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The only silver lining might be having a buyer that would never pay for higher forage quality, so you can grow higher tonnage of beardless wheat that can still be safely fed. This ensures a high quality product still showing some color with good carbohydrate content and sweetness in the stem. Registered in England and Wales. There are also thousands of Texas acres planted to generic Russian beardless wheats including HG-9, Eldorado, etc. First, forage quality of bearded wheat and beardless wheat cut at the same state of growth is essentially the same. Webhay because the hay is a bit harder to manage than alfalfa. In Oregon your hays might have higher NSCs than the common ones we see here on the East Coast, but if they have not caused your mare a problem in the past, I would not expect it to happen now. A well made first cutting hay is the standard good for everyone hay, you really cant go wrong here. Choose Whole Grains. Because beardless wheat is customarily viewed as something that you can let head out to a more advanced stage of maturity,growers and feeders are unwittingly accepting lower forage quality. But all hay tends to weather because the sun bleaches the outside of the bales. When it hits the dough stage, it takes the nutrients out of the stem and leaves. The bales often spring open after the strings are cut and are harder to divide into flakes. Fig. If you are counting on a high protein alfalfa hay, get some that is harvested early. Along with wheat and triticale, oat hay can be very palatable at all stages of maturity. For the lower price, producers can receive a good forage that can provide vital nutrients. 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. (Contact your local extension agent about testing. Currently I feed equal amounts of both and no grain. Oat hay is considered to be more palatable than barley hay and is probably the first choice for this reason, but barley hay can be a useful hay when a horse doesn't need the extra energy and protein in alfalfa and a grass hay is needed. endstream endobj startxref NSC - average of 22.1% J. Keeler Johnson. But, then there are cases in which Mother Nature can dictate haying decisions. Matt Gard, a Fairview, OK, farmer/custom hayman, doesn't run cattle. You often cannot tell the quality of the hay by just looking at the outside of a bale. Beardless wheat, of course, is popular among grazers and wheat hay producers as the beards, or awns, are largely absent, and so potential issues with awns getting caught in livestock gums and throats, or causing eye irritation are minimized. Compared to alfalfa, typically priced at $100-$120/ton in many cases, wheat hay costs from $50-$60/ton, all depending on market situations. When I began working in West Texas in 1999 I earnestly had never heard of beardless wheat. 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. Oat straw is generally considered best since it is softer and does not have the awns that are on barley and some wheat straw. For general flock needs, consider using a grass hay, like timothy or orchard grass. An equine nutritionist offers advice on the best hay to feed a horse who is at risk of developing laminitis. 1. WebThe Trap of Beardless Wheat (3) Beardless wheatif being beardless matters and is what you are shooting for because you can let it grow longerit means lower quality forage By extending the grazing or haying season you have perhaps unwittingly accepted lower quality forage Is this what you wanted? One way to assess the maturity of alfalfa hay is the snap test. Compendia articles, core healthcare topics and more are written and updated as a group effort. However, if grass hay is coarse and dry (with little vitamin A or protein), youll need to add some legume hay to the cattles diet. Some beardless wheats are awnletted which means they may have short awns of about , but these do not generally cause problems with feeding (Fig. Our premium is clean and bloomed out at 10-20 percent, baled between 10-15% moisture, flakes well, barn stored, perfect for horses and all other livestock. This applies to all hay plants and all cuttings. Clover hay is often overlooked when shepherds are seeking high quality hay for their flock. But is beardless wheat superior to regular bearded wheat? Texas A&M AgriLife (Trostle) discusses examples of forage quality as well as tips for producing, selling, buying, and storing different forages in a new PowerPoint that examines these issues from several viewpoints. Calvin TrostleProfessor and Extension SpecialistLubbock, TX803.746.6101ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu. How much of the value is lost when hay is made late or rained on? Once the ewes start milking, the game changes. Notice I wrote a bit dusty. Hay that is really dusty should be avoided. If a handful of hay bends easily in your hand, its fiber content is relatively low and it will be more digestible than if the stems snap like twigs. Barley hay is suitable as an alternative forage for horses. The nutritional potential of this hay is lost, since it was made late. EquiMed does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. The data, again, is for oat, but it represents approximate increase of tonnage (in this case irrigated) and the decline of %CP. If you have a years worth of hay stored, keep in mind that long storage time reduces nutritional levels of protein and vitamin A. Hot Blood, Warm Blood, Cold Blood in Horses, Possible Link Between Selenium and Cribbing in Horses, Consider Preloading Electrolytes to Exercising Horses, Cushings Disease in Horses and Importance of Diet, Synovial Tissue May Hold Secret to Treating Osteoarthritis in Horses, Rehabilitation for Tendon Injuries in Horses: Stem Cells Useful. Make sure your alfalfa hay is full of leaves. Types of hay will vary based on where you live. Cereal grain crops (especially oats) can make good hay when cut while still green and growing, rather than waiting for the seed heads to