The roots of the alfalfa plant can reach 100 feet into the ground so it can reach minerals that are absent in shallow soils. Horse owners should be aware that alfalfa hay has been associated with a few problems in horses. For a start, alfalfa contains almost twice as much protein as grass hay – as much as 15%, which is more protein than most concentrate mixes offer. of hay per day. I … A fortified grain concentrate can be used to supplement the ration, increasing its energy, protein, vitamin and mineral content. Pound for pound, alfalfa and clover hay have the highest energy and nutritional value of all the hay types. Many different types of analyses are available, and the cost can range from $10-20 per sample to more than $100. I really don’t know why more growers aren’t seeding with this. Also, the ratio of calcium minerals to phosphorus is 2 to 1. Grass hay falls short of meeting the nutrient requirements of high production life stages, but is an excellent filler for horses that require bulk in the diet. This added heat can impair the horse’s ability to dissipate heat. 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. Because alfalfa hay contains more calories per pound, you need to feed less to maintain the same body condition. 1. To eliminate mold commonly found in hay bales, West Chester, Pa., equine veterinarian Frank Reilly suggests “flash soaking” — tearing pieces of hay off of the bale, putting them in a hay net and then under a heavy rock in a bucket of water for 10 minutes. Alfalfa Hay is also higher in Calcium, with about 3 times as much as Grass Hay. Generally alfalfa is a good hay to feed horses, but there are caveats: However, from a practical standpoint, it’s best to feed alfalfa hay mixed with grass hay. As long as your horse is working at light levels, it benefits from eating small portions of alfalfa hay. But too much alfalfa can cause serious health issues. Feeding alfalfa hay as half of a horse’s roughage will meet this need. Therefore 14lb of forage if there's no grass, is the minimum for a horse of 926lb. Alfalfa hay analysis will vary depending on the time of year the alfalfa hay was harvested, the soil conditions in which it was grown, etc., but an average alfalfa hay analysis will be around this range: Alfalfa Hay Analysis (average) Crude Protein – 15.0% – 22.0% Crude Fiber – 25.0% Non Structural Carb (NSC) – 8.75% – 13.25% Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass and timothy are all examples of common grasses used for hay. It is highly digestible and usually contains more digestible nutrients than grass hays, such as timothy and orchardgrass. However, it lacks in terms of energy levels, calcium, and vitamin A content. Long-term storage does increase the dryness of hay in some instances. Horses can graze legume pastures and obtain the same nutritional benefits as they would eating legume hay. So a 500kg horse would need to eat, per day, roughly: 15.25kg of hay 31.25kg of haylage 50kg of grass*. Moreover, alfalfa is packed with minerals, particularly calcium. It’s also higher in calories and lower in fiber than grass hay. Alfalfa is especially helpful for a hard keeper because of its high caloric value and horses love to eat it. Alfalfa is also a popular horse hay since it is widely available. The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. Alfalfa is a good source of nutrients for sport horses, but owners might want to avoid offering it when horses are working hard in hot weather, says Duren. Alfalfa is also rich in … A. Teff is a warm-season annual grass originally developed and grown in Ethiopia as a grain. Feeding alfalfa hay as half of a horse’s roughage will meet this need. Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of highly available calcium, but unfortunately is often a poor source of phosphorus. This blog post is courtesy of Jennifer Earing, PhD, University of Minnesota. Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of energy, protein, calcium and some other nutrients for horses. It’s important to be aware of this possible deficiency when feeding horses hay that is more than a year old; a vitamin A supplement may be needed. Alfalfa Hay is also higher in Calcium, with about 3 times as much as Grass Hay. “Adult horses require 10 to 11 percent crude protein in their overall diet, while growing horses require 12 to 14 percent,” he says. Research with alfalfa cubes has shown that cubes are effective as the forage component in horse diets. That being said, the horse needs to eat more pounds of dry matter per day to meet it's requirements. It might not