Can Horses Have Green Hay?

While alfalfa is considered an ideal hay, horses can also eat timothy, clover and tall fescue hays as well as mixtures of these hays. No matter what the variety of hay they eat, hay that retains its green color is preferable to yellow hay, and clean hay is a priority.

What does it mean if hay is green?

Greenness indicates the hay was not subjected to any adverse conditions during curing or storage, thereby suggesting the forage is nutritious and free of molds. Green hay is often rife with carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, and vitamin E.

Should hay be green or yellow?

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.

What’s the difference between yellow and green hay?

In most cases, green hay has a large amount of keratins, which is a precursor to vitamins A and E. On the other hand, if the hay has a yellow coloration, it may have been over mature when harvested or could have been rained on in the field before baling.

Is green alfalfa good for horses?

“The biggest benefit of alfalfa for horses is that it tends to be more nutrient-dense than most grasses when harvested at the same stage of maturity,” says Martinson. It typically contains more digestible energy, more crude protein and calcium, and fewer nonstructural carbohydrates (sugars and starches).

What do you do with green hay?

Generally, green hay will land in clumps and it is best to go over the material with a hay bob/tedder to spread it more evenly and shake out the seeds. Once spread, livestock should be let into the field to trample in the seeds. Spreading bales can be done in a number of ways.

Is green hay good for animals?

Alfalfa (green or fed as hay) is better for calves, younger cattle, or dairy and pregnant cows in late gestation. While the nutritional value of hay for beef cattle isn’t as crucial as dairy, it is still something for producers to think about, especially pre-calving and while nursing a calf.

What kind of hay is best for a horse?

Legume Hay for 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.

How can you tell a good hay for a horse?

Look for the following characteristics: Maturity – High quality hay will have a high proportion of leaves in the bale, with few or no coarse stems or seed heads. Condition – High quality hay will contain little dust or mold. Color & odor – High quality hay generally has a bright green color and a sweet, fresh odor.

What does rotten hay look like?

The best way to know if your hay is going bad is to learn how to identify high-quality horse hay! Signs that your horse hay may be bad include a lack of color or dried-out appearance, a moldy smell, excessive dust, visible mold, or excessive heat towards the center of the hay bale.

What hay is not good for horses?

Bahiagrass: This grass hails from the southern coastal plains. It’s typically found in pastures, so the stuff they make into hay is not that great for horses. Overly mature Bahiagrass hay can cause ergot poisoning, so buyer beware.

What hay can horses not eat?

Types of Hay for Horses—What to Avoid

• Perennial ryegrass and rye.
• Dallisgrass.
• Argentine bahiagrass.
• Johnsongrass, Sorghum grasses/Sudangrass.
• Switchgrass, which causes photosensitivity, peeling skin, mouth ulcers and liver disease.
• Foxtail Millet (aka German Millet) and Meadow foxtail.

Can horses eat moldy hay?

Don’t feed moldy hay to horses. Most moldy hay problems are from mold spores, which can produce respiratory disease in horses. Many of the common mold toxins develop in the field during a delayed harvest. If you suspect a mold toxin problem, review your horse’s nutrition and health.

What kind of greens can horses eat?

Horses enjoy celery, corn, lettuce, squash, sweet potatoes, and turnips. Vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins, too. For example, carrots are high in Vitamin A and celery is a good source of Vitamin K. Feeding these items in limited quantities is fine and your horse may actually enjoy the variety!

Can horses eat green feed bales?

They are very good in programs for mature horses at maintenance. Cereal hay made from oats, barley, or wheat can also be used for feeding horses. Oat hay or green feed is a common forage for horses in many parts of North America.

Why can’t horses have alfalfa?

Excess protein, like excess energy has been implicated as a cause of developmental orthopedic disease in growing horses. 3. Alfalfa hay contains too much calcium and/or magnesium a. The high calcium level causes a high calcium:phosphorus ratio which may contribute to developmental orthopedic disease b.

Can hay be too dry for horses?

Perhaps the biggest factor in making horse hay is making hay at the correct moisture level. Our best hay is dried the quickest so as to not sacrifice a loss in color. However, if the hay is too dry when baled, it can become dusty. Dry hay also loses an excessive amount of leaves which contain most of the nutrients.

What do the different colors of hay bales mean?

Hay Bales or Silage Bales wrapped in different colours has no real meaning. The different colours are just what the bailing contractor has on hand at the time. There are times when bales might be wrapped in a colour to represent a special time of the year or bring awareness to a special cause.

What happens if you don’t cut alfalfa?

The bad news is that if it stays dry you can’t do anything good for it either. As alfalfa continues to just sit there nearly dormant, it will slowly lose feed value and tonnage due to continued maturation as well as leaf loss from insect feeding, diseases, and simple old age.

Is grass hay safe for horses?

GRASS HAYS
Although grass hay is generally lower in protein and energy and higher in fiber than legume hay, this is, in part, what makes it a good choice for many adult horses. It can satisfy the horse’s appetite and provide necessary roughage without excess calories and protein.

Do horses need green grass?

One of the key ingredients that may be nutritionally deficient for horses that have no access to green grass is vitamin E. Without a sufficient intake of vitamin E, a horse can experience muscle, neurologic or immune system problems.