beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa

Surviving a wildfire: Thankful, Grateful, Blessed. Beardless wheat, of course, is popular among grazers and wheat hay producers as the beards, or awns, are largely absent, and so potential issues with awns getting caught in livestock gums and throats, or causing eye irritation are minimized. With mid-summer dry weather, there's always the possibility of parched pastures. 2. Fields with just one type of plant growing do not have as much flexibility and count on the weather being great for that plant that year for the field to grow as planned. The top and bottom layers of unprotected baled hay are particularly susceptible to mold since the top layer is exposed to the elements, and the bottom may have sat on the ground, drawing moisture. Robotika/Flickr. All rights reserved. In other outlets I have discussed the grain yield drag that typically occurs with beardless wheats in grain production. Choose Whole Grains. What is the best choice of hay for your flock? About 2 of the energy and 3 of the protein and other nutrients are in the leaves of a forage plant (whether grass or legume). The quality of the hay you feed will also depend on whether you are feeding mature beef cattle, young calves or dairy cows. 1st Or 2nd Cutting Hay? They can grow as long as five inches in some varieties. It is less likely, since timothy matures a bit later in the spring than other hay grasses. Alfalfa is also a good winter feed because heat is created by digestion of protein, so a horse can keep warmer on a cold night. Registered in England and Wales. Give growing lambs high quality hay, no exceptions. The hay needs to be decent but nothing spectacular. Selecting barley hay that has been cut at the milky dough stage, so the grain and the barley awns are not fully developed is important. If you have a source of well made timothy hay, consider yourself to be pretty lucky and buy some for your flock! Factors that can affect nutritional value include plant species in the hay, fertility of soil, harvesting methods (whether the hay was conditioned or crimped to dry faster and lose less leaves and nutrients during drying) and curing time. Wheat can make excellent hay. Types of hay will vary based on where you live. Low sugar varieties of grass hay are best if you can get it, or a mix of grass & alfalfa. Barley hay is suitable as an alternative forage for horses. Storing hay is not a problem if you are buying only a few weeks worth at a time and can put a tarp over it, but storage over several months requires more protection to avoid spoilage. Alfalfa Hay is also higher in Calcium, with about 3 times as much as Grass Hay. Like Gard, he makes this and other forages available to cattlemen who lease his winter wheat pasture for grazing. Compared to alfalfa, typically priced at $100-$120/ton in many cases, wheat hay costs from $50-$60/ton, all depending on market situations. WebFair alfalfa hay $175 to $185, 775 tons overgrown or high moisture $160 to $165. Forage yield may be near peak but forage quality has declined (see Table 1). Either pick it up or drag the pasture to spread the manure so it will decompose more quickly. This year hay harvesting went well. First off, the sheep like a mixed hay. The update Annual Grass Forage Quality Considerations is posted on the Texas A&M AgriLife Research & Extension Center website at Lubbock, seehttps://lubbock.tamu.edu/programs/crops/other-field-crops/forage/. ANSWER. Nutrition information provided is on an "as fed" basis. Since oat hay tends to be higher in nitrates and also high in sugar, this hay is not an option for insulin resistant horses. Nutrition. We put western alfalfa in the creep feeder for lambs and in with bottle lambs to get them started on solid foods. The not so great news about orchard grass is that it tends to mature earlier than most other grasses in the spring. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. WebAlfalfa hay is the classic here. Overly mature hay is basically bedding. Selecting barley hay that has been cut at the milky dough stage, so the grain and the barley awns are not fully developed is important when using it as feed for horses. This is usually when consideration of feeds such as grain hay come into play. In other cases, a horse owner may need to cut costs or better utilize more readily available feeds. Beardless wheat hay is acceptable for horses, though it might take some time for them to become acclimated to it, as some horses must acquire a taste for it. An equine nutritionist offers advice on the best hay to feed a horse who is at risk of developing laminitis. This includes popular varieties like TAM 401 (Fig. This may be a way to bypass buying