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Revised: 09/15/2008 |
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Nutrition Hay
Are alfalfa hay and cubes safe for horses?
I recently read that sometimes alfalfa hay will cause hair loss in light colored horses. Finding hay is getting harder and more expensive. Someone mentioned that people are feeding alfalfa cubes when hay is short. I would love to but I'm not sure it is safe for my horse, a 13 year old Paint. If you have any advice on the matter I would love to hear it!
For a 13 year old Paint I would recommend Timothy/Alfalfa mix cubes because the straight alfalfa might be a little too high in nutrients and energy for his needs. I would not feed them free choice, as most horses will tend to overeat and gain weight. Also if your horse has problems chewing them, add just enough water to soak the cubes through to help soften and break them up a bit. Otherwise hay cubes are a great hay substitute!
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Can an alfalfa allergy cause shortness of breath?
My horse is a fat 4-year-old paint gelding. He had laminitis last year after spending 24 hours in an alfalfa paddock. He had a funny episode when he was being ridden by my daughter: he suddenly had problems breathing; he stopped and had his head hanging down; he appeared out of breath. My daughter had to get off and unsaddle him. It passed and she re-saddled him, got back on, and walked him back; he has been fine since. He is not in heavy work and is stabled at night. I have been told that the shortness of breath is a symptom of being allergic to alfalfa. Is this true?
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
How do the nutrients in barley hay compare to those in alfalfa?
I have a question regarding the nutritional value of Lucerne (alfalfa) and barley hay. My horse is housed in a paddock and receives a flake of hay in the morning as a supplemental feed to grazing on grass in the paddock during the day. Currently my horse is being fed one barley hay flake in the morning. Previous to this it was fed Lucerne (alfalfa) hay. When I asked about the suspected lower nutritional value of barley hay, I was told that the two are comparable. Some research on the web points to the fact that Lucerne (alfalfa) has twice the protein levels compared to barley. Do you have any information that compares the nutritional value of Lucerne (alfalfa) and barley hay?
As a general recommendation, if a horse is a harder keeper or needs a bit of a supplement, alfalfa would be the better choice. If barley hay is being fed alone with no grass or cereal grain supplement, a vitamin and mineral multi-supplement may be a wise choice to add to the diet.
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
What kind of hay is good for a laminitis-prone horse?
For horses with a history of laminitis, what particular type of grass hay would be best for their long-term maintenance diet?
If a horse has a history of chronic laminitis my first concern would be to address the metabolic issues contributing to the problem. Usually, these are obesity and/or pituitary dysfunction, both of which are treatable. If the horse is truly insulin resistant or glucose intolerant, there is no one type of grass hay guaranteed not to trigger a bout of laminitis. It depends more on the harvest conditions, not the species of grass, as to whether a batch of hay contains sufficient non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) to cause a problem. NSCs include starches, water-soluble sugars and fructans. Most horses tolerate over 20% NSC without adverse effects, and most grass hays, especially from the eastern states; contain only 7-18% NSC, with an average of 12%. Even legume hays, on average, contain less than 15% NSC. Oat hay, on the other hand, averages 22% NSC. (Values are based on 5 years of data from Equi-Analytical laboratories).
Grasses accumulate NSC throughout the day, with highest concentrations achieved late in the day if the sun is shining. If temperatures are above freezing and adequate water is present, NSC is converted to cellulose and other structural carbohydrates overnight, resulting in very low sugar concentrations by daybreak. If this process is disrupted by drought or freezing temperatures overnight, NSC concentrations can increase significantly. The grasses continue to "respire" after cutting until the hay is baled and "cured". The longer the hay is dried in the field, the lower the NSC will be. Also, sugars and fructans are water soluble - if the hay is rained on, or soaked in water, the overall NSC will also be reduced. "Warm season" grasses such as coastal Bermuda and crabgrass tend to accumulate lesser amounts of sugars than the "cool season" grasses like fescue, orchard grass and timothy under adverse conditions, but some accumulation will still occur if the conditions are right. Be aware that most horses are not adversely affected by this variability; either in pasture grasses or hays.
If a horse really is sensitive to NSC content, the "safest" hay would be coastal Bermuda or timothy cut early in the day after a warm night and recent rainfall, and dried in the field for at least a day or two - even rained on a bit! (I.e. hay from the first or second cutting, depending on the year, from the eastern states). Western hay producers tend to cut their hay later in the day to prevent excessive drying, and also can get it baled more quickly than is possible in the humid east - all of which tends to preserve the NSC present.
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Does the nutrient value of hay decrease over
time?
