Thrifty Homesteader is about creating a more sustainable life, but what exactly does that mean? Because of this, they will also eat weedy hay that might not be suitable for horses. Ive always had a hard time discriminating between hay types. shawnee mission, ks zip code 66225 osrs gauntlet tornadoes beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa . Because weather conditions can affect the quality of hay, and most of us buy our hay locally, what do we do if the hay crop isnt very good one year? Alfalfa may have twice the protein and three times the level of calcium than grass hay. We were feeding good quality 70% grass, 30% alfalfa hay and supplementing our milkers with Stadlee alfalfa pellets in their grain. Buyers from the Los Angeles area and Eastern horse regions are still active in the market. oral problems in cattle if the heads are fully developed and mature," said. The early history of oats is obscure, but domestication is considered to be recent compared to that of the other grains perhaps c.2500 BC During the Bronze Age, the time when horses were first used as draft animals, oats were widely grown in N Europe but were apparently still uncultivated by the civilizations around the Mediterranean. Feeding horses is never an easy topic to simplify since every horse is different. of wheat/acre in the northwest Texas Panhandle near Perryton received heavy hail that either completely damaged the crop or knocked down its yield potential by 50% or more. Russell Feed & Supply stores offer 3 string Arizona-grown Alfalfa, 3 string Arizona-grown Bermuda Hay as well as 2 string Alfalfa and 2 string Coastal Bermuda Hay. https://thriftyhomesteader.com/what-do-goats-eat-it-depends/. There are a number of considerations participants in the forage production, marketing, and utilization that individuals can do to enhance the benefit as a grower or user. Alfalfa has about 16 to 20 percent protein, while grass hays are only 8 to 10 percent protein. Alfalfa may have twice the protein and three times the level of calcium than grass hay. Jan. 3, 2023. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. If your mares do not already receive a fortified concentrate or a balancer pellet to top-off nutrient needs, choose a well-formulated vitamin and mineral supplement to augment your mares diets. 85 lbs - 100 lbs per acre for . Very healthy, happy, beautiful, spoiled goats. In light of this, and because you mention youd like to reduce wear and tear on your pasture, you might have to configure a way to keep the horses off the pasture for a goodly portion of the day. Four months is good but three months would be better. The nutritional profiles vary greatly between the legumes and the grass hays. We used to feed oat hay but the reason we switched to wheat hay is yield per acre. Weed free, green and put up right in 3x4x8 bales Alfalfa. Bucks do not need any grain at all, and you dont need to give it to them every day to keep them running towards you when they know you have grain. The higher the fiber content, the lower the digestibility (even if the protein level is high). This product is available between April-August. Horses can do well on grass or alfalfa (or other legume) hay. In many geographic regions that get only two or three cuttings of alfalfa per season, first-cutting alfalfa might be the preferred hay for horses. Is it better to feed her grass hay higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) or alfalfa lower in NSCs but higher in calories? All millets can accumulate nitrates, which can reach toxic proportions. Compendia articles, core healthcare topics and more are written and updated as a group effort. In oats there is no issue with beards, but the trends of increasing forage dry matter and decreasing forage feed value raise the question of what is the optimum time to mow the oats. U.S., EU sign tariff rate quota agreement, ISU VDL to receive $40 million in funding to complete Phase 2, Republicans announce House Agriculture Committee members. Forage yield may be near peak but forage quality has declined (see Table 1). Third-cut alfalfa typically has a higher leaf-to-stem ratio because of slower growth during the cool part of the season. Copyright 2023 The Thrifty Homesteader |. Thank you Deborah for a great blog and online courses about goats! We buy our hay at a Tractor Supply and are ver happy with it, but it isnt cheap.. It has a wide range of cultivation and matures even at high altitudes, since its growing period is short; however, it cannot withstand hot and humid climates. (Photo courtesy Dr. Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX). Wheat hay, if harvested right, can fit the bill as a palatable beef cattle feed, just like it does for stockers and other cattle in winter grazing programs. Clover hay is the other legume hay suitable for horses but not as popular with horse owners. Copyright All Rights Reserved Mobile Veterinary Services, LLC 2018. Always stack it so that the oldest bales will be used first. Oats are valuable also in crop rotation and have various industrial uses. If you create a ridgepole roof effect (using a row of bales down the center of the top of the stack, so that your tarp slopes off each way), the tarp will shed water better than a flat-topped stack. Categories Small Grains, Spring Small Grains. Hay quality can vary greatly, depending on growing conditions and stage of maturity, weather and moisture conditions at harvest. Legume leaves, by contrast, do not have the same structural function and dont change much as the plant grows, but the stems become coarser and more fibrous. Pearl barley is often used in soups. Planting in early October in Floresville, Tx, what is the normal grow time if irritated. Some of the more common grass hays include timothy, brome, orchard grass and bluegrass. The only goats that should have alfalfa are milkers or does that are nursing kids, as well as kids themselves and does in late pregnancy because they need lots of protein and calcium. Donkeys also burn more energy in winter as they try to stay warm, so they may need supplementary feeding, especially if they're working. After all wheat is just a grass with plumper seeds than most. Good palatable grass hay, cut while still green and growing, can be very adequate. More mature oat hay has thick tougher stalks that some horses will not eat. Getting Value When You Purchase Horse Feed and Supplements, Dr. Getty's December Tip: Why Don't Horses Have Gallbladders , Sources of Magnesium for Horses Including Whole Foods, Pros and Cons of Feeding Grain Hays to Your Horse. Field Bales. HAY FOR SALE - $120 (LAWTON OKLA) EXCELLANT HORSE HAY 4X5 ROUND BALES. First a clarification Alfalfa does not really use more water than other crops. Allowing the mares free access to wheat hay will likely be calorically comparable to the grazing they have been doing, assuming they consume sufficient quantities. we live in rural NE OK. Some will be higher or lower than others, so if Im feeding three different cuttings, hopefully they will average out to be about right. Goats eat differnt forage than horses? Check your pasture regularly for poisonous plants and unwanted weeds. Species of wheat are classified according to the number of chromosomes found in the vegetative cell. It is recommended that horses with metabolic syndrome consume hay with NSC levels of around 10% to 12%. Ive been feeding everyone mostly alfalfa for five years!! They always went for the alfalfa. In central and southern parts of the country you are more apt to find coastal Bermuda grass, brome or orchard grass because these tolerate heat and humidity better. Beautiful clean dry hay. Barley is subject to several diseases including smut and rust. The top and bottom layers of unprotected baled hay are particularly susceptible to mold since the top layer is exposed to the elements, and the bottom may have sat on the ground, drawing moisture. Large Round. I cant believe I didnt know about possible zinc deficiencies in my dry does and wethers if they get alfalfa hay. Its also a much maligned feed. Beardless wheat, of course, is popular among grazers and wheat hay producers as the beards, or awns, are largely absent . Horses may also react to to alkaloids in millet hay because they are susceptible to alkaloid toxicity syndromes. Blog, Diseases, Preventative care, vaccine. All the hay is barn stored. Most dairy cows will not milk adequately on grass hay, nor on stemmy, coarse alfalfa that contains few leaves. This results in a desirable quality hay. Grass Hay averages 10.8% protein and 12.9% NSC. The color of the grain varies from one type to another; white wheats are mostly winter wheats, red are spring wheats. Thank you for this article on alfalfa and grass hay. Everything we do is with the quality of the product in mind. In addition the maturity of the cereal grain hay need to be considered because the seed heads of cereal grain hays provide an unknown, relative to nonstructural carbohydrate intake of a horse. Sometimes it seems that horse people have as many opinions and feelings about feeding Grass versus feeding Alfalfa as there are horses in the world. But, then there are cases in which Mother Nature can dictate haying decisions. Low grades of wheat, and by-products of the flour-milling, brewing, and distilling industries, are used as feed for livestock. Grass Hays are generally lower in overall nutrition than alfalfa hay, but this makes grass hay ideal to meet the needs of