From Ted Wiseman and Dean Kreager Extension Educators in Perry and Licking County. Forage hay is a multi-grain hay that consists of oats, wheat and barley. So think of how nice your lawn grass looks when it is mowed and picture that in longer stems and dried properly and baled. Hay is soft, but when wet it grows mold really fast. Should be a bright golden colour and look like a damper version of hay. Those cows often take longer to breed back which will carry into the next year with later born calves. Still have questions? Have you ever had people get upset at you for your horse leaving a poop while riding? Grass hay, grain hay, alfalfa hay - these are the basic staples of horse food. For a horse that gets ridden a lot, they need energy so you would feed them alfalfa. For pregnant or lactating mares, or young growing horses, some legume hay added to the diet provides the additional protein and higher levels of other nutrients needed. The amount fed will depend on your horse’s weight and dietary needs. First check the hay visibly for the appearance of mould - never feed mouldy hay. Mixing the two will make your bunny a very happy animal. Tiger Woods' son steals the show at PNC Championship, Garth Brooks chokes up and has to restart performance. It’s also possible cows will salivate or have swollen tongues or faces,” he said.. What should good horse haylage inside the bale look like? Some animals even died with hay in front of them because the hay did not have enough nutritional value. “But, if wheat hay is the primary diet component, producers will probably see some cows that don’t look full, because their mouths have become too sore for them to continue eating readily, even though adequate hay is available. The first cut of hay is the first hay harvested from a field for that year. He never refuses water, and he drinks it as if he would never give over. Thin cows are more likely to produce calves that are less healthy and will not grow as well. Bad grass hay will be full of weeds, stalky texture, possibly mold, and will test poorly. Teff Hay for Horses: Pros and Cons In recent years it has become popular among North American horse owners looking to reduce the amount of sugar in their horses’ diets. Are new coronavirus strains cause for concern? In England, the market weight of new hay is sixty pounds per truss till the 4th of September The truss of old hay contains only fifty-six pounds. I am glad to help with sampling and interpretation. Check the smell (but never smell mouldy hay) - it should smell sweet. First cutting forages provides the largest amount of your supply compared to second, third or fourth. These 2 items do not tell the whole story when it comes to hay quality but they give us a good start. Med. The horse soon becomes hidebound, emaciated, and feeble. The protein needs are met by more samples than the energy needs but still may require some protein supplementation. For a underweight horse, you should feed it a high-protein hay like alfalfa. It has a sweet smell and is crisp and colorful. Protein content is represented by the yellow bar on the graph. Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. since bedding is getting costly. two days, when he has an unlimited quantity of corn. Hay is great for feeding ad-lib to most horses, without the worry of potential excess weight gain. Bales should be free of debris. Get your answers by asking now. Good hay is free of weeds and other odd plants that don't belong. When you receive hay, it should be fragrant, fresh, green, and full of nutrients. The stems are thin and flexible, and it has a high fibre content. The cost of a forage sample is minimal compared the costs associated with lower body condition scores, low birth weights and poor milk production. * Bracy Clark's Pharmacopoeia Equina, † Blaine's Outlines of Vet. At 54% it would appear that some of the first cutting would be adequate; however, when we factor in the moisture content and the limitation on the total pounds  a cow can possibly consume none of these first cutting samples completely met the energy needs of the cattle. The Teff Hay we just bought, 2nd hand, since horses wouldn’t touch it, is the color of straw, absolutely nothing green in it. This depends a lot on your location and which resources are easier to obtain. Straw Mulch. Not all hay is the same. In fact, horses are healthier when fed predominantly forage. In damp weather hay absorbs much moisture, and weighs a a good deal the heavier. Because it’s such a big part of the ration, a good quality hay can help keep a horse healthy, while a poor quality hay can be detrimental. But good straw is better than unwholesome hay for all kinds of horses. The disease does not. Nutritional differences vary as much as price. Straw, on the other hand, is cut from hollow plants like wheat. produce death, but it renders the horse useless, and ruins the constitution. So should I keep my pants on? Hay is great for feeding ad-lib to most horses, without the worry of potential excess weight gain. We can have your hay tested for $25 including shipping for most standard testing. A hay with an NDF of 40-50% is good quality for horses, and most horses will not eat hay with an NDF of greater than 65%. You may be thinking enough already with the hay quality talk. Just getting the numbers on a spreadsheet or computer program is only the starting point. What does the white horse mean in the Bible. October 18 2019. Like oat hay, forage hay is cut at the optimal time to ensure a highly palatable feed for horses, cattle, goats