What is the best quality hay for horses?

What is a slow feed hay bag for horses?

Kensington Slow Feed Hay Bag, Designed to provide a natural way for your horses to feed, slowing down their hay intake and prevent hay waste. Slowing down consumption aids in digestion and improves overall health. Great for trailering or the stall.

Is Kentucky bluegrass Hay good for horses?

Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass and timothy are all examples of common grasses used for hay. Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it’s also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses.

What kind of grass is good for horses?

Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass and timothy are all examples of common grasses used for hay. Benefits: Grass hay is lower in protein and energy than legume hay — but it’s also higher in fiber, which can make it a good choice for many horses. What kind of grass is bad for horses? DO NOT PLANT THESE GRASSES FOR GRAZING HORSES:

Does alfalfa cause kidney problems in horses?

Myth: Alfalfa’s high protein causes kidney problems. Fact: High protein is not harmful to the kidneys. However, extra protein is metabolized to ammonia, which must be excreted by the kidneys. To handle this extra demand, the horse will drink more water and make more urine.

Is alfalfa hay good for horses with periodic paralysis?

Alfalfa hay may not be suitable for horses suffering with hyperkalaemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) as its concentration of potassium is often quite high (14 – 25+ g/kg). Make sure you keep potassium in particular at the 100% RDI in these horses, regardless of the feeds you use.

How much hay to feed a 1000lb horse?

If you are feeding 100% hay and your hay contains 90% DM (or 10% moisture), your 1,000 lb horse should be fed 20 pounds of hay (18 lb DM/0.9) straight from the bale each day. Weighing hay is the most effective way to measure the correct amount.

What is third cut hay for horses?

Third cut hay is generally a treat hay you mix in with second or first cut when you want to put weight on a sick or elderly horse, or you just want to encourage eating. No matter what cut of hay you buy, it should smell nice and clean.

What is the best grass for horses to eat?

Researchers at the University of Kentucky measured the voluntary intake of big bluestem, Indiangrass, eastern gamagrass, and timothy grass hays in a group of mature horses.

Is Kentucky bluegrass good for horses?

Kentucky bluegrass is very winter hardy but does not tolerate hot, dry summers found further south. It is low-growing and, therefore, low-yielding. As such, it is not an ideal forage for hay, but it excellent for horse pasture. It is highly nutritious, very palatable, and tolerant of close, frequent grazing.

What is the best type of pasture for horses?

The researchers suggested that a pasture mix of fescue, bluegrass, bromegrass, and ryegrass would provide horses with appealing grazing choices while keeping pasture ground cover in acceptable condition.

Can pregnant mares eat fescue Hay?

Both the mare and the foal can be affected. Before feeding fescue hay to pregnant mares, a horse owner should make sure that the hay is free of the endophyte fungus. This popular hay is available in the warmer and more humid climates of the South. Bermuda grass hay is used mostly in the southern United States.

What type of hay do horses eat?

Most horse owners are familiar with only a few types of hay, depending on the part of the country in which they live. However, a vast array of hays are commonly fed to horses in the United States, including timothy, orchard, alfalfa, coastal, oat, fescue, clover and rye, to name just a few.

Is Johnsongrass Hay bad for horses?

Toxic cyanide levels may drop to safe levels during the curing process of making hay. Toxic levels of nitrates may also be present if johnsongrass is overfertilized. Nitrate toxins do not dissipate during curing and can kill horses. It is advised johnsongrass hay not be fed to horses.

How much protein is in hay for horses?

It has plenty of protein – 15 to 18 per cent for good hay – but this may be more than your horse actually needs. The hay is raked in 30deg heat for a final couple of hours drying before baling. By comparison, meadow hay is likely to have 6 to 10 per cent protein, based on dry-matter weight.

Is alfalfa hay good for horses with ulcers?

You can add alfalfa pellets or cubes to a grass hay diet for the same effect. Alfalfa is also suitable for horses prone to gastric ulcers, because the extra calcium acts as a buffer against stomach acid.

What should I do if my horse has liver and kidney problems?

Besides weight loss, signs of kidney or liver failure are poor appetite, lethargy and frequent urination. Diets of horses with liver failure should be low in protein and should not contain added fat. Dietary changes for kidney problems would be decreased calcium; therefore alfalfa should be avoided.

Is alfalfa bad for horses?

Alfalfa is bad for fast-growing young horses and ones with liver or kidney problems. And alfalfa is not so good for horses that don’t need the extra calories or protein. It’s hard to find reliable information about alfalfa online.

Is brown hay bad for horses?

Palatability of low-quality brown hay is usually poor. Due to the predisposition to mold and unpalatability, this hay should not be fed to horses. Not all horses require bright green, nutrient-dense hay.

Is alfalfa high in potassium for horses?

Some general guidelines are to avoid feeding legumes such as alfalfa, as these tend to be high—often over 2% potassium. Grass hays can still be high but average less than 2%. As such, it is often necessary to substitute some of an HYPP horse’s forage with a hay stretcher that is guaranteed to have lower potassium levels.

Should I Feed my HYPP horse a slow feeder?

Therefore, research results suggest HYPP horses should be fed diets with 1.1% of potassium or less and owners and managers should try to maintain a steady plasma potassium concentration by feeding multiple small meals rather than infrequent large meals. As such, slow feeders for hay can be a very useful management tool for these horses.

What should A Hypp horse’s diet be?

From this example, the horse should do well on this diet. If the horse can maintain body condition on less hay or grain, or if the hay tested lower in potassium, then that would be less potassium in the total diet as well. Starch Intake: It is a misconception that HYPP horse need low starch.

What is the best forage for HYPP horses?

Ideally, HYPP horses should consume forages that have been tested to ensure low potassium levels. However, this is not always practical. Some general guidelines are to avoid feeding legumes such as alfalfa, as these tend to be high—often over 2% potassium. Grass hays can still be high but average less than 2%.