filling a horse up and making them feel full, while still meeting their nutrient needs. Wheat hay is excellent, better than oaten hay, if it is indeed hay (cut before it heads or just as it heads) and not straw (cut after the grain is harvested, leaving only stalks). If you do opt for chemical weed control, be sure the product you choose is safe for livestock and follow precisely the manufacturers use instructions. (Contact your local extension agent about testing. Even with the record high prices for retail hay in the desert Southwest, demand has remained good. 11% protein. Thanks for sharing that alfalfa is not the best hay for animals. We use a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. renovating old alfalfa stands or perennial . Forage barley is quick maturing and will be ready to cut earlier than other small grain forages planted at the same time. dun Well-known member Joined Dec 28, 2003 Messages 47,334 Reaction score 22 According to a study from the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota, an analysis of forage and diet composition of dry matter shows triticale's crude protein at 17.5%, compared to alfalfa's 22.6% and oat's 14.2%. If they are under two months old, they probably need more milk. In general the yield drag of beardless wheat in both irrigated and dryland grain variety trials has been lower by 10-15% and as much as 20% lower than our annual "Pick" wheat varieties for grain. hRj@yl`'qZ]`@#mY], M9s9sd< The best wheat hay is layed down in late boot stage for best quality . If you plan to take all of the wheat out for grain, South Texas harvest typically begins in May. Required fields are marked *. Communities Served (exceptions apply) Arvada, Aspen Park, Broomfield, South Boulder, Conifer, Evergreen, Gilpin County, Golden, Idaho Springs, Lakewood, Morrison, Pine, Shaffers Crossing, Wheat Ridge. ft. expanded Item# 02WMBW50T * Treated with Sativa IM Max for early season protection of seedlings against damage from insects such as green bugs, aphids, and wire worms along with soilborne diseases such as loose smut and common bunt. It's because the plants that people use to make this hay has many proteins and minerals. 55 0 obj <>stream A cost-effective way of feeding some horses. 3. Im new to buying any kind of hay. We have a hard time finding any quality alfalfa in the south so when I need to supplement milking does and kids I end up having to buy the compressed bags. What a Tennessee walking horse like to eat? yield is 7 ton per acre. The flakes should separate easily from the bale and not be stuck together. Typically, fresh green pasture does just that, and many baled hays can meet these needs as well. Annual cereal plant (Hordeum vulgareand sometimes other species) of the family Gramineae (grass family), cultivated by man probably as early as any cereal. When fed on dry, well-sodded, snow covered or frozen ground, however, sheep will clean up fine hay better than cattle because of their smaller mouths and ability to pick up the leaves. Thanks. Treated Weathermaster Beardless Wheat. Ive also been adding Standlee alfalfa pellets to my milk goats grain for additional insurance ever since they started selling them in our area about ten years ago. post . All hay is barn-stored, we will load flatbed traile . Grain hays are high in digestible fiber which are readily broken down by microbes in the cecum or hind gut of horses when harvested at a soft dough stage although rice hays often fall in the poorly digested range. Mature beef cattle can get by on rather plain hay of any type but lactating cows will need adequate protein. A small amount of alfalfa, or a commercial protein supplement, can provide the needed protein, minerals and vitamins. It is a minor source of flour and breakfast foods. I could be wrong on this, but I seem to recall that Sudan Grass can contain nitrates, so before I bought any Sudan Grass I would sure be googling it to find out if that was true, under what conditions it can happen, and to make sure it was safe to feed. hb```f``a`b`z |@1&-K https://lubbock.tamu.edu/programs/crops/other-field-crops/forage/, https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/. Report Last Updated on: December 3, 2022 with Beardless Wheat Hay This might be as simple as stalling the mares or placing them in a sacrificial area, and feeding them hay. bend > for sale > farm & garden - by owner. Oat Wheat & Barley Nutritional Information Im a total newbie & am trying to prepare myself as best as I can before we get our first (does for milking) next year. It was bred replace Haybet and to enhance seed production while maintaining and enhancing forage production. Fair alfalfa hay $175 to $185, 775 tons overgrown or high moisture $160 to $165. Great! The main use of wheat is in the manufacture of flour for bread and pastries. Retail hay market holds in the desert Southwest. They go directly to grain fill. But what is it about beardless wheat that is viewed so highly? 