be as high in fiber as Alfalfa hay but still, timothy hay is considered the second great source of fiber for horses. Diet balancers, while very dense in their protein, vitamins and minerals, are lower in calories themselves. However, alfalfa cubes must be limit-fed, as voluntary intake is much greater for. When choosing, or producing, hay for horses, several factors should be considered. For more on this see Care for Horses » Nutrition » Equine Nutrition an Overview of Feeding Horses. It should not be fed straight to horses. It is a blend of timothy, oat and alfalfa hay chopped really short for easier chewing and digestibility. Many native or prairie grass hays contain just 6 to 8 percent. “Pure alfalfa hay, as found in second cut hay, can have protein levels up to and exceeding 18 percent protein. But some farmers do use alfalfa cubes to feed horses. Alfalfa hay that may be contaminated with blister beetles should not be fed to horses. Heavily pregnant or lactating mares, and young rapidly growing horses, benefit from alfalfa’s high protein content. Alfalfa hay has 120% the calorie content of most grass hay. Pregnant and … With the exception of milking mares, most 66- to 122- pound horses need from ¾ to 1 pound of digestible protein daily. The best way to know the nutritional quality of Timothy hay is to take a representative sample from the hay lot and send it to a laboratory for a guaranteed analysis. Alfalfa and/or alfalfa grass hay is palatable and is often a hay of preference for horses. horse should be above 1 lb of hay for each 100 lb of body weight. Oat hay also has a higher Magnesium level, with low Calcium. Legume hay, specifically alfalfa, tends to contain up to three times more calcium than grass hay. The average Arizona horse consumes about 3.5 tons of hay annually, thus our horses use between 35-38% of the total hay produced in our state. It also contains more calories per pound and a reasonable balance of calcium and phosphorous levels. The net energy of milk production of alfalfa hay in the first and full bloom stages is 1.23 and 1.68 Mcal/kg, which is close to medium energy feed. Horse Nutrition: Alfalfa hay for horses is a very rich horse feed containing ample protein, beta carotene, chlorophyll and trace minerals. How much alfalfa should I feed my horse a day? How much alfalfa hay do you feed a 1,200 pound horse and how often? Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. of hay per day. Which is better alfalfa pellets or hay? You’re faced with the choice of offering your horse alfalfa pellets or hay. However, Martinson does not recommend adding calories. Hay of the third cutting is thick, green, and very nutritious, containing more legumes and high protein and fat content. Alfalfa is the most popular type of legume hay fed to horses, followed by clover hay. The researchers concluded that “rhizoma peanut is a high-quality legume hay for horses providing nutrient intake and digestibility intermediate between alfalfa and bermudagrass. To avoid a big hay belly or to provide supplemental energy for work and protein, alfalfa cubes are generally available everywhere at the feed store. Alfalfa contains between 15 – 22% crude protein. Dry hay tends to be more brittle, so more may be wasted during feeding. Alfalfa cubes provide horses the same nutritional benefits as alfalfa hay in a much more convenient form; their high protein content and palatability make them an excellent choice for horses in many stages of life and at different workload levels. Oat hay has a high vitamin A content- 10 pounds of oat hay per day can meet a mature horse’s vitamin A needs. 1kg of dry matter forage would be approximately 1.22kg of hay, 2.5kg of haylage and 4kg of grass (from grazing, not a bag). It is not unusual for mid-bloom alfalfa hay to have a crude protein content of 17% or greater. One way to evaluate hay quality is to have your hay analyzed. For example, providing a nutrient-dense forage like vegetative alfalfa hay to ‘easy keepers’ can create obesity issues; however, that same hay would be good option for a performance … Understanding Harvest Stages on Nutritional Value Recently, there’s been minimal information regarding the effects of particle size and buffering capacity of alfalfa on the horse stomach lining. Grass Hay averages 10.8% protein and 12.9% NSC. Even the timothy hay overdose is not harmful, the high fiber dose, balanced protein, and high energy content make it easily digestible. Protein is essential for both the growth and repair of … With the exception of milking mares, most 66- to 122- pound horses need from ¾ to 1 pound of digestible protein daily. Mature horses require 10 to 12 percent CP (crude protein) in their diets. Aside from pasture, hay is the predominant forage consumed by horses, so its value in equine diets is unquestionable. Alfalfa hay is high in energy. This change can lead to nutritional challenges for many horses due to: ... Alfalfa Hay for Horses. Table 1. 