Hay Recommendations
When selecting the right hay for your budget and your animals there are many things to consider. Here are our recommendations based on the type of animal you are feeding and the environment they are in.
Performance Horses:
Performance horses need a lot of fiber to generate energy and a little protein to maintain their body. Our first recommendation is always a 1st cut timothy alfalfa hay (light on alfalfa, 15 to 35 %). Based on what many of our customers use this is a perfect hay for horses that are actively riding, showing, racing ect. In this type of hay mix Timothy provides a great source of fiber and the alfalfa provides just enough protein to make the hay a palatable mix that the horses will eat well. Straight timothy sometimes does not feed well because the horses don’t seem to eat it like they do the mix. The alfalfa in the mix provides just a little “candy” or sweetness in the hay that makes it appealing to them. A timothy alfalfa mix will normally test around 7 to9% protein, have Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF) of around 60 and have a Relative Feed Value (RFV) in the 75 to 90 range. This is a nice safe test range that will give them energy and limited protein. To many people, timothy alfalfa mix may seem to coarse or look stemmy. That is the nature of the 1st cut timothy and alfalfa. What you are seeing in all those stems is the fibrous part of the plant and that is a very important part of the diet. Although horses love to eat it, hay that is soft and green is generally lower in fiber and higher in protein being too rich for performance horses. Second to the mix we recommend straight timothy. For some people having no alfalfa in the diet is important. Also by eliminating the alfalfa the protein of the hay will be lower and the fiber higher. Many of our customers feed straight timothy.
For bedding, performance horses need low dust bedding that will give them as much cushion in the stall as possible. The dust issue is very important to their breathing and this can affect performance. The cushioning is important so their feet can be rested as much as possible and to eliminate cuts from floors, walls ect while in the stall. Shavings can vary a lot depending on what you purchase. Many types of shavings that are a by-product of saw mills have a lot of fines and dust mixed in with flakes. We recommend our large flake mix SHOWFLAKES shavings. These shavings are milled from white and yellow pine, they are clean and very low in dust. They are not a by-product, they are milled specifically for horse bedding and remain consistent all the time. Second to shavings we recommend bedding on our bright wheat straw. Our wheat straw is very clean, not dusty and shakes out well creating a fluffy deep bed.
Breeding Horses:
Brood mares or growing foals need protein to produce milk and grow. We recommend straight alfalfa hay or 2nd cut alfalfa grass mixes of hay. Alfalfa hay is high in protein around 18 to 22% and relative feed value (RFV) of 150 to 200. Straight alfalfa will provide the highest protein and horses typically eat it very well. Some of our most successful breeding farm customers feed only straight alfalfa to all the horses on the farm. Other customers feed our second recommendation; 2nd cut grass alfalfa mix. This hay is softer and green with a nice sweet mix of the palatable grass and alfalfa hay together. The 2nd cut mix is normally a few points lower in protein then the straight alfalfa, but some customers prefer it lower so that the animals grow slightly slower or for other reasons. Straight alfalfa and alfalfa grass mixes comes in a variety of bale sizes, 65lb 2 string, 110lb 3 string and the 900lb large square bales. 2 or 3 string small bales work very well when feeding in the barn. Bales can be dropped in to feeders and handled quite easily out of a hay loft. Large square bales work well for feeding in run-in sheds or outdoor feeders. The bale can be loaded in the back of a pickup truck or wagon, strings cut and the large 40lb flakes tossed in to feeders.
For bedding we recommend only bright wheat straw. It is the standard for almost every breeding farm customer that we have. Our bright wheat straw is clean, long stemmed and shakes out well to provide a fluffy deep bed for mares and foals to lie in. It is important to only use wheat straw when bedding brood mares and foals as rye straw has a natural mold in it that has been linked to causing some diseases that they are susceptible to. Oat straw on the other hand will be eaten by the horses and you may not want that in their diet. Our straw comes in 3 bale sizes. 2 string 45lb, 3 string 75lb and 700lb large square bales. As with the hay the small square bales work well in the barn/hayloft situation and the large square bales work well in outside sheds.
