It is important to know this so that you can be sure your horse is consuming an adequate diet. You may or may not need to feed grain, depending on the quality of your hay. The better the quality of the hay you feed, the less grain you will need to feed. This can be a significant savings. In order to have your hay analyzed chemically, you will need to get a hay sample. Use a core sampler and try to sample from at least 20 to 25 different bales.
Be sure to penetrate into the center of the bale with the core sampler. If you do not have experience in hay sampling, see your county extension office for information on how to use the core sampler or to borrow one. Mix the samples together and then put them in a tight, clean, plastic bag or the bags that the forage testing lab provides. Mail the bag to the forage testing lab as soon as possible and have it analyzed. A representative hay sample must be taken with a hay probe on a variety of bales in a hay lot.
Image left For more information on hay analysis, visit Equi-analytical Laboratories. Interpreting Hay Analysis Results. Interpreting your hay analysis results may not be the easiest part of this process.
If you cannot determine what the results mean, you may want to consult an extension specialist in forage crops or agronomy at your county extension center, an animal scientist or a county extension agent. Some of the main things to focus on when you see the analysis reports are:. Dry Matter DM — This tells you how much of the sample is left after water is removed. It is the moisture or dry matter content of the sample. Hay will generally be about 89 percent dry matter or greater.
Digestible energy DE — This is a measure of the digestible energy in the hay. For a light-working horse, DE should be Hay may have. It may range from 40 to 55 percent. Crude Protein CP — This is a measure of the protein concentration of the hay and can range from 6 percent to 8 percent in native grass hays to about 15 percent or higher in high quality legume hays. The higher this is, the less hay the horse will eat. As ADF increases, digestibility and nutrient availability decreases.
Timothy and alfalfa hay may have a 15 percent or 20 percent NSC value, respectively. If you want this analysis done, you should check to see if the lab offers it, as it is not a common analysis at this time.
Starch and Sugar- This is a measure of sugars and starches in the feed. You should feed no more than 15 percent of total daily calories from starch and sugar to horses with EPSM equine polysaccharide storage myopathy and PSSM polysaccharide storage myopathy. EPSM is a muscle disease found in over draft breeds that may cause severe weakness and muscle wasting in horses of all ages, poor performance, abnormal hind limb gaits and shivers, in which the muscles keep twitching.
Symptoms include reluctance to move, muscle stiffness, sweating, shifting lameness and tremors in the flank area. Now you know some basics about analyzing hay. Be sure to consult your county extension agents or state specialists for help if you are not sure how to apply these results.
By analyzing your hay, you will be able to feed your horse more effectively and efficiently. Forms of Hay. Hay comes in several forms—baled, wafered also referred to as cubed , and pelleted.
Baled hay is the most commonly used. It is usually less expensive than processed hay. Long stem roughage is also best for gut motility. Small hay bales with an average weight of 50 lbs. Small bales are easy to move manually and can be stored easily. Small square bales are commonly fed to horses. A bale may range in weight between 40 — 75 lbs. Round bales weigh an average of lbs. Round bales must be stored under cover to prevent loss from mold.
To decrease waste loss, round bales should be fed in round bale feeders designed for horses. Round bales are usually cheaper per pound to purchase and can save on feed labor and costs if they are managed to limit hay waste. Round bales should be fed in feeders specifically designed for horses to decrease wastage and ensure the horse's safety. There may be times when baled hay is hard to locate or not practical to feed.
However, horses will tend to eat processed hay faster, particularly when it is in pelleted form. Processed hay is sold by the type of forage processed. A well-made cubed hay is easy to chew and should not need to be broken to avoid choking, if your are feeding healthy horses with good dental hygiene.
Pelleted hay, while providing the needed fiber for the diet, is eaten more quickly than baled hay; and thus a horse may become bored and be more prone to wood chewing or other abnormal behaviors. In times of hay shortages, it is best if hay is rationed out and extended with supplemental hay pellets to ensure there is some long-stem roughage for gut stimulation. Alfalfa pellets are on the left and alfalfa cubes are shown on the right.
Hay pellets provide dietary fiber, but are consumed much faster than long stemmed forage. Purchasing Hay. Get to know your hay producer and stick with a good one. Some commercial producers will provide a hay analysis and bale weights. Hay in small rectangular bales sells more per ton than large round or square bales, because the hay producer goes through the effort of handling, stacking, covering many do , hauling and dealing with small lots of hay and many diverse customers.
Good hay buyer-seller relationships will provide trust, respect, prompt payments and consistent hay supplies. Once the hay is home, place it under a shed or tarp it to preserve its quality. Hay Storage. Hay should be put under a roof to avoid exposure to sun and rain, but the area should also have good ventilation to reduce the occurrence of mold.
The bottom row of hay should be raised off the ground with boards or pallets to allow for air circulation and to ensure the hay stays dry. Hay will lose nutritional value the longer it is stored. However, hay can be fed the second year after it is cut as long as it is dry and free from mold. The lower the moisture content the longer it can be stored with less chance of mold and spoilage.
It is common to store hay in a loft over the stabling area of the horses. However, a mass of hay can reduce air ventilation in the barn environment if it inhibits peak ventilation of the barn roof.
In addition, large quantities of hay stored in the stabling area are a fire hazard. Dry hay is not only highly combustible, but hay stored wet can also build heat through fermentation and spontaneously catch fire. Many insurance companies will give farms rate reductions if hay is stored in a separate building. Do you plan to blanket your horse this winter?
Yes, my horse will wear a blanket this winter. Yes, my horse will wear a blanket, but only during inclement weather. No, I do not plan to blanket my horse. Featured Horse Listing. Color: Bay. Breed: Morgan. Sex: Gelding. This website uses cookies to improve your experience.
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It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Create a free account with TheHorse. Enter Password Confirm Password. Strength indicator. Sudden differences in the amount or type of feed can lead to colic or founder. One method for changing the type of feed is to replace 25 percent of the current food with the new food every two days, so that in six days the horse is eating l00 percent of the new food.
The average thousand-pound horse who relies on hay for all their forage typically eats fifteen to twenty pounds of hay per day. Most hay is dispensed in flakes; however, the amount of hay in a flake can vary greatly, depending on the size of the flake and the kind of hay.
Ideally, you should wait an hour or so after your horse has finished a meal before riding them. In addition, blood flow is diverted away from the digestive organs during periods of exertion, so gut movement slows and colic may be a real danger. When feeding a horse after work, let them cool down completely—their breathing rate should be back to normal, and their skin should not feel hot or sweaty.
Horses thrive on routine, and their amazingly accurate internal clocks make them much better timekeepers than their human caretakers. Horses should be kept on a consistent feeding schedule, with meals arriving at the same time each day. The rules of feeding your horse.
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