If hay is cut, dried, baled, and stored properly, does it lose its nutritional content over time (a few months, a year, two years, three years)? By “stored properly,” I mean in an enclosed structure that keeps off the sun and rain but is not climate controlled. Does the answer change depending on whether the hay is made from alfalfa, timothy, orchard grass, or rye? Does the answer change if we consider round bales or square bales?
I have not seen any research done as to whether hay’s vitamin and mineral content changes with round or square bales, however, I assume it would be similar. The only concern here is if the round bales aren’t cared for they can mold much more rapidly.
The amount of nutrients in the hay will vary between different types of hay, not necessarily due to storing methods. So if you are storing alfalfa and timothy hay the same way, I really don’t think one would lose nutrients faster than the other. However, alfalfa has the highest nutrient content, especially in terms of vitamins -- so after a year of storage, alfalfa would still have a higher level of nutrients compared to grass hay, even if both are stored the same way.
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Is it okay to feed horses round bales?
Is it okay to feed horses round bales?
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
How much hay should be fed to stalled horses?
I board horses. I average 1 horse for every 2 acres of pasture, and I practice rotational grazing. During winter months, I provide round bales of mixed grass hay in the pasture. The horses are out for approximately 50% of the day (12 hours in pasture/12 hours in stall). They are all healthy and carry a good weight.
I feed between 6 and 10 pounds of hay when they are stalled. I hear from some boarders that I do not feed enough hay. The reason, I am told, is that horses need to be eating constantly. I would like to know if horses need more hay than what I provide, or if they need any hay at all when stalled, and why.
It sounds like you are feeding more hay than most places I see. A 1000-lb horse should eat about 20 lbs daily, or 2% of their body weight. By providing the round bale outside, the horses have free choice for ½ of the day, and feeding 10 lbs inside gives them approximately the other 50% of their daily intake.
That said, I would monitor each horse for their leftover or wasted hay in the morning. If some horses are cleaning up every last morsel of hay, I would consider feeding them another pound or two. However, if others are leaving some scraps behind, they are getting an adequate amount and feeding them more would be wasteful.
Also, look at the body condition of these horses. Some overweight horses can consume up to 3 to 3.5% of their body weight, and if doing so they need to have their food intake restricted. However, some hard-to-keep horses will not eat all the hay they should, so finding other sources of hay that they will consume might be necessary. Feeds such as alfalfa cubes or beet pulp might help in this case.
The bottom line is to check your horses. It sounds like some of them might be getting enough hay, but others might not.
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Do timothy hay and beet pulp meet nutritional
requirements?
Is timothy hay alone enough to meet a horse’s nutritional requirements? Also, is beet pulp a good nutritional supplement?
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
I would like to know if feeding horses common vetch for hay is safe. I know some of the varieties are poisonous but this one is not. I believe this is a mixture of Kentucky Blue Grass and timothy hay. I feed round bales so I have free choice of hay in the winter months only. During the summer, my horses are on pasture.
I strongly suggest that you get a complete nutrient analysis run on your bales, especially if you are feeding broodmares and foals. Your local extension agent should have a hay corer for taking representative samples. Go to http://www.equi-analytical.com/ for details on sampling and submission of forages for analysis.
That being said, I usually do not recommend feeding round bales to horses unless the bales are in a covered area and in feeders kept off the ground. There is a significantly increased risk of botulism otherwise. I recommend that you vaccinate your horses against botulism if you are using round bales. Also, make sure the bales do not become moldy if left outside too long. It is best if you can go through the round bales quickly without letting them sit for weeks at a time.
Answer provided by Dr. Sarah Ralston, VMD, Ph.D., dACVN, Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
Is wheat hay okay to feed to horses?
Because of the recent drought and resulting hay shortage, some people are feeding wheat hay to their horses. They say their horses love it, but it looks like straw to me. What's the nutritional story on wheat hay?
I think the biggest thing you will have to contend with is getting your horses completely switched over. They should be able to consume as much wheat hay as they would grass hay. The nutrient content is similar: the average protein content is 10 %. Wheat is fairly low in calcium though; be careful if you are feeding it to lactating mares or growing foals. They might need additional legume hay or a mineral supplement. The sugar and energy content of wheat hay is low to moderate, so that should not be a concern. Wheat hay is fairly high in fiber, which will keep horses from chewing fences, etc.
Answer provided by Carey Williams, Ph.D., Rutgers Cooperative Extension.
The material provided on this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, prevent, or treat any illness. Any recommendations are not intended to replace the advice of your veterinarian. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Mention or display of a trademark, proprietary product, or firm in text or figures does not constitute an endorsement by the Equine Science Center or Rutgers University and does not imply approval to the exclusion of other suitable products or firms. |
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How much hay should be fed to
