Small diameter stems. The following is a guide to the moisture content of the hay crop as it is drying: 30 to 40% - leaves begin to rustle. Privacy & Terms Poor quality hay can cause nutritional deficiencies, gut issues, and other serious health problems. Sticky Icky Icky. A good-quality grass hay may meet most of the adult horse's basic nutritional needs. Here we discuss what this substance is? Another easy way to determine good cannabis versus bad is smell. Shift the hay through your fingers and look to see how much dust is released. The old-timers used to talk about cutting hay around the Fourth of July, when they said, “it was stout and had some bottom to it.” Although maximum growth of the plant and peak yields occur around that time, the nutrient value is greatest earlier in the season, when pl… I’m not sure how much money you will make after expenses and effort on 20 tons of hay. Bates warns that waiting too late to cut hay could mean an additional expense for producers. Feel for Excess Heat. The temperature of these hay bales, stacks, and barns can get very hot. Feeding moldy hay to horses can result in serious problems, such as colic. Amanda Radke 1 | Nov 12, 2015. Tall fescue or orchard grass hay cut early will be high quality, and good to feed a lactating cow or calf. I figured – why? “These limits result in weight loss, reduced milk production, delayed return to heat, lower-quality colostrum and lots of other bad things. These areas were likely sun bleached, meaning that the sun has over-dried the hay and has stripped it of some of its nutrients. Here are seven steps to help you produce a quality alfalfa yield: 1. Mostly we're looking for green but it's important to also consider how much leaf and stalk there is. Image courtesy Purina. Hay with 500,00 to 1 million cfu/g is relatively safe, while hay with over 1 million cfu/g of mold should not be fed to horses due to the risk of respiratory issues. The following will give you a little Insight on hay terminology and it may answer a few questions while separating opinion from fact. We know that old habits are hard to break and there are so many misconceptions floating around about hay quality that are passed on through word-of-mouth advice. Once you’ve opened a bale of hay, feel the hay in the very center for heat. How does it smell? Again, though, if you have no experience at all with what quality weed should smell or look like, it can be a little difficult to pick out the ‘dank’ stuff from the ‘stank’ stuff. Alternatively, inferior buds often lack any smell or smell similarly to hay … When you get a hay delivery, you should take a few minutes to check the hay’s quality before you accept and unload the delivery. Nearly all hay goes through “a sweat” during the first few days after baling when the temperature rises. The smell of hay will give a clue to … Few or no leaves and dark brown, black, or white hay should be rejected for mold and very poor nutrition. It should be a bit sticky, … This is how you tell. Your email address will not be published. The first priority in choosing hay is to evaluate it for quality. Your horse’s diet depends on hay, but did you know that not all hay is the same? Well-grown, quality cannabis buds should have a pungent, identifiable smell — that skunky aroma that ranges from slightly sweet to earthy to diesel-like — indicating high terpene content. A fortified grain concentrate can be used to supplement the ration, increasing its energy, protein, vitamin and mineral content. You know it’s good when your bun is binkying all over the house just waiting patiently for it. Well… testing hay is EASY! Do not decide to make haylage when hay has been down and rained on for weeks because the risk of having moldy or pour-quality feed increases the longer the hay has been laying in the swath. Most people can start to detect mold around 500,000 cfu/g. 5. In general, hays are classified as: Legume: Alfalfa is the most recognized legume hay fed to horses. Good-quality hay often has an attractive, sweet smell. Hay should be a greenish color. An easy test to do to see if hay is ready and bend it in half. Hay with less than 500,000 cfu/g of mold is considered good quality. The most desirable colour for Lucerne hay, as with most hay, is bright green. Mature horses require 10 to 12 percent CP (crude protein) in their diets. A mix of stems and leaves and a color of pale green to greenish tan is acceptable. In summary, sorting out fiction from fact and knowing the nutrient requirements of your horses can make selecting the right hay easy. You often cannot tell the quality of the hay by just looking at the outside of a bale. Timing is important for not only when the forage crop needs to be cut, but also to chop it up while the weather is good, have someone packing the pit as more fresh haylage is collected, and to cover it … Leave a Comment. A goal would be to have < 35% ADF in either legume or grass forages. Although it’s not all about the colour, colour is important in determining Lucerne hay quality and nutritive value. The compromise for many U.S. horses is a good quality grass-alfalfa mix hay. The color of a bale of hay can tell you a lot about its quality. TAGS: Feed Cow-Calf. If you buy your hay from a big box pet store or eCommerce site, you might be surprised to open a box of hay and see dry, brown, brittle Timothy hay. Many native or prairie grass hays contain just 6 to 8 percent. Like NDF, ADF is a good indicator of feed quality; higher values within a feed suggest lower-quality feed. Marijuana should have a fresh smell that you can detect easily. Your email address will not be published. It is not good judging moisture content from a single sample of drying hay. Other legumes fed to horses include clover, lespedeza and in certain areas, perennial peanut hay. In your local you should get 2 cuts of hay per season. It also reveals a lot about how the hay was made, and how it was handled and treated throughout the process. For many parts of the country, this summer will be one to remember for the wet haying season many ranchers had to deal with. Hay — be it grass or alfalfa or a mix — responds incredibly well to fertilizer. If your hay has a summery grassy smell, this is best. Use your nose as well as your eyes. A good quality hay can help keep a horse healthy, while poor quality hay can be detrimental. Haylage is grass that has been preserved by ensiling it, this means wrapping it an anaerobic environment. Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. How to tell if hay is ready to bale? CA Supply Chain Act. Does it consist of young plants with short, easily bendable stems? He says hay moisture can be very variable in an uneven or wet crop or if it has not been handled well. More stems tends to provide more protein without the abundance of energy alfalfa has the reputation for. Then we can have Hay that is 66% moist stems and 33% dry leaves. And, I figured that hay was hay. Other legumes fed to horses include clover, lespedeza and in certain areas, perennial peanut hay. I know that it took me years to even consider testing the hay I purchased. The highest possible inclusion of top-quality animal proteins. Too much protein is not necessarily good for horses, while for dairy cows it is beneficial. Using the hay analysis on pg 1 ( TDN = 46% and CP = 10%), this hay sample would fall into medium quality hay due to TDN content. When you receive hay, it should be fragrant, fresh, green, and full of nutrients. The quality of hay is judged by its fiber and protein content. Good colour indicates it was cut at the right time and should be higher in vitamins. The more leaves, the better, since the leaves … Think about the leafy greens you eat. I noticed at the vet's office that they sell a couple types of expensive cat foods that look like they're very good quality. Timing is everything. When dried, clover hay doesn’t preserve the green color & becomes dry looking. Say the microwave or electric oven system. Trying to decide if you should get round bales or square for your horses? This hay shows when it is ready to bale. Colour: Good hay should be bright green in colour. A hay analysis helps you better understand what you’re feeding your horse. Good cannabis … When you have your hay analyzed, you will take a sample of the hay and send it away to a laboratory for analysis. Once you’ve established that it’s of good quality, it’s time to consider your choices. If you grow hay to sell it as feed for animals, you can use the results of hay testing to prove your product is high-quality and command a higher price. These stages generally appear – if we receive a normal amount of moisture – around the first week of May in most parts of Tennessee. And, good quality forage will generally do just fine with your horses – and you can always supplement. One of our nutrition experts may be able to help. It’s important that you know how to tell the difference between good quality hay and something that might not give your horse the nutrition they need. Having your hay lab-tested would be the surest way to know its quality and nutritional content. If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years. It should smell good, not musty, sour or moldy. The bottom line is to find out how good or bad your hay is by testing some of it. 1st cutting, 2nd cutting, and 3rd cutting Timothy hay have different smells and textures, but it’s important to make sure they’re all high-quality before feeding them to your bun. Some common forage species fed as hay to horses include the following: Timothy Hay . By only eating 18 lbs. In an ideal world, you’d get nothing but beautiful, potent buds in all of your … if (theYear < 1900); 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. Also, moldy hay will smell different from dusty hay. 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. Testing for hay gives insight into its nutritious value and protein content, and can uncover issues such as mineral imbalances that can degrade an animal's health. Most people can start to detect mold around 500,000 cfu/g. Always request a horse analysis when sending in hay samples. Hay with less than 500,000 cfu/g of mold is considered good quality. Has been thought to cause impaction in horses when low in quality, so buyer should be very aware of the product they are purchasing. 4 tips for feeding poor quality hay. When we bale this 19% Moisture Hay we shatter off 25% of the leaves. Forage fiber content is the primary detractor to high intake and nutrient availability. Legume Hay for Horses. A good indicator is if it doesn't expand when you cut the strings. When selecting your horse’s forage, keep these six signs of good quality horse hay in mind: 1. As the grass matures, the fiber levels increase and the protein decreases. Here are five easy tips for how to tell good weed from bad weed. Alfalfa hay should have a good mixture of leaves and stems for a quality feed. Director Ashley Avis Of Disney+'s New Black Beauty Film Talks With iHeartHorses, Study Shows Horses Understand Our Intentions, Do Blanketed Horses Eat Less? If cow herd average body weight is 1200 lbs, then expected maxiumum DMI of hay would be 24 lb/day (1200 lb cow x 0.02, % of body weight). That tells you the hay has been properly cured. Even if the outer edge of a bale has faded from sun exposure and rain, the inside should still be green. 2. You likely prefer greens with leaves rather than just... 2. It is important that you check the quality of hay you use in your horse’s diet by core sampling and sending out for testing so you know what its protein content is and value to your horse’s overall nutrition. This tip is for readers able to purchase their weed from a dispensary. All Rights Reserved. As previously described, forage quality reflects the ability of a given forage to meet the nutrient needs of the consuming animal. theYear=theYear+1900; And, this is true. Where the Hay is Stored. One of the most critical factors in making quality dry hay is timing. You likely prefer greens with leaves rather than just stems. And, this is true. The color of a bale of hay can tell you a lot about its quality. How it's made and how can you tell whether it's good for your horse? While brown hay doesn’t necessarily mean your rabbit’s hay is bad, the dried up stuff doesn’t have as many nutrients. Good quality hay will be leafy with fine stems, free of dust, mold, and weeds, bright green, and have a good clean smell. With so many rainy days during the prime of haying season, there’s now plenty of poor quality, moldy hay to contend with. Relative to assessing forage quality, fiber tests are our single best method, though additional tests for protein and moisture can help to further characterize the forage. theYear=now.getYear(); I noticed at the vet's office that they sell a couple types of expensive cat foods that look like they're very good quality. Figure 2 shows two cuttings of hay in a study I conducted while at the University of Kentucky wherein the bales’ temperature was tracked over time. Traits of a Good Wet Dog Food. NDF (neutral detergent fiber) and ADF (acid detergent fiber) are the tests used to determine the level of fiber in a forage. Weed should be a good mix of not too wet, and not too dry. It can be quite expensive, depending on whether it has to be shipped long distances. Be able to help surest way to know its quality cut open a bale of hay will test as %! Produce a quality feed plants with short, easily bendable stems it an anaerobic environment shorted... 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Mix hay that hay, as with most hay, even premium forage, keep these signs. Hay easy to check the quality of your horse will smell different from dusty hay or moldy we have fresh... Feed quality ; higher values within a feed suggest lower-quality feed Insulin Resistant horses, especially if your have!, study Proves that horses can make selecting the right time and should be a good quality forage generally.