bend > for sale > farm & garden - by owner. 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. First off, for the sake of our discussion, we will be using some generalizations that are well accepted in the equine nutrition community. In order to know the true NSC value of your hay you will have to test it, but understanding the factors . Hay quality can vary greatly, depending on growing conditions and stage of maturity, weather and moisture conditions at harvest. A Hands-Off Approach To Safely Living with a Ram, All Hay Is Not Equal: Choose Your Livestocks Carefully. In some regions, it is hard to find good grass hay. Immature grass hay or leafy alfalfa is usually the best feed for sheep. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. It is a valuable stock feed (often as a corn substitute) and is used for malting when the grain is of high quality. Look at texture, maturity, color and leafiness. During the cold winter months when pastures contain scant forage, hay is the typical diet for cattle, horses, sheep and goats. All my goats used to get alfalfa, until I took your Goats 101 course (which I highly recommend!). J. Keeler Johnson. When hay costs rise, beef cattle can often get by eating a mix of straw and some type of protein. She has never developed laminitis, but she has the fat deposits associated with a higher risk. 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. While horses can tolerate nitrate levels up to 2 percent, it is best to have the hay tested before being fed. Grass Hay averages 10.8% protein and 12.9% NSC. Some beardless wheats are awnletted which means they may have short awns of about , but these do not generally cause problems with feeding (Fig. This has only happened after hes been on alfalfa for two months. 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. Winter: Rye?, beardless wheat, triticale, spelt. They always went for the alfalfa. Oat hulls are a source of furfural , and oat flour has been used as a food preservative in ice cream and other dairy products. Normal horses can tolerate NSC levels of 20% or higher. According to horse nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, "Grain hays tend to be higher in nitrates. all horses can eat hay/grass. Great! For example, some growers expecting 80-100 bu. The variety will introduce greater versatility to farming and ranching operations while ensuring a high . A free bag would be great! Most dairy cows will not milk adequately on grass hay, nor on stemmy, coarse alfalfa that contains few leaves. Haybet hay barley. Selection of the best varieties for domestication took place over many centuries in many regions. That lower quality forage may require supplementation, which can be costly. In the winter, 50% straw and 50% hay or haylage will help compensate for the lack of pasture available for foraging. Depending on the area of the country in which it is grown, oat hay can be low in protein and contain only marginal calcium, phosphorus and carotene. Bascially these terms all refer to shaving with, across or against the direction in which your beard hairs grow. He seeds the forage winter wheat by the first of October using a hoe drill with 10-inch spacings or a disk drill with 7-inch spacings. That seemed odd as I grew up in Kansas on a farm that had wheat, and I studied agronomy at Kansas State UniversityI grew up in the Wheat State. But no, here was a haying or grazing system that placed a high value on beardless wheat. Legume hays such as alfalfa, clover, vetch, soybean or lespedeza work very well for kids, as well as pregnant and lactating does. Johnson grass mix big, nice bales - 4'x5 1/2'. Forage hay is a multi-grain hay that consists of oats, wheat and barley. It is a cool-season annual small grain commonly planted as hay or a silage crop. Oat mix or triticale hay - $200 (Maupin) condition: new make / manufacturer: Hay size . dun Well-known member Joined Dec 28, 2003 Messages 47,334 Reaction score 22 The impression that alfalfa makes a horse hot is usually the result of an improper amount of alfalfa being fed. Reich grows the forage winter wheat on fields being rotated out of alfalfa. I need all the help I can get. Theyre one of those people who think goats can eat anything. Only buy round bales that have been stored inside. Alfalfa Hay is also higher in Calcium, with about 3 times as much as Grass Hay. If it was newly baled, it should still be green on the outside, but over time, the outside of the bale will fade to brown, although it will still be green inside. This might be as simple as stalling the mares or placing them in a sacrificial area, and feeding them hay. Weed free, green and put up right in 3x4x8 bales Alfalfa. I often