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.

Is green hay good for horses?

Green and sweet-smelling: it's usually of good quality. The color indicates that it was baled at an optimal time. Light yellow on the outside of bale: it's sun bleached, which decreases palatability somewhat to horses.

What kind of hay is bad for horses?

Clover and grass hay (different types of clovers like red, white, etc.) Prone to fungus. Protein and fiber-rich. However, they are prone to fungus, and red clover can cause excess salivation in horses.

Which grass hay is not recommended 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.

Why is some hay green and some 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.

Is Alfalfa Hay Good For Horses - When

Is green hay high in sugar?

Ryegrass and grain hays tend toward high sugar, plus starch in the grain hays. Contrary to popular belief, there is no type of grass hay guaranteed to be low sugar and starch. Seed heads are the easiest way to identify a grass hay. Timothy's fuzzy, long seed heads look like a green or beige caterpillar.

Is hay meant to be green?

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.

What is green hay called?

Alfalfa, clover, and peanut are legume hays, while timothy, oat, bermuda, and orchard are examples of grass hays. If you're sitting there thinking that you've seen oat straw before, you may have! Oats can be grown for hay or oats and straw. Hay is basically a grass that is cut green, then dried and baled.

Is Bluegrass hay good for horses?

Kentucky Bluegrass is low-growing and, therefore, low-yielding. Because of this, it is not ideal for hay but is excellent for horse pastures. It is highly nutritious, very palatable, and tolerant of close, frequent grazing. Kentucky Bluegrass also forms a tight sod, providing good pasture footing.

What is the best hay for horses to eat?

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.

Can switching hay cause colic?

A change in the type of hay may cause colic for many reasons. Hay of poor quality is often less digestible, predisposing to impaction. Changing types of hay as in alfalfa and bermuda, may be related to colonic pH changes resulting from calcium differences in the two hays.

How do you know if hay is good for horses?

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.

Why is some hay green and some brown?

Hay that was cured quickly and stored properly is usually a bright green color while hay that was cured slowly or damaged by rain after partial drying may be pale yellow or brown because of bleaching and/or leaching.

What is poor quality hay?

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. If hay has been cut late in maturity, seed heads will be apparent in grass hay and blooms will be evident in alfalfa hay.

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.

What is bluestem hay?

Answer. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is a warm-season grass that produces well, especially in summer. Hay producers do not typically harvest big bluestem during its first year of growth, as this time is used to establish a high-quality stand. Instead, hay is baled the second year.

What cut of hay is best for horses?

Second Cutting

This is the most common cutting of hay that horse owners give to their horses, and for a good reason. It is greener and more substantial, with more leaves and a sweet smell. This hay contains a lot of protein and fat, so it is excellent for horses that exercise.

Can horses eat bluestem hay?

Horses do not graze these grasses very well. However, both switchgrass and little bluestem are consumed well as hay if they are planted in mixtures with other grasses and harvested before seedheads emerge. So they can be used for horse hay even if they make poor horse pasture.

Can horses eat hay that has been rained on?

Rained-on hay can be a suitable forage, especially for horses prone to laminitis. Forage quality tends to be retained if: The rain occurs soon after cutting when the forage has had little time to dry.

Is grass hay or alfalfa better for horses?

Grass hay typically has lower nutritional values than alfalfa hay, and is also lower in calcium, making it closer to a more desirable Ca:P. ratio (between 3:1 to 1:1). Also, grass hay is often less dusty than alfalfa hay, so it a good choice for horses that have respiratory issues.

How can you tell if 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.

What colour should timothy hay be?

Soft Timothy Hay should have these qualities:

Color: Described as hunter or deep green. Soft Timothy Hay should be noticeably darker green than Coarse or Medium Timothy Hay. Stems/Stalks: The stems of Soft hay should be very thin, less than 1/32nd of an inch, if any at all.

Is hay green or brown?

Hay and straw is a brown material type which adds good structure to your compost. It is very tough and breaks down slowly, and it's not the kind of thing you generally find in a backyard. But in the summer, when “browns” are rare, some people purchase hay as a substitute carbon material.