Grass hay is just about the norm for feeding horses nowadays. Unless you feed your horses pellets, you've got to have hay available throughout the year. You want to plan well, especially for the cold winter months. Before winter sets in, you will need to store enough hay to feed all of your horses thru the longest winters, with a little left over. Hay helps you with your grass conservation efforts for your pasture.
While a lot relies upon your location, feeding pellets is usually a rather more pricey alternative to feeding hay. Sometimes, unavailability of hay makes you stock up on pellets as an alternative even though you'll prefer hay.
For all normal purposes, grass hay or pasture will meet your horses energy requirement adequately. Nevertheless if your horses are doing difficult work on the ranch or at events, you might need to add supplements to the hay. You have a range of options, including coastal hay, oat hay, alfalfa (which is the richest of the hays), rye hay, timothy hay and bermuda grass hay.
It is not necessarily easy to find good grass hay in the quantities you need. You must also understand how to choose the right hay. Hay of top quality is leafy and fine stemmed. The hay shouldn't be too dry, as the leaves have the maximum nutrient content. The bale should contain hay that is bright green all the way throu. The greener the hay, the better its quality will be. Green hay has a very large proportion of protein and vitamins. Take care when feeing your horses protein-laden hays like alfalfa and clover. These hays could cause sickness in your horses. Your ideal feed would be a mixture of alfalfa and grass. There should be no weeds and dust mould in your hay. The hay should be free of any odour that suggests mold or mustiness. The hay shouldn't have exaggerated moisture content.
If you have enough horses to exploit the size of numbers, it is possible to get your hay right from a wholesaler. Local feed stores or hay growers might be costly. You should buy your hay in large quantities, so that it will serve you for between 3 and 6 months. Fresh hay is always better than last year's hay.
You should store hay in a high and dry area free from moisture. Protect your hay from mould. Mouldy hay can produce colic in horses.
While a lot relies upon your location, feeding pellets is usually a rather more pricey alternative to feeding hay. Sometimes, unavailability of hay makes you stock up on pellets as an alternative even though you'll prefer hay.
For all normal purposes, grass hay or pasture will meet your horses energy requirement adequately. Nevertheless if your horses are doing difficult work on the ranch or at events, you might need to add supplements to the hay. You have a range of options, including coastal hay, oat hay, alfalfa (which is the richest of the hays), rye hay, timothy hay and bermuda grass hay.
It is not necessarily easy to find good grass hay in the quantities you need. You must also understand how to choose the right hay. Hay of top quality is leafy and fine stemmed. The hay shouldn't be too dry, as the leaves have the maximum nutrient content. The bale should contain hay that is bright green all the way throu. The greener the hay, the better its quality will be. Green hay has a very large proportion of protein and vitamins. Take care when feeing your horses protein-laden hays like alfalfa and clover. These hays could cause sickness in your horses. Your ideal feed would be a mixture of alfalfa and grass. There should be no weeds and dust mould in your hay. The hay should be free of any odour that suggests mold or mustiness. The hay shouldn't have exaggerated moisture content.
If you have enough horses to exploit the size of numbers, it is possible to get your hay right from a wholesaler. Local feed stores or hay growers might be costly. You should buy your hay in large quantities, so that it will serve you for between 3 and 6 months. Fresh hay is always better than last year's hay.
You should store hay in a high and dry area free from moisture. Protect your hay from mould. Mouldy hay can produce colic in horses.
About the Author:
Horses are Heather
Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers, like all things about country supply
Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of
articles with other horse lovers, like all things about country supply
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