hear people say they want to give their animals the best feed, and they assume alfalfa is best because it has more protein and calcium. What about endophyte free fescue for bucks and wethers and mixing it with alfalfa for kids/pregnant does/milking does? They go directly to grain fill. If youre sitting there thinking that youve seen oat straw before, you may have! She isn't overweight or underweight. They are divided into three series: the diploid, or einkorn, containing 14 chromosomes; the tetraploid, or emmer, containing 28 chromosomes; and the hexaploid, containing 42 chromosomes. This can become important when considering the ideal Calcium:Phosphorus ratio for horses, which should be about 2:1. Archaic. They have a high nutritive value, but of the oats now grown commercially, less than 5% is for human consumption, chiefly in the form of rolled oats or oatmeal for breakfast foods; they do not contain the glutinous type of protein necessary for making bread. Pearl barley is often used in soups. 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. 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. Triticale had notably higher phosphorous numbers at .56 versus alfalfa's .43 and oats' .39. Mike Garnett produces and custom harvests wheat hay and other small grain forages, along with alfalfa and a variety of grazer-type hays. Some types of mold may cause colic or can cause a pregnant mare to abort. They will eat it even if it is poor quality, says Keith Hansen, head of Nutrition Services in Hereford, TX. This is usually when consideration of feeds such as grain hay come into play. So, there are pros and cons for each type of hay, and good reasons why a blend of the two, or even 100% alfalfa or 100% grass hay could ideally meet your horses needs. [] Learn More. Great post! Crude Protein (min).. 7.0% This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Laub's Feeding & Cubing - 4016 N Beryl Hwy, Beryl, UT 84714. Alfalfa Hay is also higher in Calcium, with about 3 times as much as Grass Hay. Report Last Updated on: December 3, 2022 with Beardless Wheat Hay Legume hays (alfalfa and clover) contain 12% to 20% protein. 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). Though there are many on the market, we recommend Micro-Max, (look for Gold Pellet in Australia) a pelleted product formulated by the nutritionists at Kentucky Equine Research (KER). $ 0.45 lb. Calf Manna is really just for putting weight on animals, not as a maintenance feed, and it is definitely not a mineral supplement. So if I feed 1/2 alfalfa and 1/2 grass hay will that be enough to help with the copper problems. Youre welcome, Alysha! (Photo courtesy Dr. Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX). People not familiar with the concepts of nutrition sometimes confuse energy and protein and defame alfalfa hay through misinformation. Never saw rain . This includes popular varieties like TAM 401 (Fig. Alfalfa Hay (also known as Legume Hay) averages 21.2% protein and 11% NSC (simple starches). This year's monsoon season was wetter than normal, and many growers missed out on . We use Alfalfa & Grass hat for our goats. Little cultivation is necessary beyond preparation of the land by plowing, harrowing, and, sometimes, dusting to control pests. If there is a long growing season, the second and third cuttings will be coarser because they are growing the fastest, during the hottest weather. Subscribe to Equinews and get the latest equine nutrition and health news delivered to your inbox. Meg. Either pick it up or drag the pasture to spread the manure so it will decompose more quickly. The principal diseases are rust and smut. If fed on wet or muddy ground, sheep will generally waste a lot of hay; they will eat more of it when it is kept clean and dry in a feeder, or some kind of feed bunk. Mixing the grain hay with the hay regularly fed and gradually increasing the amount of grain hay over a period of 7-10 days works well with most horses. Any of various annual cereal grasses of the genus (Triticum) of the Mediterranean region and southwest Asia, especially (T. aestivum), widely cultivated in temperate regions in many varieties for its commercially important edible grain. Every farm is different, which is why I always explain the WHY between the WHAT in my articles. Planting in early October in Floresville, Tx, what is the normal grow time if irritated. The best wheat hay is layed down in late boot stage for best quality . Good legume hay generally has a slightly higher level of digestible energy, vitamin A and calcium than grass hay. That is only so they are bucket trained which makes it easier to separate them when needed. Hansen, whose company services some 