Is orchard grass bad for horses?

Orchardgrass is a cool-season perennial and a desirable hay and pasture grass for horses. Orchardgrass is a relatively shade-tolerant cool-season perennial that can provide high yield and forage quality under good management. It is well known as a desirable grass for horses, both for hay and pasture.

Is orchard grass safe for horses?

“As a source of fiber, well-made orchardgrass hay has a place in the diets of all types of horses. When it's clean and sweet-smelling, its palatability is wonderful, and few horses refuse it,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph. D., nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Is orchard grass or timothy better for horses?

Orchardgrass and timothy hay are both excellent, but orchard grass gets the nod as the best of the two. It has a higher protein and calorie content and balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus.

Can horses eat alfalfa orchard grass?

Alfalfa is very palatable to horses, so they tend to waste less of it compared to grass hay. Its high protein and mineral content may prompt your horse to drink more, keeping him better hydrated overall.

Is orchard grass good for cows and horses?

A sought-after grass known for its soft, highly palatable leaves, orchardgrass is suitable for horses, cattle, and small ruminants. It has good quality forage with heavy spring yield and moderate fall production but is less drought tolerant than fescue.

Horse Hay. Timothy, Orchard, Alfalfa, Fescue. Is your hay still good or gone bad

Is orchard grass good for horses with laminitis?

Often, laminitis relates to nutrition and diet. Rapid intake of nonstructural carbohydrates (or sugar) stored in pasture plants can cause laminitis. Cool season grasses like orchardgrass, bromegrass, and timothy tend to store more carbohydrates.

Does orchard grass make good hay?

Orchardgrass is a versatile grass and can be used for pasture, hay, green chop, or silage. A high-quality grass, it will provide excellent feed for most classes of livestock.

What is the difference between timothy hay and orchard grass?

Oxbow Western Timothy Hay is high in fibre, low in protein and calcium and is a good, basic grass hay with high quality nutrition. Orchard grass is another cool-season grass; it grows in tufts and is more drought tolerant than Timothy hay. Orchard grass has a soft texture and is high in fibre and low in protein.

Is orchard grass high in sugar?

Most cool-season grasses, like orchardgrass and fescue, can have high sugar content. Timothy and crested wheatgrass tend to be medium in sugar content, as are most warm season (native) grasses.

What is the most nutritious hay for horses?

What is orchard grass good for?

Grazing/Hayland: The primary use of orchardgrass is for pasture and hay forage production (Ogle, et al., 2011a). It is highly palatable to all classes of livestock. It is one of the best forage grasses for use in the Northern states under intensive rotational grazing systems.

What type of grass hay is best for horses?

Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. It can be quite expensive, depending on whether it has to be shipped long distances. Timothy must be harvested in the pre- or early-bloom stage to ensure a high nutrient content.

What is the difference between orchard grass and Bermuda grass?

Bermuda vs.

Orchardgrass is about 12% protein which is a slightly higher amount than Bermuda. It also contains more calories per pound and a reasonable balance of calcium and phosphorous levels. Like Bermuda, it's a good grass hay candidate for your horses.

Is Orchard fescue good for horses?

If feeding grass hay, keep in mind that horses tend to prefer “stalky” grass over soft grasses, so timothy and orchard grass are good choices. Fescue hay (or pasture grass) should never be fed to pregnant mares because an endophyte (fungus) that grows in this grass can cause pregnancy complications and abortion.

Is Orchard fescue hay good for horses?

There are many types of hay that can be safely fed to horses. Geographic conditions usually dictate what types of hay are grown in an area. Some common types of hay include: timothy, alfalfa, orchard grass, coastal Bermuda grass, pangola, brome, clover, and fescue.

Is fescue or orchard grass better?

Grazing Comparison

After a 10-year study, researchers in Virginia found that while animals gained more weight grazing on orchardgrass, they grained more per acre grazing on tall fescue. The researchers concluded that grazing animals preferred orchardgrass over tall fescue or bluegrass.

What is the lowest sugar hay for horses?

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."

Does orchard grass have more sugar than timothy hay?

Orchard grass is similar in starch levels to Timothy hay but can be significantly higher in ethanol soluble carbohydrate, measuring up to 20 percent. The sugar content of feeds and hay is evaluated based on the starch and ethanol soluble carbohydrate -- also called simple sugars -- content.

What hay is best for Laminitic horses?

Generally, a mixture of grass hay and alfalfa is the best hay combination for horses prone to laminitis.

Is orchard hay more expensive than timothy?

Orchard grass hay is not as nutrient sensitive to the time of cutting as the other grass hays, and is also less expensive than timothy hay.

Is orchard grass better for allergies?

Allergies, especially to Timothy Hay are common (you aren't alone!). Orchard Grass can be a wonderful alternative for you and your small pet while still giving them all the important nutrients they need. In our experience, people who are allergic to Timothy Hay are less allergic to our Orchard Grass.

What hay is best for older horses?

A reduction in fiber fermentation means that older horses receive less nutrients from forage resulting in higher quality forages being required. Alfalfa hay and good quality grass hays are preferable to stemmy and mature hays that have tougher fiber to ferment.

When should I cut orchard grass?

Therefore, the best time to do any cutting is when grasses have reached what is called the “late boot stage”. This stage is typically reached after 6 to 8 weeks of growth in the spring or 6 to 8 weeks after a previous cutting. The “late boot stage” is when the seed head of the grasses first pops out of the sheath.

How do you get rid of orchard grass?

Use white vinegar

Pick up some white vinegar and pour it into a spray bottle. A good rule of thumb is to use 2 cups of vinegar for every 1 square foot of orchardgrass you want to kill. This simple white vinegar solution should kill orchardgrass within a few days.

Does orchard grass come back every year?

There are some varietal variations but, in general, orchardgrass matures about one week earlier than tall fescue and about two weeks before smooth bromegrass. It also regrows quickly after harvest, making it well suited for seeding with frequently harvested alfalfa.