mature for grain. Fig. Your mares might need several days to a couple weeks before theyre completely comfortable eating wheat hay, but this will coincide with the normal practice of introducing new feeds and forages to horses slowly. It should smell good, not musty, sour Beardless TAM 401 wheat with early grain development. WebAlfalfa hay is the classic here. They provide the following recommendations for triticale grain fed to horses: Limit the cereal grain to not more than 500g per 100kg body weight per meal, or not more than 4g of starch per kg body weight per meal. Thats it, no chemicals. They will eat it even if it is poor quality, says Keith Hansen, head of Nutrition Services in Hereford, TX. Bad idea. Although there are differences between cuttings, quality is most important. For best nutrition and palatability, oat hay needs to be cut at the right time when the oat seed is out of the milk stage and into the dough. I truly enjoy sharing our experiences (Im the writer) and helping folks get started raising animals on their own farm or in the backyard. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. If you must use alfalfa hay for all your horses, be selective in the hay you choose. Unless the hay was rained on, second cutting hay is likely to be nice stuff. You want these gals to be in great shape for breeding, this means keeping them growing at their best up until breeding time or holding them over to breed next year. 2. Rye bread is rich in fiber. Even if the outer edge of a bale has faded from sun exposure and rain, the inside should still be green. But while I appreciate alfalfa is 'the done thing' in a lot of areas for horses, it is also very high in protein, energy & other nutrients which cause problematic imbalances if not part of a balanced diet. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Alfalfa Hay (also known as Legume Hay) averages 21.2% protein and 11% NSC (simple starches). Nutrition. 1). As a general rule of thumb, grass hay is best for horsesalfalfa or other legume hay can be an excellent feed to mix with grass hay for animals that need more protein. At the other extreme, overly stemmy alfalfa that is well past bloom stage may be too coarse for horses. Sorghum grasses include sudangrass, johnsongrass, hybrid forage sorghums, and grain sorghums. In some parts of the country fescue, reed canary grass, ryegrass and Sudan grass are common. Dont go with beef cattle hay or goat hay. We put western alfalfa in the creep feeder for lambs and in with bottle lambs to get them started on solid foods. DE, Mcal/Lb - 0.82 - 0.96 Alfalfa may have twice the protein and three times the level of calcium than grass hay. 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. Haybet hay barley. Low sugar varieties of grass hay are best if you can get it, or a mix of grass & alfalfa. High quality first cutting hay is made early and full of leaves, not stems and seed heads, and is a great choice for your flock. Or animals simply are not growing as much. WebFair alfalfa hay $175 to $185, 775 tons overgrown or high moisture $160 to $165. If feeding cereal grain hay (cut while still green and growing, rather than at maturity, as straw), have it checked for nitrate levels to avoid nitrate poisoning. Our main enterprise is sheep, with pigs, a few cattle, garlic and a ton of poultry, as well! Always select good quality, clean straw when buying it for feed. With mid-summer dry weather, there's always the possibility of parched pastures. A specific focus in this forage update involves beardless wheat, which is common in much of Texas (Fig. Because of this, they will also eat weedy hay that might not be suitable for horses. If you look at total digestible nutrients (TDN), which is a calculated estimate of total available energy, high-quality wheat hay is 58% TDN, the same as alfalfa. But it must be cut before the dough stage. This can disrupt the microbes that help the animals digest their feed. Compared to alfalfa, typically priced at $100-$120/ton in many cases, wheat hay costs from $50-$60/ton, all depending on market situations. Young calves have tender mouths and cannot chew coarse hay very wellwhether grass or alfalfa. of Soil & Crop Sciences, Lubbock, 806-746-6101, ctrostle@ag.tamu.edu; Discussion of forage quality it is fairly common, and the emphasis placed on forage quality among forage growers and livestock feeders ranges from none to strong consideration. Immature grass hay or leafy alfalfa is usually the best feed for sheep. In other outlets I have discussed the grain yield drag that typically occurs with beardless wheats in grain production. Some of the more common grass hays include timothy, brome, orchard grass and bluegrass. This will give the seller a more accurate idea of the high quality, well made hay you are looking for. Good news for anyone wanting great hay! Weekly oat forage clipping results for dry matter yield and basic forage quality (Lubbock Co., Texas, planted Feb. 15). A dairy cow needs to be able to eat as much as possible, and she will eat more fine, palatable alfalfa hay than coarse hayand she will also get a lot more nutrition from it. As browsers, goats eat a wide variety of plants when roaming free, and will eat some of the weeds and other undesirable plants that other animals will not. This includes popular varieties like TAM 401 (Fig. Do you see what my concern is? It is usually 8- 9% protein as fed and for horses that don't tend to put on weight and have moderate to heavy workloads, it may serve as a supplement to regular feed. endstream endobj 44 0 obj <> endobj 45 0 obj <> endobj 46 0 obj <>stream Now, a late made hay is a different story. Mike Garnett produces and custom harvests wheat hay and other small grain forages, along with alfalfa and a variety of grazer-type hays. hb```f``a`b`z |@1&-K 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. Haybet hay barley. It is also the most costly alfalfa. Spend time selecting the best forage you can afford to buy for your particular horse.