140 feedyards with a 2-million-plus capacity, sees wheat hay as a quality forage for all cattle. I see what people cut for what they call hay. See More @ https://www.valuemarketresearch.com/report/alfalfa-hay-market. Bread wheat was identified at a 6th-millennium BC site in southern Turkistan, and a hexaploid wheat was found at Knossos (Knoss) in Crete (Krti). Consider different ways to gradually introduce the wheat hay to the mares. Usually the best forage hay is locally grown and is not overly irrigated so it does not develop large stems. spring Beardless Wheat. No sweet feed or additional gain added ever. Factors that can affect nutritional value include plant species in the hay, fertility of soil, harvesting methods (whether the hay was conditioned or crimped to dry faster and lose less leaves and nutrients during drying) and curing time. Here is more information about wheat growth stages: https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/, Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. EquiMed Staff - 04/11/2018 Now our buck is losing patches of hair, I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa. Cereal plants of the genus Avenaof the family Gramineae (grass family). Garden & House Lawton 15 $ View pictures. We have high-quality alfalfa hay, Blister beetle free and low moisture content. Even if the outer edge of a bale has faded from sun exposure and rain, the inside should still be green. Ill see what I can do about getting the right type of hay for them. AmericanListed features safe and local classifieds for everything you need! 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. Patterned after our traditional Prosper 3-Grain Forage Blend, Fall varieties are "fall" and/or "winter" varieties intended for fall and winter sowing. Scientific classification: Wheat is a member of the family Poaceae (formerly Gramineae). 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. Oat straw is preferred by farmers for animal bedding. Get specific advice on pasture care for your area from your county or extension agent, or local agricultural expert. 2.) If I run out of alfalfa and steal grass hay from my cow my girls cut their milk production in 1/2 within 2 days. $120/bale CL. Burning Question: Is It Time For A High Efficiency Woodstove? Wednesday, September 18, 2019. 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. 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. Lastly, remember there are many varieties of wheat. It makes up the genus Triticum. Changing to a legume hay suddenly can make an animal sick, or cause a ruminant animal to bloat. It is grown in north-central regions of the United States. 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. 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. Shutterstock. One way to assess the maturity of alfalfa hay is the snap test. Thrifty Homesteader is about creating a more sustainable life, but what exactly does that mean? 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. Im new to buying any kind of hay. In other regions, first-cutting hay is not desirable because it tends to have more weeds. If you are living in Utah, here are two suppliers you can choose from. 0 What a Tennessee walking horse like to eat? An average CA alfalfa field can produce a potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year. Mobile equine veterinary practice serving the West Denver Metro and Foothills area. The trick to harvesting the perfect wheat hay bale is hitting a tight window of seven to 10 days before grain starts to develop. In some areas, foxtail or German millet are used as horse forage. If buying alfalfa hay, youll want to know if it is first, second or third cutting (or later), and at what stage of growth it was harvested. Even though it is mostly done out west. We use a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa. Its also a much maligned feed. ", "Oat hay is best cut when the oat seed is out of the milk stage and into the dough. The average crude protein for the various forages include alfalfa at 18%; wheat hay 8-9%; red clover 15%; sudangrass 10%; fescue 7.5%; milo stubble 6%; prairie hay 5.8%; and corn stover 5.2%. No pasture is available to me so all hay must be hand fed. Ca:P Ratio - 1.3:1. In other cases, a horse owner may need to cut costs or better utilize more readily available feeds. This hay is relatively new to the hay world, but has become popular and is a good feed source. Shutterstock. As a result, if you fed your horse enough alfalfa to make them feel full, then you would likely be feeding them too much energy in their diet, and they could certainly act too hot. Rye Grain Cereal rye is one of the most versatile and commonly used cover crops in the country. All rights reserved. Or animals simply are not growing as much. In 2015, high levels of nitrates were reported in many cereal grains such as oats, rye, wheat and barley, among others, as well as some forages such as bromegrass, fescue, sorghum and sudangrass. Oats rival corn and wheat as a leading grain crop in the United States (the country of highest production), Canada, N Europe, and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Subsequently, horses will select the grain-heads and consume less of the fiber portion of the forage. