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.
How do you save money on hay?
Buy in Bulk: A large shipment of hay is nearly always cheaper than multiple smaller ones because of transport costs. If you have the storage space, purchase all the hay you’ll need for a year at one time. If you don’t have the space, consider purchasing a year’s worth of hay, but taking delivery in stages.
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 is the price of a bale of hay?
The Price of Hay Bales By Weight
| Hay Quality | Bale Type | Maximum Price per Ton |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Large Square | $275 |
| Large Round | $210 | |
| Grade 2 | Large Square | $180 |
| Large Round | $155 |
How much is a bundle of hay for horses?
Horse hay typically costs between $15 and $30 per bale. The price of hay varies depending on the hay type, the quality, and the geographical location. For example, horse hay is typically more expensive in California than in Louisiana, where there is plenty of grass.
What is the cheapest type of hay?
Bermudagrass, also referred to as coastal, is one of the cheapest varieties of grass hay.
How Much Will hay be in 2022?
2022 hay prices forecast by the Livestock Marketing Information Center. Hay prices are forecast to reach record levels in 2022, with national alfalfa prices forecast to average $245/ton for the 2022-23 hay crop year. Other hay prices are forecast to average $155/ton for the current hay crop year.
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.
How many bales of hay should a horse eat per day?
A horse can eat anywhere from 15-25 pounds of hay a day, which generally equates to a half of a 45/50-pound square bale of hay per day (~15-30 bales per month).
What to feed horses when you run out of hay?
If hay isn’t enough, grain can be added, but the bulk of a horse’s calories should always come from roughage. Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks. A horse should eat one to two percent of their body weight in roughage every day.
Is it cheaper to buy hay or make it?
In most environments where forage production is based on natural rainfall, you can almost always buy hay cheaper than you can produce it.
How much is a bale of alfalfa?
48 bales of horse quality alfalfa 3×3×8$200/bale 1,030#/bale average Also have cow quality alfalfa hay 3×3×8 1,000#/bale average $185/bale.
Why is hay so expensive?
A major player has been the production obstacles of the 2021 growing season. Rankin explained that some parts of the country experienced drought, and in the Northwest, excessive heat stymied hay growth, even on irrigated acres.
How many bales of hay do you need for 2 horses?
2. For two horses, how many bales of hay would you need every ten days? Answer: 2 x 2 = 4. You would need 4 bales of hay.
How many flakes of hay does a horse need a day?
The daily dry matter intake of an adult horse performing light work should be about 1.8% of its body weight each day. At least 65% of this amount should be forage. In other words, a 1,000 lb horse should be fed 18 pounds of dry matter each day.
How long does a square bale of hay last one horse?
about 3.5 days
In general, a standard 40 lb. square bale of hay lasts one horse for about 3.5 days. But many factors such as age, workload, type of hay, and access to pasture grass affect how much they eat. I find most horses eat between 10-15 pounds of hay each day.
What is low quality hay?
Characteristics of low-quality forages include high fiber content, low crude protein (CP) and energy (total digestible nutrients or TDN) content, and reduced fiber digestibility. Low-quality forages also may have tough, coarse stems and reduced leaf-to-stem ratios, which can reduce palatability to livestock.
What are the 4 categories of hay?
Hay falls into several categories: grass, legume, mixed (grass and legume) and cereal grain straw (such as oat hay). Some of the more common grass hays include timothy, brome, orchard grass and bluegrass. In some parts of the country fescue, reed canary grass, ryegrass and Sudan grass are common.
Which cut of hay is best?
The first cutting usually has a higher weed content, and quality decreases after the second cutting, so the second cutting is usually the best to feed.
Is 10 year old hay still good?
Hay doesn’t come stamped with an expiration date, so sometimes it’s hard to know when to use it and when to toss it. Consider these points: If the hay was of good-quality when harvested and stored in a dry place with sufficient airflow, hay is likely suitable for consumption for two to three years.
How much hay can 1 acre produce a year?
Even an average rule of thumb can vary widely by region, soil, and type of hay. For us here in the Midwest, a mixed grass/legume hay can yield anywhere from one to five tons per acre for a full season.
Contents