The nutrition the horse needs, the cost of the hay, and the availability of the feed needs to be carefully balanced to make owning a horse possible for many people. 200 tons big bale wheat straw $105 fob stack. Subsequently, horses will select the grain-heads and consume less of the fiber portion of the forage. 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. As a general rule of thumb, grass hay is best for horsesalfalfa or other legume hay can be an excellent feed to mix with grass hay for animals that need more protein.

That decision is best viewed by considering the use of the forage: older animal vs. stocker cattle if you are grazing or feeding yourself, or the kind of forage a prospective buyer wants and is willing to pay forif they wont pay for forage quality then your best market economically is likely to sell tons of hay. Because beardless wheat is customarily viewed as something that you can let head out to a more advanced stage of maturity, growers and feeders are unwittingly accepting lower forage quality. Always buy hay that was harvested under good conditions, then keep it dry and out of the sunlight so it will keep better. Beardless wheat hay is acceptable for horses, though it might take some time for them to become acclimated to it, as some horses must acquire a taste for it. In the UK, it is fed to dairy cattle Since the higher fructans help produce higher milk yields, however, it is not suitable for all horses since they may not be able digest the fructans, which are converted to toxins in the hind gut resulting in laminitis. All Rights Reserved. Rye bread. Wheat can make excellent hay. A few short awns (1/2) are observed on TAM 204 (left) vs. TAM 401. If hail hits a field hard at the wrong time, just after the boot stage, the value of the crop for grain can reduce dramatically. Larry Stalcup is a freelance writer based in Amarillo, TX. Varieties that dont have a beard are referred to as awnless or beardless varieties. Home The Safest Hay for Laminitis-Prone Horses. Sheep tend to love alfalfa and will happily eat it. 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. Forage hay is a multi-grain hay that consists of oats, wheat and barley. First-cut alfalfa can be stemmy, but only if it is too mature when harvested. Crude Fiber - 28% WebSmall grains like barley, wheat and triticale often have a beard, or a bristly spike that protrudes from the seed shell and protects the seed kernel. Selecting barley hay that has been cut at the milky dough stage, so the grain and the barley awns are not fully developed is important when using it as feed for horses. I know there is a lot of hype out there about laminitic-prone horses but, honestly, if it isnt broken, dont fix it! Alfalfa has two to three times as much calcium as grass hays. ANSWER. 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. Cut in the boot to very early head emergence growth stage, it can have a high nutrient content. Making great, high quality hay was very doable for Ohio. 100% or high percentage alfalfa hays are great for high energy need sheep. According to Dr. Getty, "Oat hay is an excellent feed for horses. Growing cereals for hay Calcium - 0.29% How can you tell if you have overly mature hay? 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. Were you aware of the issue? Also, AgriLife Extension wheat forage variety trials in the Texas High Plains over several years found that as a group in both irrigated and dryland conditions there was no difference in forage yield. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. Do you see plenty of leaves or are you seeing stems and seed heads? Most good horse hay will work fine for goats, because it will be palatable and free of dust and mold. Look around online to see what is commonly available in your area. Important factors to keep in mind for horse hay are the nutritional needs of the animals (mature horses will not need high protein or calcium levels unless they are mares nursing foals), and the way the hay was harvested. Varieties that dont have a beard are referred to as awnless or beardless varieties. Just because your animals live outdoors doesnt mean youre off the hook for manure removal. This hay is relatively new to the hay world, but has become popular and is a good feed source. Rain can ruin baled hay by causing mold. If you feed the lactating ewes poor quality hay, you will be shorting the milking ability of the ewe giving the lambs less milk to grow on. Hay for horses should never contain dust or mold, as it may lead to coughing and respiratory problems. For sheep needing high levels of energy, like milking ewes or growing lambs, feed a high quality second or third cutting hay. Most of your sheep production year is centered around lambing. 1. In this article, we look at 11 alternatives to bread made from wheat. According to horse nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, "Grain hays tend to be higher in nitrates. Beardless wheat hay is acceptable for horses, though it might take some time for them to become acclimated to it, as some horses must acquire a taste for it. There are other small grain-hays usually available to be stockpiled at a reasonable cost. Hay that has to be redried due to rain will be dull in coloryellow or brown, rather than bright green. This can become important when considering the ideal Calcium:Phosphorus ratio for horses, which should A unique education agency, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service teaches Texans wherever they live, extending research-based knowledge to benefit their families and communities. 100% or high percentage alfalfa hays are great for high energy need sheep. (Other small grains that have beardless or awnletted varieties include triticale and barley.). WebAlfalfa hay is an excellent source of energy, protein, calcium and some other nutrients for horses. A small amount of alfalfa, or a commercial protein supplement, can provide the needed protein, minerals and vitamins. EquiMed Staff - 04/11/2018 This might be as simple as stalling the mares or placing them in a sacrificial area, and feeding them hay. Under certain circumstances, NSC levels can also spike dramatically in pasture grasses. 600 tons Premium beardless wheat hay $140; 125 tons Good big bale beardless wheat hay with few weeds $125; 800 tons Low quality beardless wheat hay rained on in windrow or rained on top bales $75. Barley straw is not quite as well liked, and wheat straw is least desirable as feed. Either pick it up or drag the pasture to spread the manure so it will decompose more quickly.