFRA suggests cutting hay in the morning just after the morning dew is off for better drying. ADF values between 30 and 35 percent are good for horses. The best time to cut hay is when your hay-field is just about to flower. Generally speaking, the second and third cuttings are "best" because first cutting tends to get a bit mature before it gets cut. Most horses will readily consume alfalfa hay. Horses prefer 'hard' hay which is different to 'meadow hay' suitable for other stock. However, if you want more sugar in your hay OMAFRA suggests cutting hat later in the day. I think 1st cutting on alfalfa is best since the likelyhood of blister beetles is less. ADVERTISEMENT. Normal horses can tolerate NSC levels of 20% or higher. If the hay isn't cured properly, if it's handled too much (which causes lots of leaf loss), or if it's rained on, it could be very poor quality. If all the hay is soaked, then some of the soluble trace-mineral, vitamin and salt content can be leached out into the soaking water. Horses being maintained, mares in the first two-thirds of gestation, and mature horses working at light or moderate levels can do nicely on immature grass hay. Smorgasbord of hay and grain for horses Flickr.com - Smerikal. On farms in more moderate climates where time and labor are in short supply, maximum yield is not essential and top hay quality is not required, a single cut system may be adequate. There are many types of hay harvested from grasses including alfalfa, timothy, clover and rye. It is highly palatable. Once you’ve determined the best category of hay for your horse, most people select hay based on how it looks, smells and feels. This will give maximum yield of very clean material and can be a very profitable crop. Legume hay is also ideal for goats and lambs. Hay is the best, maybe the only, economic option. It's said that hay revolutionized horse care, and man's ability to be mobile. Beyond that, even the best hay may be low in certain nutrients, especially minerals. Some specialists even prefer to grow a new ley every year. The Upper Peninsula isn’t the only place where hay is only cut once in mid-summer. Early maturity hay would be perfect for growing horses and lactating mares, but it may not be the best choice for horses with low nutrient requirements. Even so, hay rarely meets all the needs of any horse. If hay becomes wet, or if it sits in the sun, nutrients can be lost. Our hay guys only do one cutting so don't have a choice. A high quality cereal grain hay, like oat hay, is preferable to a poor quality alfalfa. Timothy works best for us, no problems with mites (knock on wood). Your target is about 30% ADF. You want the ADF. For horses, grass hay or a legume/grass hay mix is the best choice. A basic hay analysis costs about $20. Baling and cutting alfalfa is a whole other topic too. Visit Website. While pasture may be best, pasture grass may not be adequate during hot weather, drought or winter conditions and this means owners need to feed hay. Alfalfa hay is one of the best hays fed to horses. Alfalfa hay is one of the best legume hays fed to horses. The cutting of hay doesn’t matter nearly as much as other factors – like species, maturity at harvest, storage conditions, leafiness, and the presence of contaminants. Later cuttings make great horse hay. Older horses may have tooth problems that mean they may have trouble with long stem forage like grass hay & if lami prone, the hay may need to be soaked, to reduce sugar. Cisco Farm Seeds. 1st cutting hay is the first cutting off a field in the spring (obviously!) In fact, a steady diet of legume hay can lead to excessive weight gain. Teff Hay for Horses Field of teff grass hay ready for harvest. Practicality and cost of feeding are always considerations when devising a feeding plan for horses. A number of factors come into play when choosing the right type of hay for your horse. All horses require supplemental salt to replenish what is lost in sweat. On the other hand, horses usually don’t require such rich forage. The adult horse at maintenance should have a Ca to P ratio between 3:1 and 1:1. Most 1st cut OG hay is chopped for haylage or made into baleage. 12lb box of 2 nd cut Timothy hay, which is supplied by Small Pet Select in a breathable box to keep the hay fresh (card keeps sunlight out but allows air to circulate). Optimum horse hay moisture ranges from 10 to 16 percent. Alfalfa Hay. The Tough1 feeder slows down your horse’s consumption and reduces wasted hay, while also being stronger than many slow-feeder nets on the market. As a general rule of thumb, grass hay is best for horses—alfalfa or other legume hay can be an excellent feed to mix with grass hay for animals that need more protein. All horses need fiber in their diet and some of it must be the form of long hay. Mites … So I asked when you should cut hay. The amount of protein supplied by alfalfa can go a long way toward satisfying the high protein requirements of young growing horses. In some regions of the world, alfalfa hay is all that is available and is therefore the most economical choice. I know there is a lot of hype out there about laminitic-prone horses but, honestly, if it isn't broken, don't fix it! There are cereal grain hays too, such as oat or barley hay, which are different nutritionally than typical grass hays, but they also fall under the grass hay … Hay for Boarded Horses As grazing animals, research has shown that horses do best when their feeding patterns follow a natural grazing pattern. Feeding Hay to Horses and Ponies. That’s the answer I got for first cut. Horses tend to throw their hay around as they rummage for the good bits, so you’ll need a good 8’ by 8’ of ground cover for your horses feeding area. Heather Smith Thomas - 06/26/2020 Nutrition. Hay dried in the field for at least a day or two–even rained on a bit–is considered safer (i.e., first or second cutting, depending on the year, from the Eastern states). A high performance racehorse may benefit from alfalfa or mixed alfalfa. It usually has lots of litter in it from the winter--weeds like redstem pigweed is abundant that time of year, cow patties if cattle were wintered on the field, trash that blew in, leaves from the autumn shedding, etc. Have enough round bales to accommodate the number of horses in a given field, and take care to provide new bales as needed so horses always have access to fresh hay. Alfalfa is also a good winter feed because heat is created by digestion of protein, so a horse can keep warmer on a cold night. Alfalfa hay, sometimes called lucerne hay, is the most popular legume hay fed to horses in the U.S., while timothy and orchard are popular grass hay choices. Muller ∗, P. Uden (2007) *Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences As can be seen from the table, some nutrients don’t vary much as their levels are determined more by the grass species than the conservation technique. By hand: For thousands of years, hay was cut with hand-held tools like a scythe. Teff is a warm-season annual grass that is now being grown in many regions of North America for livestock and by commercial hay producers who want a fast-growing, high-yielding crop with good forage quality. Beet pulp is predominantly fibre too, and it is often very high in sugar, depending on the type & brand, so be careful with your advice & feeding your own. Dairy cows require the highest quality legume hay to keep up with milk production. Thanks for watching! Best way to combat mites, besides spraying Sevin, is to build the sugar up in your Timothy. Cutting hay has been, and can be, done in many ways. This doesn't mean all second or third cutting is better than first though. The top plastic frame aids in loading hay, while the adjustable hanging strap has snaps at both ends to close the top of the bag. Hay has been important historically and is still essential today. 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