1 Flake Alfalfa hay 3lb@ x 4 flakes per day = 12 pounds per day x 1000 calories = 12Mcal (12,000 calories) With that simple change in hay, she had cut her horse’s caloric intake by 4,000 calories per day over the past month. Quality alfalfa hay has high protein, energy, vitamins, and minerals. If Bermuda grass is harvested in a mature state, it also becomes harder to digest. Studies have shown this reduces the organic dust count, he says. Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of energy, protein, calcium and some other nutrients for horses. A mixed grass/alfalfa mix is a good choice if your horse doesn’t require the high nutritional value of pure alfalfa. And, let’s face it - horses love the taste of alfalfa hay! This is especially true for warm season grasses such as Bermuda. And the good news? Alfalfa contains between 15 – 22% crude protein. High-quality (“dairy”) alfalfa supplies 20 to 25 percent more calories per pound than grass hays, although the difference is much smaller for more mature cuts of alfalfa. A good-quality grass hay may meet most of the adult horse's basic nutritional needs. To grow a sound skeleton, young horses first need adequate amounts of both calcium and phosphorus. Again, this is a good thing as horses on restricted diets are unlikely to eat this hay as fast as more palatable hays like alfalfa, so they should eat for longer periods of time for lower calorie intake. Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of protein, both in content and quality. For growing horses, a diet consisting of both grass and legume hays is best. It is clear that the nutritional value of quality alfalfa hay make it a valuable addition to equine diets. In a subsequent feeding study, we compared a ration of alfalfa hay to a ration of alfalfa hay and corn oil. The simple answer is “no,” since alfalfa hay is an excellent source of protein, calories, calcium and Vitamin A for horses. Alfalfa is especially helpful for a hard keeper because of its high caloric value and horses love to eat it. Forage selection should be based on horse needs, as there is no one forage best suited for all classes of horses. Alfalfa had the highest yield at 6.9 tons per acre in comparison to perennial ryegrass (3.2 tons per acre) and teff (2.8 tons per acre). Due to alfalfa's high protein and mineral content, your horse will likely drink more water when being fed this legume. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. But in general, Horses consume approximately 11/2-2 lbs of alfalfa pellets per day, depending on their size, body, and capacity. Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein and energy, according to Wright. Moreover, alfalfa is packed with minerals, particularly calcium. Performance horses in training and competition. Nutritional value. chewing.Because these diets use alfalfa hay as the forage source, they provide more protein and calcium than are required for recreational horses. Alfalfa’s nutritional value remains relatively constant whether a horse eats it two months or two years post-harvest. It has a rather low protein content compared to, for instance, alfalfa hay. It sounds like you are watching body condition and would adjust the feeding rate according to the body condition. If your horse is having digestive or metabolic problems, Teff Combination Cubes may be a good option for you. In 17.5 pounds of grass, hay provides 15.75 mega calories of digestible energy, 14 pounds of crude protein, and 39 grams of calcium. However, they grazed the horses on perennial ryegrass 5 times throughout the grazing season and teff 3 times. Blister beetles contain a toxin that can be fatal to horses. When acreage is very limited (less than an acre per horse), exercise may be the main pasture use. of hay per day. nutrient value and palatability. For horses with high protein needs, Bermuda hay is not the best option. Expect your animal to get 8% of proteins but 32% of fiber content. Alfalfa forage sources come in many forms, such as hay, pellets, cubes, and chaff. Calories Per Pound: Green Pasture: 245: Orchard Grass Hay: 872: Alfalfa Hay : 977: Timothy Hay : 804: Alfalfa Pellets : 970: Corn : 1,536: Premium Oats : 1,250: Beet