and sheep. When looking at TDN on the graph, the grey bar at 60% represents the needs of a beef cow at the peak of lactation (such as fall calvers). A good way to feed these bales is to place them in specially designed racks with solid bottom guards or to use collapsible racks or fencing that will limit access to the hay. Once you know what quality of forages you have, work with a nutritionist to help decide what other feed stuffs you can use to develop a proper beef ration. If all is well on visual inspection, ask the seller if you can take samples and have them sent to a reputable laboratory for nutrient testing. For a slower quieter horse, a mixture of alfalfa and grass hay is the best. If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact u@osu.edu. If you want the horse to lose weight, this may be a good thing, but often it is undesirable. If you add in the increased energy needs from rain, mud, cold, and snow, the animals will be loosing body condition through the winter if they are not receiving an energy supplement. Will Tump's legacy live on after he leaves the WH? While the lower relative nutrition level of grass hay makes it a good filler, it does have relatively more carbohydrates. Learn how to identify hays and what makes them good (or bad). In general, hays are classified as: Legume: Alfalfa is the most recognized legume hay fed to horses. There are 4 silage samples included. How do you think about the answers? First, cut hay also has a lower fat and protein content. Good hay is nice and green and smells nice and bad hay smells musty and goes black. Your email address will not be published. This is why, as nutritionists and horse owners, we put a big emphasis on the quality of hay we feed. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This data represents 2 important test numbers. MF 1105 and 1135 - Anyone Run One of These? Some horses may be allergic to grass hay so alfalfa is the better choice. GrassThere are many different types of grass hay in the world. Good hay meets the majority of nutritional requirements of most horses. Percent protein is a measure of the protein that is available to the animal for maintaining muscle and body systems. I’ve added these models to my list for an older tractor to potentially purchase. Bad hay will have bad weeds such as tar weed, it will have dark spots on it which is mold, it has a bad smell, and is moist and limp. Last year a lot of the hay was very poor quality and many animals lost significant weight through the winter. Good hay should bend easily; if it snaps, it has high fiber and low digestibility. We have found that horses prefer haylage which is more like hay. Taking inventory of what you have now for each cutting will give you time to plan your winter feeding program. Like oat hay, forage hay is cut at the optimal time to ensure a highly palatable feed for horses, cattle, goats and sheep. A good hay for a nervous horse would be grass hay, NOT alfalfa because alfalfa would get him even more jumpy. You have some incredibly bizarre answers here. By bad hay I mean that which is unwholesome. We have found that horses prefer haylage which is more like hay. Since it’s less nutrient-dense than legume hay, horses have to eat more grass hay to fill their bellies, which makes grass hay a good tool for keeping a stall-bound horse from getting bored. But sometimes you can break open a nice looking bale and still find mold inside because it was baled too hot and wet. The nutritional value of hay is … The only sure way to know the nutritional content, and whether it is the best hay for goats, is to have the hay analyzed by a forage testing laboratory. It may be poor, having little nutriment, but sweet and digestible, without being pernicious. Legume hay is more easily digested than grass hay, which can be a good or bad thing depending on the horse. Feeding moldy hay can result in a life-threatening condition called listeriosis. Forage hay is a multi-grain hay that consists of oats, wheat and barley. Typically you will want at least an 8%-9% protein level to meet the needs of a cow in its 3rd trimester. The first thing you need to know is that there is a difference between hay and straw. Should be soft and clean to the touch and perhaps slightly sticky although we prefer haylage that is less sticky and more soft and dry. have you a horse and have u fallen off many times?Do u wear a helmet? Should be a bright golden colour and look like a damper version of hay. Try to identify the grass species present. The first cut of hay is the first hay harvested from a field for that year. Hay typically loses only about 5 percent of its original dry matter during the first year of storage---assuming that it is kept in a dry environment, not exposed to direct sunlight or precipitation. Good hay meets the majority of nutritional requirements of most horses. Mnuchin: Stimulus checks could arrive 'next week', Chris Christie renews warning about Michael Flynn, Kilauea volcano erupts on Hawaii's Big Island, Amazon shuts New Jersey facility after virus spike, Elliot Page thanks fans for their 'love and support', Saints star ejected for punch, takes blame for loss, New mom McCain shares pregnancy photos for 1st time. Is the cut that ’ s protein content is represented by the yellow bar on the graph but still require..., a mixture of alfalfa and grass hay will test poorly the presence of mold weather hay much! Of Service apply that ’ s also possible cows will salivate or have swollen tongues faces. 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