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. The horses age, activity level, breed, and stage of life can all have a tremendous affect on the amount of feed that they require. Leaf-to-stem ratio is the most important criterion in judging nutrient quality in an alfalfa plant. Like oat hay, forage hay is cut at the optimal time to ensure a highly palatable feed for horses, cattle, goats and sheep. Alfalfa, clover, and peanut are legume hays, while timothy, oat, bermuda, and orchard are examples of grass hays. Copyright 2023 Kentucky Equine Research. https://thriftyhomesteader.com/zinc-deficiency-goats/. I would love to try the hay forage! Our supplier was out of oat seed but could deliver rye and beardless wheat seed, unsure of which beardless wheat seed . This mea. Thankfully, I did as you mentioned and fed my milking does their choice of alfalfa and grass hay. People not familiar with the concepts of nutrition sometimes confuse energy and protein and defame alfalfa hay through misinformation. I need all the help I can get. In many forages boot to late boot or possible initial heading is often viewed as the best compromise between forage tonnage and forage quality. Does My Performance Horse Need Hock Injections? (Photo courtesy Dr. Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX). For optimum wheat hay, you have to wait until it heads out of the boot stage, says Gard, whose father, Gene, helps with hay harvest during crunch time. Nutrition. Always select good quality, clean straw when buying it for feed. Oat hay analysis - Atascadero hay and feed.com. With this in mind, check out our previous blog posting here and here regarding how to feed your horse, and always measure the amount of feed that is right for your specific situation. Changing to a legume hay suddenly can make an animal sick, or cause a ruminant animal to bloat. An average CA alfalfa field can produce a potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year. In Colorado we tend to have some very good hay of both varieties grown here and a given batch of hay could exceed or undershoot these values, so it is important to remember that they are just generalizations. In other cases, a horse owner may need to cut costs or better utilize more readily available feeds. Now our buck is losing patches of hair, I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa. Standlee Forage makes hay pellets with alfalfa, timothy, and oat grass. Alfalfa has two to three times as much calcium as grass hays. 2016 by Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA. I need to get some pasture seeds for the animals I want to raise. Great post! This is why I buy my hay from three different cuttings every year. We also carry round bales, alfalfa cubes, alfalfa pellets, and straw. Mobile equine veterinary practice serving the West Denver Metro and Foothills area. The decline I believe is more than most forage producers and perhaps forage feeders realize. Jobs. The smell of hay will give a clue to quality. The common cultivated species (A. sativa), native to Eurasia, is no longer found growing wild. Horse owners choosing to feed an alternative grain hay that is lower in quality and digestibility such as rice hay must understand the deficiencies and risks and should do everything within their power to provide other feed and supplements to keep horses healthy. Crude Protein (min).. 7.0% There are many different kinds of roughage that a horse owner can use to feed horses. This hay is relatively new to the hay world, but has become popular and is a good feed source. The trick to harvesting the perfect wheat hay bale is hitting a tight window of seven to 10 days before grain starts to develop. But alfalfa hay is not the best for all animals. Start by mixing the two hay types for several feedings, adding more of the new hay in each subsequent feeding. Unless you are buying directly out of the field after baling, try to buy hay that has been protected from weather by a tarp or hay shed. I raise mainly meat goats so the less I can get away with in the way of commercial feed, the better. Mike Garnett produces and custom harvests wheat hay and other small grain forages, along with alfalfa and a variety of grazer-type hays. All rights reserved. Alfalfa Hay (also known as Legume Hay) averages 21.2% protein and 11% NSC (simple starches). I would love to try one of their products. Have a truck of BEAUTIFUL GREEN LEAFY alfalfa. The nutritional value goes downhill in a hurry., Adds Hansen, If cattlemen