How do you know if horse hay is good?

Good quality hay should be bright green in color with little fading. A bleached, yellow, brown or black color may indicate aged hay, mold or poor storage conditions. Storage condition and age have a significant effect on vitamin content of hays.

How can you tell if hay is fresh?

What is considered horse quality hay?

Horse hay should be bright green, leafy and fine textured, with a fresh, pleasant aroma. Musty hay or other indications of mold or heating, and dust, weeds and other foreign material in hay can be unhealthy for an animal. Color is an indicator of quality and nutrient content; good hay is a bright green.

How do you know if horse hay is bad?

Signs that your horse hay may be bad include a lack of color or dried-out appearance, a moldy smell, excessive dust, visible mold, or excessive heat towards the center of the hay bale. Because hay provides your horse with so many essential nutrients, you must provide your horse with the best quality hay available.

How do you pick good hay?

How To Visually Tell If Your Horse Hay Is Good Or Bad

What kind of hay is not good for horses?

Bahiagrass: This grass hails from the southern coastal plains. It's typically found in pastures, so the stuff they make into hay is not that great for horses. Overly mature Bahiagrass hay can cause ergot poisoning, so buyer beware.

What kind of hay is bad for horses?

Legume hay is protein-rich but lacks adequate levels of calcium and phosphorus. Because it is packed full of nutrients and minerals, legume hay has a higher calorie content which is not suitable for overweight horses or those with a higher propensity to gain those unwanted extra pounds.

When feeding horses hay What are some signs the hay is poor quality?

In addition, free access to hay and/or forage can help to reduce gastric upset, especially in horses prone to equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS)5. Poor-quality hay may be damp and moldy with a musty or fermented smell. Hay that appears weathered, straw-like, or brown is likely low in nutritional value.

Can horses eat old hay?

It might actually be completely fine to feed to your horse. You'll have to thoroughly check it over, but it's not as bad as you might think. Surprisingly, old hay can hold onto its value fairly well if stored correctly. It should have been kept dry and out of direct sunlight.

What does bad hay smell like?

Smell the Hay

Pull out a fistful of hay and smell it. Good hay should smell somewhat sweet. Make sure that the hay doesn't smell like mold or mildew – if it does, refuse the hay.

Should hay be yellow?

In most cases, green hay has a large amount of keratins, which is a precursor to vitamins A and E. On the other hand, if the hay has a yellow coloration, it may have been over mature when harvested or could have been rained on in the field before baling.

How long is hay good for horses?

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. Keep in mind that hay, even premium forage, loses much of its vitamin content in the first few months of storage.

How can you tell the difference between alfalfa and grass hay?

One of the biggest differences between alfalfa hay and grass hay is the protein content. On average, alfalfa hay has much higher levels of protein, ranging from 15% to 21% depending on when the alfalfa was cut. This is much higher than the protein levels of grass hay, which typically contains 10% or less protein.

What should good hay smell like?

The smell of typical fresh cut hay is desirable. Hay that smells of mildew, mustiness or rotten odors indicates low quality. Odor should be always inspected regardless of the animal that will be consuming the hay. However extra importance should be given to hay odors if horses will be consumers.

What is the most important indicator of hay quality?

It is proposed that the five most important nutritional measurements for hay crops are: dry matter (DM), ash, amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber (aNDF), some measure of digestibility or energy value, and crude protein (CP). The DM of a hay crop measures the proportion of the as-is weight that is nutrients.

What is the white stuff on hay?

In hay, the white mold in the bale is the mycelium and dustiness is from the tiny spores. The potential for hay molding starts even with the standing hay crop where bacteria protects the plant from fungal and yeast infections.

What happens when you feed a horse moldy hay?

Moldy hay can kill a horse. It's a cause of colic that can be fatal, and some types of mold are toxic to horses. And inhaled mold spores enter horses' respiratory systems when they eat, causing heaves or other chronic respiratory diseases. Feeding moldy hay to horses is dangerous.

How do I know if my hay is low in sugar?

On a Feed and Mineral Test the sugars in your hay are reported as Water Soluble Carbohydrate (WSC) and is shown as a percentage. Low Sugar Hay should be 4% - 11% WSC and be low in protein.

What can I do with poor quality hay?

Offer the cow herd plenty of choices

“Offer them plenty of other choices. It would be wise to approach this winter feeding period with a ration that has several components if possible. Hay only has too many risks this year. I would consider feeding cornstalks, corn silage, grains, and co-products with your hay.

Why is alfalfa bad for horses?

Alfalfa hay can cause diarrhea in a horse that overeats it because the hay is rich and full of nutrients. Overeating alfalfa can also cause a horse to have excess gas, develop laminitis, and founder.

Is green hay bad for horses?

Green. Without question, the most desirable color of hay is bright green. Greenness indicates the hay was not subjected to any adverse conditions during curing or storage, thereby suggesting the forage is nutritious and free of molds. Green hay is often rife with carotene, a precursor to vitamin A, and vitamin E.

Is timothy hay or alfalfa better for horses?

Alfalfa hay is typically higher in protein and essential nutrients than timothy hay, making Alfalfa a better option for more active animals that need a high protein diet. Alfalfa also has more calories per pound than timothy, so it's generally the preferred choice of sport horse owners.