Hay made from contaminated forages is also suspect, and the slaframine can remain in hay for several years. A well-kept pasture also is the most natural and healthy environment for exercise and rest. What Hay Growers Should Know 4. 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. - … Put up dry, and stored dry upstairs in barn haylofts. Annual Rye grass also makes a good cover crop for farmers and ranchers. A healthy and easy-to-grow mixture for your horses, our Horse Pasture and Hay Mix is specially formulated with a variety of nutritious species. It is very important you know what plants your horse has access to. it can contain almost anything though, from redtop to reed canary grass, the … What the Horse Owner Needs to Know 5. Reed canarygrass is a tall, leafy, high-yielding cool-season perennial grass. Palaton reed canarygrass is a low alkaloid variety that is a leafy, high yielding, long lived perennial. In some regions, it is hard to find good grass hay. Pasture Grass Seed for Horses High-quality, properly fenced pastures are one of the best and least expensive sources of summer feed for a horse. This grass can be found as the main vegetation source in some regions so if you are a horse owner with an equine out on pasture, you must be cautious. Reed canary grass is distinctive because it has a broader blade than most hays, yet it is uncommon enough for few horse owners to be able to identify it,” said Crandell. 1. Hay and Hay Quality 3. Bermuda grass is the most common warm-season grass in horse hay, but bahia grass is an alternative in some regions. This is a perennial grass species, with creeping roots (Rhizomes). I am in NC and have never seen this before. Very good-quality soft grass (and grass / alfalfa mix) hay. Our marsh hay is an effective erosion control when used as a bale check and/or mulch for seeding projects. Horse’s will also avoid eating grass near their manure. This is known as Slaframine poisoning. The bales are a “horse-friendly” mix of orchard grass, meadow bromegrass, ryegrass, timothy, kentucky bluegrass, white clover, summer lovegrass, canary grass, and some bales with a … These bales have some timothy, some orchard grass, and some of what you see below. A variety of fescues, ryegrass, orchard grass and more, many of the varieties in our mix will self-seed each year and … growing horses, some legume hay added to the diet provides the additional protein and higher levels of other nutrients needed. It appears to be good hay, but I have never feed it before. According to the 2013 Michigan Forage Variety Test Report, reed canarygrass is slow to establish, has a long stand life, is rated “good” on acidic soils and “excellent” on wet soils, has good drought, heat and cold tolerance, and is rated good for both pasture and hay production. Put up dry, and stored dry upstairs in barn haylofts. If you must buy poor quality hay, make sure to look out for some of the less desirable grasses in the hay. Because of this, care must be taken in waste management to avoid wasted pasture space. In the UK reed canary grass is generally used to provide cover for farmland birds or game cover. The hay smells really good, it's soft, it's green, but there are some bales the horse absolutely refuse to eat. Having a long growing season, its forage is palatable and nutritious and will yield 3 … If you must use alfalfa hay for all your horses, be selective in the hay you choose. type of hay for horses – Grass Hay. They prefer palatable grasses that are young and soft over less palatable and mature grasses. Here is a funny story about horse people, I had a lady come to buy some orchard grass ( it was good hay but bleached some from being in pole building) and right beside it had a bay of nothing but pure Johnson grass ( cut about waste high , not stalky) I had just put under roof day or so before she came, it was green as poison and sweet smelling. Not only is timothy hay very palatable, but it also has excellent nutritional value for horses, especially if it is harvested at the correct stage of growth. It is also lower in nutritional value but has good amounts of vitamins A and D, calcium, and phosphorous. Good pasture alone is sufficient to meet all of the nutritional requirements for many classes of horses. It is also used to overseed warm season lawn grasses to provide a green, economical grass cover from fall to spring. Our dairy and horse hay has a Relative Feed Value (RFV) of 115-120. It is very palatable and desirable and grows well in poor fertility soils. Distinguishing hay types is important, if only from the standpoint of purchasing the appropriate hay. It starts growing early in spring and is both summer and winter hardy. Badger Farms, LLC grows Reed Canary Grass-Marsh Hay for horse, dairy, and construction industries, producing 60,000 small square bales and 2,000 round bales each year. Is it safe for horses??? We have both "straight" GRASS hay (soft), and various mixtures and cuttings of ALFALFA and "grassy" (VERY, VERY SOFT) grass / alfalfa mixtures. The fungus infects red clover, white clover, alsike clover, and alfalfa. This hay is typically a good and less expensive alternative to orchard or timothy hay grass hay. NEW Equine Pasture Max – An all grass blend for horse owners providing a palatable grazing option from spring to late fall. When consumed while grazing or as hay, clover infected with this fungus will often cause horses to slobber excessively. Good grass hay is the most ideal feed for mature horses; it is the most natural feed, and contains the proper calcium/phosphorus ratio (preferably 1:1 to 2:1). The middle one isn't orchard grass (the seeds aren't quite right). Uses. Marsh/slough hay here is good feed, although a bit too high calorie to feed free choice. The roots and lower stems of this grass are eaten by muskrats to a minor extent (Hamerstrom & Blake, 1939). Discussion on Canary hay Author: Message: New Member: Rgsaunde: Posted on Saturday, Nov 20, 2004 - 11:51 pm: My hay broker has just received a shippment of Canary Hay. Bunch Grass: Timothy: Hay & Pasture: Medium: Good: 1,230,000: Spring/Summer: Bunch Grass: Max Seed Blends – DUAL PURPOSE/HAY OR PASTURE. You Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it’s also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses. Horses evolved as a grazing animal, which means that they are meant to nibble on small amounts of food over the course of an entire day, and most of this food should be in the form of roughage, or hay. Palaton does not contain any of the alkaloid (triptaminecarboline) that causes diarrhea in grazing animals and reduced performance. It is a fact that annual rye grass is one of the easiest to establish but utilitarian cover crops ther is and it provides nutrients back to the soil! A mixture of legume and grass hay is a good compromise between providing the benefits that legumes offer (higher protein and energy for a horse) and keeping a horse occupied with forage for more of the day. Horses are picky about the grass they prefer to consume. Bluejoint Grass has been used as a source of forage and hay for cattle and horses, and it is also eaten by the American Bison and elk. It has a sod-forming root system with rhizomes and creates a very dense stand when established in a favorable … References Very good-quality soft grass (and grass / alfalfa mix) hay. Introduction 2. It can be used for pasture, silage or hay as well as for erosion control. Not particulalry palatable to horses, but there are reports of poisonings through eating either fresh plant material or spikes incorporated into hay. A mix of grass and legume hay often works well. Reed canary grass is a wetland grass that also does well on peat and well drained land. 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. Plants were selected for plant type, absence of leaf disease, yield potential, and low alkaloid content. Grass hay is also a good hay choice for “easy keepers”, meaning horses that easily gain weight or struggle to keep their weight down, especially ponies or miniature horses. This is a very common grass especially in dry areas and is great for horses. Only a small amount of this plant is needed for symptoms of poisoning to appear. It is more palatable during the spring before the seedheads develop. Grass hay comes in many varieties and the best hay can vary from horse to horse. The phalaris plant is more commonly known by the name of canary grass. Productive, well-managed pastures can provide most of the feed requirements of horses for the least cost. Because of the high fiber content, grass hay is a convenient solution for these easy keepers since it can satisfy the horse’s appetite, without adding extra calories and protein. In the UK it is used to provide cover for wildlife and game birds. 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