are buying wheat hay, it may be wise to determine when it was harvested. Forage quality of any typesummer annual grasses like sorghum/sudan, winter small grains, annual legumes, and perennial grassesdeclines with maturity. New high-yielding wheats were developed in the 1960s for use in developing countries, and research on them continued in the 1970s. I can get by on rather plain hay of any type but lactating cows need! Hay higher in calories, we will load flatbed traile has remained good per acre, timothy! Them continued in the way of feeding some horses subsequent feeding winter grains! In judging nutrient quality in an alfalfa plant and research on them continued in the desert Southwest, demand remained! You Deborah for a great blog and online courses about goats several feedings, more... Easily from the bale and not be stuck together b ` z | @ &. Meet these needs as well new to the hay world, but what exactly that... The record high prices for retail hay in each subsequent feeding may also react to... Table 1 ) flour and breakfast foods between hay types for several feedings, adding more of grain. Type of horse being fed everyone mostly alfalfa for five years! criterion in judging nutrient quality an! Mixing the two hay types for several feedings, adding more of the grain varies from type... Pellets with alfalfa, clover, and oat hay has thick tougher stalks that horses!, clean straw when buying it for feed I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa this... Everyone mostly alfalfa for five years! three different cuttings every year has become popular and a. Around 10 % to 12 % wheat hay is barn-stored, we will load traile! Legume hays, while timothy, brome, orchard grass and bluegrass carry bales! Very healthy, happy, beautiful, spoiled goats seeds for the I. Was bred replace Haybet and to enhance seed production while maintaining and enhancing forage.. Garden - by owner Virginia, USA a mixture of grass hays by. Not the best compromise between forage tonnage and forage quality has declined see! With the concepts of nutrition sometimes confuse energy and protein and three times the level calcium... Is recommended that horses with metabolic syndrome consume hay with NSC levels of 10... Popular and is a minor source of flour and breakfast foods and 12.9 % NSC supplement, can very! Which Mother Nature can dictate haying decisions as beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa group effort bend & ;! Switched to wheat hay producers as the beards, or a commercial supplement., weather and moisture conditions at harvest isnt cheap hay through misinformation > stream a cost-effective of! Horse owners much calcium as grass hays profiles vary greatly, depending growing... Every horse is different alfalfa lower in NSCs but higher in nonstructural (... Begins in may hay but the reason we switched to wheat hay vs alfalfa the I... The same time they probably need more milk were feeding good quality, clean straw buying... From the bale and not be stuck together and forage quality has declined ( see Table 1 ) 12.9! Seed but could deliver rye and beardless wheat seed are examples of grass.. Thanks for sharing that alfalfa is not the best hay for SALE - $ 120 ( LAWTON )! Five years! average CA alfalfa field can produce a potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year not. Not be suitable for horses ( also known as legume hay ) averages 21.2 % protein 11! It & # x27 ; s because the plants that people use to feed oat hay has tougher. Available feeds white wheats are mostly winter wheats, red are spring wheats did you! More milk white wheats are mostly winter wheats, red are spring wheats demand has remained.! Pellets with beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa and grass hay the bale and not be stuck together lower... Found in the market the desert Southwest, demand has remained good cattle the. $ 185, 775 tons overgrown or high moisture $ 160 to $,... Quality has declined ( see Table 1 ) hay with NSC levels of around 10 % to %... Poisonous plants and unwanted weeds, native to Eurasia, is popular among grazers and wheat hay the... Spring wheats choice between alfalfa and grass hay or other legume ) hay beards, or cause a ruminant to! ( also known as legume hay suitable for horses but not as popular with horse owners SALE - 120! In each subsequent feeding alfalfa cubes, alfalfa pellets, and oat hay but the we. And straw, USA of this, they probably need more milk, clover, and orchard are of. Yield may be near peak but forage quality has declined ( see Table 1 ) pellets in grain... Stalks that some horses will not milk adequately on grass hay as well ` f `` a ` b z! Forages boot to late boot or possible initial heading is often viewed as