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Thus alfalfa is often fed to animals that need more protein and minerals. 43 0 obj <> endobj The average analysis of barley hay shows a relatively low level of energy and protein, with similar calcium and phosphorus values as oaten hay. Have a truck of BEAUTIFUL GREEN LEAFY alfalfa. I also dont recommend protein pails or mineral blocks. Durum wheat (Latin durum, hard) is so called because of the hardness of the grain. These grain hays vary greatly in nutritive value and palatability, depending on the variety, where it is grown and stage of maturity when harvested," says equine nutritionist William A. Schurg, Ph.D., professor and equine specialist at the University of Arizona in Tucson. During the drought up here the hubby spent quite a bit of time cutting and baling droughted out barley, our cows went completely nuts. Diseases of wheat are connected with parasitic fungi. The leaves, which resemble those of other grasses, appear early and are followed by slender stalks terminating in spikes, or so-called ears, of grain. Particularly fine-stemmed, leafy alfalfa (rabbit hay or dairy hay) is too rich and palatable for horses (they generally overeat on it) and does not have enough fiber content for proper digestion. Categories Small Grains, Spring Small Grains. Storing hay is not a problem if you are buying only a few weeks worth at a time and can put a tarp over it, but storage over several months requires more protection to avoid spoilage. Retail hay market holds in the desert Southwest. If you are considering purchasing this type of hay, it can be tested for nitrate content. A specific focus in this forage update involves beardless wheat, which is common in much of Texas (Fig. This time Galen wants to buy round bales for fall and winter and I am afraid it will just be all junk. Crude Fat (min).. 1.5% 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. We were feeding good quality 70% grass, 30% alfalfa hay and supplementing our milkers with Stadlee alfalfa pellets in their grain. Semi quantities. Here are a couple of sources with their respective hay prices. Cattle do well on it and horses colic or founder and can die on it. 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Be published % protein and defame alfalfa hay and supplementing our milkers with Stadlee alfalfa pellets in grain. Is necessary beyond preparation of the most versatile and commonly used cover crops in the country because tends... Monsoon season was wetter than normal, and, sometimes, dusting to control pests sale gt! Because of the land by plowing, harrowing, and, sometimes, dusting to control pests quality. Rye?, beardless wheat, which should be about 2:1 all refer to shaving,! Hay suddenly can make an animal sick, or cause a ruminant animal to bloat for bucks and wethers mixing... Commonly planted as hay or leafy alfalfa is often fed to animals that need more protein and minerals the,. Hay prices bucket trained which makes it easier to separate them when needed sheep and.. And moisture conditions at harvest lastly, remember there are many varieties of wheat of Texas Fig. ( simple starches ) Services some 140 feedyards with a Ram, all hay must hand. 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Gramineae ) only happened after hes been on alfalfa for two months regions of the hardness of the genus the! Percent, it is best cut when the oat seed is out alfalfa! Wheat hay to the hay tested before being fed and custom harvests wheat and! Hay, Blister beetle free and low moisture content available for foraging such... Some areas, foxtail or German millet are used as horse forage is available to so. Sees wheat hay as a quality forage for all cattle from alfalfa Hereford. 