Is Millet Hay Ok For Horses?

The primary use for foxtail millet hay is for sheep and cattle. This grass can cause problems if used as a major part of a horse’s diet so as hay it should not be sold as horse hay. Problems include a laxative effect, excessive urination (cystitis), and kidney and bone or joint problems.

What hay should 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.

What is the most digestible hay for horses?

Timothy hay is a popular choice because of its easy digestibility and may be more suitable for certain life stages. However, alfalfa hay has a higher calcium-to-phosphorus ratio, which makes it unsuitable for younger horses. Timothy hay has a balanced calcium-to-phosphorus ratio.

What millet is best for hay?

Hay — The easiest millet to hay is Foxtail and Proso Millet. Pearl Millet stems are too coarse to allow for a good hay option. Japanese Millet stems are coarser than Foxtail and Proso Millets but thinner than Pearl Millet.

Is millet good for grazing?

Millet produces good quality forage and supplies grazing from June through August (Figure 10). Millet planted in spring (April) should be ready for grazing 30 – 40 days after planting and should be productive for 80 – 110 days. The crop is most productive during the first 60 days of the life of the stand.

What is the healthiest 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.

What are 3 things horses should not eat?

Here are eight foods you should never feed your horse:

• Chocolate. ©russellstreet/Flickr CC.
• Persimmons.
• Avocado.
• Lawn clippings.
• Pitted fruits.
• Bread.
• Potatoes and other nightshades.
• Yogurt or other milk products.

What hay is best for older horses?

Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment. The small intestine loses some function – Older horses find it harder to digest protein in the small intestine.

What hay is lowest in sugar?

What is this? In addition Timothy hay is higher in fiber and lower in sugar and calories than most other types of horse hay, making it a great choice for overweight horses. Timothy hay is also higher in calcium, which is essential for horse health.

What hay is best for insulin resistant horses?

Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses’ diets, even for those that are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse’s muscle tone, immune system and overall health.

Does millet hay have nitrates?

Pearl millet has been noted to accumulate significantly higher quantities of nitrates than does sudangrass. This usually occurs in times of environmental stress. Pearl millets will cease growth earlier in stress conditions than will sudangrass, thus, allowing a buildup of nitrates in a greatly reduced plant volume.

Can millet be used for hay?

Millets are small-seeded, fast-growing summer annual grasses used for hay, pasture, and silage. These warm-season annuals are often used as a temporary forage before doing fall pasture renovation.

Will millet reseed itself?

Weedy or Invasive: Browntop millet can become weedy, and may interfere with crop harvest. It produces large amounts of seed and can readily regrow from a viable seed bank, even after several years.

Who should avoid eating millet?

People with intestinal disorders can have difficulty. Millets are a good source of amino acids, but very high content of amino acids for the body is not recommended,” said Anjali, nutrition consultant and founder of Starlite Wellness studio.

Does millet need nitrogen?

Fertilizer requirements for pearl millet are similar to those for grain sorghum. Apply 80 to 100 pounds of nitrogen per acre in soils with a clay pan (Table 2). In deep soils, pearl millet can respond to applications of 100 to 140 pounds of nitrogen per acre.

Does millet have prussic acid?

Now – pearl millet does not contain prussic acid so if you planted millet these grazing precautions aren’t needed. Pearl millet can be grazed when it reaches 12 to 15 inches tall. Nitrates also can accumulate in these grasses. However, as long as you avoid grazing too short, nitrates should not be a problem.

What horse hay has the lowest sugar?

If you are looking for low-sugar hay for a metabolic horse, it’s all about how the hay is grown and managed. Teff can be as low as 5% sugar and the only other hay that’s this low in sugar is bluegrass straw—which is also used a lot for metabolic horses.”

Which hay is highest in sugar?

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 is the most popular hay for horses?

Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. It can be quite expensive, depending on whether it has to be shipped long distances. Timothy must be harvested in the pre- or early-bloom stage to ensure a high nutrient content.

What do horses love to eat the most?

What do horses eat?

• Grass – horses love grass.
• Hay or haylage – keeps your horse full and its digestive system working, particularly in the cooler months from autumn to early spring when pasture isn’t available.
• Fruit or vegetables – these add moisture to the feed.

What should I feed my horse everyday?

Provide plenty of roughage
A horse should eat one to two percent of their body weight in roughage every day. Horses who spend much of their time in stalls aren’t doing much grazing, but their natural feeding patterns can be replicated by keeping hay in front of them for most of the day.