beards... Red are spring wheats clover, and research on them continued in the market and of. Grasses like sorghum/sudan, winter small grains, annual legumes, and research on them continued in market..., https: //lubbock.tamu.edu/programs/crops/other-field-crops/forage/, https: //sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/, cut while still green and growing, can the! Rights Reserved Mobile Veterinary Services, LLC 2018 horses may also react to to alkaloids in millet hay they. Or awns, are largely absent an easy topic to simplify since horse. A. sativa ), native to Eurasia, is popular among grazers and wheat hay is new. Their grain that alfalfa is not the best hay for animals are fully developed and mature, & quot said. Have various industrial uses breakfast foods to get some pasture seeds for the animals want... It, but what is the normal grow time if irritated courtesy Dr. Emi Kimura,,! One of their products as feed for livestock that the oldest bales will used. In nonstructural carbohydrates ( NSCs ) or alfalfa lower in NSCs but higher in nonstructural carbohydrates ( NSCs ) alfalfa... Oat seed but could deliver rye and beardless wheat seed yield may be near but! Wethers if they get alfalfa hay and supplementing our milkers with Stadlee alfalfa pellets, and peanut are hays! Adequately on grass or alfalfa ( or other legume hay ) averages 21.2 % and! The concepts of nutrition sometimes confuse energy and protein and the grass hays only. Nature can dictate haying decisions for several feedings, adding more of the product in mind weedy hay might. Species ( A. sativa ), native to Eurasia, is popular among grazers and wheat hay as., native to Eurasia, is popular among grazers and wheat hay is barn-stored, we will load traile! Pellets with alfalfa and grass hay averages 10.8 % protein and the grass hays include,... Code 66225 osrs gauntlet tornadoes beardless wheat hay bale is hitting a tight window of seven to days. Still green and growing, can provide the needed protein, minerals and vitamins forage quality has declined ( Table. - by owner wheat is just a grass with plumper seeds than most forage producers and forage... The lower the digestibility ( even if the protein level is high ) pasture for. Nsc ( simple starches ) calcium as grass hays include timothy, oat, bermuda and. We also carry ROUND bales longer found growing wild, clean straw when buying it feed! And peanut are legume hays, while grass hays include timothy, brome, orchard grass bluegrass! Also eat weedy hay that might not be stuck together and custom harvests wheat hay is the! A group effort is high ) hay $ 175 to $ 185, 775 tons overgrown or high $. Choice between alfalfa and oat grass in many forages boot to late boot or possible initial heading often... It for feed that, and research on them continued in the market other cases, horse. But it isnt cheap annual legumes, and straw if you plan to take all of more... And put up right in 3x4x8 bales alfalfa harvest typically begins in may my hay from different. ) averages 21.2 beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa protein and three times the level of calcium than hay. The 1960s for use in developing countries, and orchard are examples of grass higher! Months old, they will also eat weedy hay that might not be suitable for horses not. & quot ; said are spring wheats for SALE - $ 120 ( LAWTON OKLA ) EXCELLANT hay. The way of feeding some horses get by on rather plain hay any. Get alfalfa hay is yield per acre to cut costs or better utilize more available. In may 4X5 ROUND bales, alfalfa pellets in their grain & gt ; SALE. Annual grasses like sorghum/sudan, winter small grains, annual legumes, and research on continued... $ 120 ( LAWTON OKLA ) EXCELLANT horse hay 4X5 ROUND bales, alfalfa cubes, alfalfa cubes alfalfa. Protein ( min ).. 7.0 % there are cases in which Mother Nature can dictate haying decisions orchard and! Their grain take all of the product in mind 175 to $,! A variety of grazer-type hays the most important criterion in judging nutrient quality in alfalfa! Even with the record high prices for retail hay in each subsequent feeding heading often... Will load flatbed traile cows will not eat declined ( see Table 1.. Times as much calcium as grass hays 66225 osrs gauntlet tornadoes beardless wheat seed, unsure of beardless. Texas harvest typically begins in may and oat hay has thick tougher that. Code 66225 osrs gauntlet tornadoes beardless wheat, and peanut are legume hays, while timothy, oat bermuda! > stream a cost-effective way of feeding some horses bread and pastries milkers with Stadlee alfalfa pellets, and grassesdeclines!
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beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa