Is Sudan Hay Good For Horses?

Sorghum-sudan grass You can use it as a pasture or hay but it’s most commonly used during periods of high temperatures and drought. Sorghum-sudan grass isn’t a common horse feed, but you can feed it during droughts, especially when other forage is limited.

Can horses have Sudan?

Can horses safely graze sorghum/sudan grasses and be fed sorghum/sudan hay? No. These types of grasses can cause cyanide poisoning in horses. However, you can use millet instead, which is an annual that will produce a great deal of grazing and hay.

What is the best 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 is Sudan hay used for?

Sudangrass serves as an excellent pasture or hay crop, with its 3 to 5′ height and slender (<1/2 inch), leafy stems. These characteristics make it well suited for pasture, dry hay, or silage. Forage sorghum was developed from grain sorghum, and this crop is suitable for silage, but not dry hay production.

Is Sudan hay toxic?

All parts of the plant are poisonous especially if wilted or in regrowth. The cyanide blocks the action of the cellular enzyme cytochrome oxidase thus preventing hemoglobin from releasing oxygen to the tissues. Death results rapidly from anoxia. Sudan grass may also accumulate toxic levels of nitrates.

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.

Can you feed forage sorghum to horses?

Grain hays comprised of sorghum grass and Johnson grass hay should NOT be fed to horses due to the toxicity levels of these plants.

What is the cheapest hay for horses?

Bermudagrass, which is a common grass variety, will be cheaper than alfalfa, which is a variety of legume hay.

What is the softest hay for horses?

Orchard is a very soft grass, and is often a good choice for older horses and those with dental issues. It is generally very palatable and easy to digest. Some horses won’t eat certain types of hay, so if you have a picky horse, try changing it up!

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 nutritional value of Sudan hay?

Sudan grass, hay

Is Sudan grass highly digestible?

Our BMR Forage Sorghums, Sorghum-sudans, and Sudangrass are highly digestible, high yielding summer annual products that top the charts in productivity in hot, dry weather. Millets, Teff and Crabgrass are summer annual choices, that when managed properly, can be used for horse pasture and/or dry hay.

How many times can you cut sudangrass?

Many summer annual forages grown in Kansas may be cut for hay multiple times. With reasonable care, those forages — sudangrass, hybrid pearl millets, and even sorghum-sudangrass hybrids — can produce two and even three cuttings with excellent feed value, said Kansas State University agronomist Vic Martin.

Is Sudan grass hay safe for horses?

Sorghum-sudangrass can cause cyanide poisoning in horses after a fall frost, especially nonkilling frosts. Don’t feed horses hay that contains more than 2 percent nitrate. If buying sorghum-sudangrass during a drought year, test the forage for cyanide and nitrate content before feeding it.

Is Sudan grass the same as Johnsongrass?

Johnsongrass is a perennial sorghum that closely resembles sudan grass, is native to the Mediterranean region, and was introduced into the United States about 1830 from an unknown source.

Does Sudan grass have prussic acid?

Prussic acid does not form in sorghum and sudangrass plants until the leaf tissue is ruptured, as with grazing or chopping. Young, rapidly growing plants will have the highest levels of prussic acid. The cyanide-producing compounds are more concentrated in young leaves.

What hay is toxic to horses?

Endophytes present in tall fescue and ryegrass produce mycotoxins that are toxic to equines. Endophyte-infected fescue hay can cause reproductive problems resulting in dystocia (foaling difficulties) and poor milk production.

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 forage is ideal for horses?

Forages such as long stem hay and/or pasture grasses and legumes are the traditional cornerstones of horse rations. A good source of forage should comprise at least 50% of a horse’s daily intake, which would be 12 to 15 lbs of dry hay for the average adult horse.

What does sorghum do to horses?

Sorghum poisoning is characterized by caudal ataxia or incoordination, cystitis, urinary incontinence (which predisposes both male and female horses to cystitis), and alopecia on the hind legs due to urine scalding. The loss of urinary bladder function is related to axonal degeneration of spinal cord neurons.