What Is Nsc In Horse Hay?

NSC = Simple Sugar and Starch aka Nonstructural Carbohydrates. In order to know the true NSC value of your hay you will have to test it. Multiple cuttings from the same field of grass can yield hay with different levels of NSC. The recommended NSC level in hay for insulin-resistant horses is 10%.

What is considered high NSC in horse feed?

For horses with metabolic conditions, safe NSC percentages are generally 12% or lower, nutritionists say. It’s vital to calculate the percentage on the guaranteed analysis yourself, as marketing on feed products can advertise a “low or controlled” starch diet, but still offer 20% or higher in NSC ranges.

What hay is lowest in NSC?

Though no hay can be reliably classified as low-NSC without being tested, some tend to be more appropriate for metabolic horses, according to Crandell. “In my experience, warm-season grasses like coastal Bermudagrass and teff tend to be lower in NSC than cool-season perennial grasses, such as timothy and orchardgrass.

What is NSC in hay analysis?

Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC) %
Non-structural carbohydrates form the fraction of the hay that is made up of starches and sugars. The NSC value is a calculated value that is useful for evaluating the diets of horses that are sensitive to large amounts of NSC in their diet.

How is NSC calculated in feed?

NSC is a combination of WSC (water-soluble carbohydrates, aka sugars) plus starch. WSC + Starch = NSC. The NSC level recommended for insulin-resistant horses is 10%.

Which horse feed has the lowest NSC?

Feed ingredients such as beet pulp and alfalfa meal are lower in NSC, while grain ingredients such as corn, oats, and barley are higher in NSC.

Is Timothy hay high in NSC?

↑NSC – Stressed cool-season grasses, such as fescue, orchard grass, and Timothy, tend to be higher in NSC. Maintains normal metabolic function and healthy insulin levels.

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 hay is best for laminitic horses?

Hay – The Core Feed For A Laminitis Diet
Safer-type forages include Timothy, Teff, and Rhodes grass hays. Avoid hays containing high amounts of fructan such as ryegrass, oaten, wheaten, or barley hays. If you are unsure of the NSC level of the hay or chaff, you will need to soak it in water to leach the sugars out.

What cut of hay is best for horses?

The most common choice of hay is second cutting, but first cutting is also good for horses, plus it is usually cheaper than the other two. Choose hay that is soft, green, and leafy, with thin stems, so it is easier for horses to eat.

Does steaming hay lower NSC?

The above numbers demonstrate that steaming will reduce the NSC to 12.06% on a 100% dry matter basis. But even better, the NSC level is actually brought down to 10.86% on an as-sampled basis — safe to feed for most insulin resistant horses.

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 is a good protein level for hay?

Protein Content of Hay
The percent of protein in an alfalfa plant is between 15 to 20 percent of the plant. Compare this to timothy grass hay in which the protein content is about half that of alfalfa, yielding about 7 to 11 percent crude protein.

Is starch the same as NSC?

NSC is typically defined as starch + WSC, which will include most forms of soluble carbohydrates in the feed including simple sugars, starch and other nonstructural carbs such as fructans.

Is beet pulp low NSC?

Dried beet pulp shreds are fibrous flakes that can be used as a hay alternative in your horse’s feeding plan. Shredded beet pulp is a highly digestible, calorie-rich feed that provides 8 – 12% protein and has low NSC content.

Are oats low NSC?

They are higher in fat and fibre (thanks to the hull) and are, therefore, lower in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) than most other grains.

What type of horse should not be fed oats?

Even though oats are the grain lowest in sugar and starch, at around 45 to 50% starch they are still far too high in starch for horses on a low sugar and starch diet, eg insulin resistant horses, horses prone to laminitis, those with disorders like Cushings or PSSM etc, as well as many horses who are prone to ulcers,

Can sweet feed cause laminitis?

Sugars in feeds cause a horses blood insulin to rise after eating and this is what researchers now believe triggers most cases of laminitis and certainly most cases of grass or pasture laminitis.

What feed causes laminitis in horses?

Laminitis can be caused by an over consumption of high starch and sugar grains, either in one meal or by feeding large grain meals.

What type of 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.”

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.