additional hay when feeding a horse with high energy needs that are met by a high grain and concentrate diet. Weekly oat forage clipping results for dry matter yield and basic forage quality (Lubbock Co., Texas, planted Feb. 15). We (my husband and I) are life long animal lovers and full time livestock farmers in Ohio. 8 Surprising Factors That Impact Auction Prices For Beef Calves, 80+ Photos Of Our Favorite Calves & Cowboys. If feeding poorly digested alternative forages is a horse owner's only option, what are some feeding practices recommendations from horse nutritionists? Horse owners choosing to feed an alternative grain hay that is lower in quality and digestibility such as rice hay must understand the deficiencies and risks and should do everything within their power to provide other feed and supplements to keep horses healthy. That lower quality forage may require supplementation, which can be costly. As long as the orchard grass in your hay is made on time (no seed heads), it makes super grass hay. Changing to a legume hay suddenly can make an animal sick, or cause a ruminant animal to bloat. Wheat hay, if harvested right, can fit the bill, just like it does for stockers and other cattle in winter grazing programs. The animals digestive tracts must adjust to the different type of feed. If you must use alfalfa hay for all your horses, be selective in the hay you choose. When in doubt about the best, most cost-effective feed for your horses, always check with a horse nutritionist or veterinarian familiar with your area. Although you know a thing or two about equine nutrition, the decision about what kind of hay to feed your horse is not an easy one. endstream endobj 44 0 obj <> endobj 45 0 obj <> endobj 46 0 obj <>stream This hay must be well made and full of leaves. Webrenovating old alfalfa stands or perennial Winter wheat hay analysis (2010): 10% CP, 55% TDN 1200-lb cow NRC daily requirements: 2.2 lbs CP and 13 lbs TDN Winter: Rye?, beardless wheat, triticale, spelt. ", "Oat hay is best cut when the oat seed is out of the milk stage and into the dough. They can grow as long as five inches in some varieties. by Dr. Calvin Trostle, Professor & Extension Agronomist, TAMU Dept. Subsequently, horses will select the grain-heads and consume less of the fiber portion of the forage. Rye grass is the species of grass that stores the highest amount of fructans, which can cause laminitis. Always select good quality, clean straw when buying it for feed. Straw from more mature cereal grains can be fed to horses almost exclusively as a fiber source. If you see that its all seed heads, it is overly mature and will not be a good use of your money to feed your sheep. Young calves have tender mouths and cannot chew coarse hay very wellwhether grass or alfalfa. For either of these groups youll need to be feeding better than normal hay because you are wanting higher than normal levels of performance. Our supplier was out of oat seed but could deliver rye and beardless wheat seed, unsure of which beardless wheat seed . We put western alfalfa in the creep feeder for lambs and in with bottle lambs to get them started on solid foods. Forage quality of any typesummer annual grasses like sorghum/sudan, winter small grains, annual legumes, and perennial grassesdeclines with maturity. Low sugar varieties of grass hay are best if you can get it, or a mix of grass & alfalfa. Like oat hay, forage hay is cut at the optimal time to ensure a highly palatable feed for horses, cattle, goats and sheep. Is it better to feed her grass hay higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) or alfalfa lower in NSCs but higher in calories? Your horse is in good body condition; she is doing well on the grass/alfalfa-mix hay you are currently feeding. Texas A&M AgriLife (Trostle) discusses examples of forage quality as well as tips for producing, selling, buying, and storing different forages in a new PowerPoint that examines these issues from several viewpoints. A hay shed is ideal because you can build up the floor with gravel for good drainage so the entire haystack is kept dry. To ensure you're getting proper nutrition, choose wheat-free bread and cereal products that are made with whole grains, such as buckwheat, quinoa, millet, amaranth and flax, says Holtzer. Mainly this is overly mature hay (made very late) and moldy or dusty hay. Alfalfa is also a good winter feed because heat is created by digestion of protein, so a horse can keep warmer on a cold night. I have discussed the grain yield drag that typically occurs with beardless in! & Cowboys overly mature hay ( made very late ) and moldy or dusty hay no exceptions to be lucky... 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