Can Horses Eat Tifton 85 Hay?

“All the growers agree it’s an excellent horse forage and hay.” One of Tifton 85’s drawbacks is its relative lack of cold tolerance. For producers, bermudagrass is a warm-season, southern forage. “Tifton 85 has even less cold tolerance than some other bermudagrass varieties,” Redmon says.

Is Tifton good for horses?

Coastal and Tifton 85 are both excellent warm-season grasses and they will provide the high quality hay and pasture required for hoses if properly managed. And this is not a myth—it is a fact!

Is Tifton 9 hay good for horses?

Tifton 9 Bahia Grass forms firm and rapid pasture, which is acclaimed for use with horses and other animals. It has proven in tests to produce between 30 to 40 percent more forage per year. Tifton 9 Bahia Grass is considered a very durable pasture grass for horses.

What is the best hay to feed horses?

Alfalfa, white clover, red clover and birdsfoot trefoil are common types of legumes, with alfalfa being the most popular choice. Benefits: Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than grass hay, and may also provide more energy and a higher level of total digestible nutrients, such as vitamin A.

What type of grass hay is best for horses?

There are two primary types of horse hay: legume and grass. Alfalfa is the best variety of legume hay, and Orchard grass is the grass hay I recommend; however, Timothy, bermudagrass, bahiagrass, and Kentucky bluegrass are also excellent choices.

Is Tifton hay better than coastal hay?

As far as production, testing in Florida indicates that in general Tifton 85 yields more forage compared to coastal, is more digestible, has a lower sugar content, and is slightly higher in crude protein. Although it has thicker stems, the stems have higher fiber content that is more digestible.

What type of hay is Tifton?

bermudagrass hybrid
On the other hand, Tifton 85, also known as simply Tifton, is a bermudagrass hybrid, a warm-season perennial grass. As with all hay, coastal bermudagrass and Tifton can vary greatly in quality depending upon the time of harvest. Generally, coastal bermudagrass hay, not Tifton, is blamed for impaction colic.

Which grass hay is not recommended for horses?

Hoffman said there are a few grasses to avoid in hay or forage if you are feeding horses. They include: Perennial ryegrass and rye.

Which hay is best for a horse with Cushings?

Alfalfa averages 10-15% NSC, and oat hay is very high, averaging 22%. Alfalfa can be a good option for a horse with Cushings if they are a hard time holding their weight because it is more calorie-dense than grass hay.

What hay is best for fat horses?

Grass hay
Grass hay is the best type for many mature, idle, overweight horses and those with some metabolic problems. Caloric level is lowest, though it may still be too high for safe use with horses that have insulin resistance. Obese horses can eat more of this hay without taking in the energy contained in a better-grade hay.

What is the preferred grass hay of most horse owners?

Although the most popular legume used among horse owners is alfalfa, other legumes such as red or crimson clover, lespedeza, birdsfoot trefoil, and peanut hay are often fed, and these provide horses with high-quality nutrients. Evaluating hay requires a thorough visual appraisal.

What is considered horse quality hay?

Horse hay should be bright green, leafy and fine textured, with a fresh, pleasant aroma. Musty hay or other indications of mold or heating, and dust, weeds and other foreign material in hay can be unhealthy for an animal. Color is an indicator of quality and nutrient content; good hay is a bright green.

Can horses eat all types of hay?

It is as nutritious as timothy hay, and its value can be increased by growing it with a legume. (Left: Bermudagrass Hay). Any of the common hays discussed above can be fed to horses, but what’s most important is nutrient value in relation to the cost of the hay.

How do you know if hay is good for horses?

Good quality hay should be bright green in color with little fading. A bleached, yellow, brown or black color may indicate aged hay, mold or poor storage conditions. Storage condition and age have a significant effect on vitamin content of hays.

What hay has the highest sugar content?

Oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar (NSC), so this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. Here’s a comparison chart so you can see the differences between alfalfa hay, timothy (grass) hay and oat hay.

What kind of hay do race horses eat?

Racehorses should be fed 15-20 lb (7-9 kg) per day of clean grass hay such as timothy or oaten hay. Smaller quantities of alfalfa hay (2-4 lb or 0.9 to 1.8 kg per day) may also be offered. This level of hay intake will meet the racehorse’s maintenance DE requirement and help protect against gastric ulcers and colic.

Can horses have coastal hay?

Bermuda hay for horses is a common warm-season grass hay in the South of the United States. For hay, coastal grass is used, because its common counterpart does not reach the needed height. This hay is typically a good and less expensive alternative to orchard or timothy hay grass hay.

Can horses colic from too much hay?

Too much forage, especially in the form of fresh grass, might cause colic or other metabolic problems.

Can a horse colic on grass hay?

Ileal-cecal impaction has been associated with diets consisting of Bermuda grass hay, which has led some individuals to advocate that the hay should not be fed to horses. Symptoms of ileal-cecal impaction include mild to sever colic with obstruction of the intestinal lumen at the junction of the ileum and cecum.

Can cows eat Tifton hay?

The results of this trial indicate that Tifton 85 bermudagrass haylage can replace alfalfa hay in diets fed to high-producing, lactating dairy cows without depressing DM intake or milk yield when rations are balanced for NDF.

How much does it cost to sprig Tifton 85?

Sprigging cost can run from $35 to $50 dollars per acre. It’s easy to see that to plant an acre of sprigs can run close to $100 per acre, even before the needed fertilizer is applied and the cost of working up the ground is calculated.