Pleasure horses
Pleasure horses typically need a more mellow hay that they can eat plenty of and not get a sick stomach or have too much energy. We recommend our 1st cut timothy grass mix hay. It has fiber, a little protein and no alfalfa so horses will typically eat it slower. Many customers feed horses that are not working a lot of hay and less grain for a few reasons, one being that it gives them something to do when they are bored. Timothy grass mix hay is typically our lowest cost hay and that is good for the budget minded customer. We also recommend certain grades of later cut timothy or timothy alfalfa that may not be as green as some of the hay that we recommend for performance horses. This is still great horse hay but does not have the eye appeal or smell that the #1 grades of hay have. But that is fine for pleasure horses because you want them to munch on it slower. For older or retired horses that may be hard keepers we sometimes recommend a 2nd cut grass alfalfa mix that is soft and palatable and high in protein. These types of hay are available in 2 string 45lb bales, 2 string 65lb bales, 900lb large square bales and 4x4 round bales (stored inside). Depending on how you feed and handle your hay any of these size bales may be right for you.
For bedding we recommend shavings or straw equally. Everyone has their preference.
Dairy and Livestock
Dairy animals need high protein hay to milk on. In most cases the higher the protein and relative feed value (RFV) the more milk the animals will produce. The hay also needs to be palatable for cows or goats to eat enough of it well. We recommend our 2nd cut alfalfa or alfalfa grass mix hays. These types of hay will be green leafy, sweet smelling and palatable. Depending on the batch protein can range from 16% to 22% and relative feed value (RFV) from 160 to 200. Cows eat high quality alfalfa very well and it is typically mixed in a total mix ration (TMR) with other ingredients like haylage, corn or grains. Goats will produce milk better on a 2cut soft alfalfa grass mix because they eat the soft grass blades mixed with the alfalfa leaves and stems very well. These types of hay are available in 2 string 65lb bales or 900lb – 2000lb large square bales. The bale size that is right for you entirely depends on your feeding and hay handling methods.
For beef or other livestock the type of hay that is right may depend of their lifecycle. We have a range of hay from grass mixes to the alfalfa mixes in large square and round bales that can fill your needs. The most cost effective hay for feeding beef cows is outside stored round bales of timothy grass mix hay. Because beef cows are not picky and weathered hay on the edges of the bale will not hurt them as it could horses outside stored round bales are safe to feed.
Clean fresh bedding in important to produce healthy milk and animals. Our first recommendation is wheat straw. It is clean and cost effective. Wheat straw comes in 2 string 65lb bales, 3 string 75lb bales or 700lb large square bales.
Construction and Environmental
Hay and straw is the most important tool to prevent erosion and runoff during a construction project where the earth is disturbed. Hay bales can be used to create a barrier that will stop runoff by lining the bales up and driving stakes through them to hold them in place. Hay can also be spread as a mulch layer on top of disturbed dirt to keep it in place or shelter grass seed while it sprouts and takes root. Straw can be used for the same purpose. In many areas local environmental regulations or specific job engineering guidelines specify to either use hay or straw. The advantage to straw over hay when spread as a mulch to stabilize soil or shelter sprouting grass seed, is that straw carries very minimal if any weed seed. The reason for this is that wheat (straw) is a crop that is planted and rotated so weeds do not have a chance to move in to a wheat field so quickly. Hay on the other hand is planted and the field will stay in hay for a minimum of 5 years and many times much longer so weeds tend to move in and mix with the hay. For environmental reasons it is important to control the spread of weeds to new areas.
Depending on your needs we either recommend mulch hay or wheat straw in 2 string 45lb bales. The bales can easily be handled and used to create barriers or fed in to a blower and spread as mulch. They can also be spread by hand. 2 string bales measure 14” X 18” X 33 to 36” in length. They come tied with biodegradable poly string.