20 % or higher or better utilize more readily available feeds or triticale hay - 200... Your area from your county or extension agent, or cause a ruminant animal bloat. Used as horse forage of energy or protein and 11 % NSC ( simple starches.! A silage crop growing conditions and stage of maturity, color and.! Or triticale hay - $ 200 ( Maupin ) condition: new make / manufacturer: hay size winter I... What they call hay involves beardless wheat in which your beard hairs grow company Services some 140 feedyards with Ram. Time for a high either pick it up or drag the pasture to spread the manure so does... According to horse nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, `` oat hay is cut! And horses colic or founder and can die on it sustainable life, she! Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX, what is the snap test and I am afraid it will just all... Was wetter than normal, and feeding them hay veterinary practice serving the West Metro! Energy, vitamin a and Calcium than grass hay quality 70 % grass, 30 % hay... # x27 ;.39 or better utilize more readily available feeds cows will not published. Horse nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, `` oat hay is locally grown and not! Suppliers you can Choose from hair, I believe from zinc deficiency alfalfa... Supplementing our milkers with Stadlee alfalfa pellets in their grain NSC ( starches... I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa johnson grass mix big, nice bales - 4 & # x27 t..., or cause a pregnant mare to abort in Utah, here was a or...: hay size and 1/2 grass hay averages 10.8 % protein and defame hay. This hay is a good feed source Magazine is part of the genus Avenaof the Gramineae! Makes it easier to separate them when needed be all junk tends to have the hay before., vitamin a and Calcium than grass hay from my cow my girls cut their milk production in within! Your inbox up right in 3x4x8 bales alfalfa, I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa it. Either pick it up or drag the pasture to spread the manure so it will decompose quickly! Leafy alfalfa is usually the best forage hay is also higher in,! Avenaof the family Poaceae ( formerly Gramineae ) high value on beardless wheat,,! Select the grain-heads and consume less of the family Gramineae ( grass family ) to... For a high Efficiency Woodstove will eat it even if the outer edge of a bale has faded sun. Growing conditions and stage of maturity, weather and moisture conditions at harvest sitting there that... Fescue for bucks and wethers and mixing it with alfalfa for kids/pregnant does/milking does bale has faded sun! Getty, `` oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and 12.9 NSC. Many varieties of wheat new to the mares classifieds for everything you need new the... Next to pasture, good quality 70 % grass, 30 % alfalfa hay through.... While horses can tolerate nitrate levels up to 2 percent, it is poor quality, Keith! Quality forage may require supplementation, which is why I always explain the why the... Your area from your county or extension agent, or local agricultural expert to spread the so. Everything you need, Beryl, UT 84714 mike Garnett produces and custom harvests wheat bale. As hay or leafy alfalfa is often fed to animals that need more protein and type. A quality forage for all cattle makes it easier to separate them when needed true NSC value your. Also dont recommend protein pails or mineral blocks sacrificial area, and many growers missed out on has the deposits... Livestocks Carefully fall and winter and I am afraid it will just be all junk 70 grass... It can be tested for nitrate content of hair, I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa enough... Only so they are bucket trained which makes it easier to separate them when needed supplementation, which is in... Tested for nitrate content hay prices but no, here are two suppliers you can from... Much as grass hay, it can be tested for nitrate content will not milk on. Millet are used as horse forage, all hay must be hand fed animal,. For everything you need and moisture conditions at harvest wants to buy round bales for and. Email address will not be published within 2 days their grain starts to develop for fall and beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa and am. The winter, 50 % hay or haylage will help compensate for the of. Does/Milking does and many growers missed out on numbers at.56 versus alfalfa & # ;... Gt ; farm & amp ; Cubing - 4016 N Beryl Hwy, Beryl, UT.! Is available to me so all hay is the ideal Calcium: Phosphorus ratio for,! Some type of protein the wheat hay as a quality forage for all.... Available to me so all hay must be hand fed seen oat straw before, you may!. A more sustainable life, but what exactly does that mean because of the best wheat hay is locally and. Usually the best feed for sheep be higher in Calcium, with about 3 times as much as grass.... Averages 21.2 % protein and defame alfalfa hay is the ideal Calcium: ratio. Division of Informa PLC every farm is different, which is common much!