Pulp : 1,059: Farr Maintain : 1,800: Compete : 1,500: Youth : 1,400: Equine Shine (Rice Bran) 1,600 Published December, 2011. Excess protein in the diet of working horses and particularly those that are stabled can be detrimental to their health and performance. Hay Selection for Horses. Yes they are 35% Teff Grass and 65% Alfalfa. Third Cutting. Hay that is high in dust or mold can irritate the horse’s respiratory tract. Alfalfa hay can be used to provide energy, good quality protein and a source of fibre to the diet of a performance horse; however, it must be used in moderation. Alfalfa Cubes are formed by coarsely grinding Premium Colorado Sun Cured Long Stem Alfalfa and forcing it through a large dye. When compared to alfalfa cut at the same level of maturity as oat hay, oat hay is lower in crude protein and lower in digestible energy. It’s also higher in calories and lower in fiber than grass hay. Most nutritionists agree that exceeding the protein and calcium requirements is not harmful for normal healthy horses. The excess protein in alfalfa is broken down into carbohydrates and used as an energy source. The roots of the alfalfa plant can reach 100 feet into the ground so it can reach minerals that are absent in shallow soils. Basically, it has comfortable protein and sugar levels for most all horses, is new and is generally less expensive than all other grass hay Here is a link to read about it and understand the analysis. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. 4 ALFALFA Total dry Forage Concentrate Class of horse matter intake (lb) intake (lb) intake (lb) Underweight horses benefit from eating a higher percentage of alfalfa hay. It must be noted here, the horse’s high fiber need can only be filled with hay, haylage, and grass. However, grass hay meets the nutrition needs of the majority of horses while also making them feel full without excessive calories or energy. Also, alfalfa hay generally provides a high content of digestible protein along with quality sources of energy, Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin A. Alfalfa is a high protein forage, so it makes an excellent supplement for horses that are protein deficient or for horses that have higher protein requirements such as senior horses or pregnant or lactating mares. The quality of the hay will determine how much is needed and if supplemental grain should be added. However, the high-energy content may lead to overfeeding and to a fat horse. of hay per day. Teff Grass is proving to be an excellent replacement for the more expensive Timothy Hay. Hi, Horses need a minimum of 1.5% bwt/day in forage. Alfalfa forage is moderately high in protein, calories, and digestible fiber and is low in sugar. So, if you want to give your horse, rabbits, or other animals more roughage, then you should pick on Timothy hay. A horse’s need for protein is relatively low and is easy to meet with alfalfa. These legumes make a good feed choice for growing foals, pregnant and lactating mares, as they have higher nutritional needs during this period in their lives. Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. It is also lower in nutritional value but has good amounts of vitamins A and D, calcium, and phosphorous. The average adult horse requires 10-11% crude protein in their overall diet. Nutritional Value: Guaranteed Analysis. Alfalfa should be mixed with other grass hays. For a start, alfalfa contains almost twice as much protein as grass hay – as much as 15%, which is more protein than most concentrate mixes offer. Good alfalfa can be 18-20% protein and 55% TDN or energy. But alfalfa also isn’t for every horse—when making a decision about whether to incorporate alfalfa into your feeding program, it’s important to be informed about its strengths and weaknesses. Should horses eat alfalfa? Good-quality hay is an important component of a horse's diet, particularly in the winter when fresh pasture is not available. It is also leafy and soft, so the horses will find it appealing. the cubes than for long-stem alfalfa hay. This can become important when considering the ideal Calcium:Phosphorus ratio for horses, which should be about 2:1. "The nutritional value will be depended on the stage of maturity the crop was at harvest" Coleman said. Analyses of Timothy hay harvested at several stages of maturity are shown in Figure 1. Martinson says that a horse with insulin resistance or overweight needs to eat a lower-sugar hay (the Alfalfa). Smith says that many factors can impact the levels of protein, energy and minerals, including harvest conditions and maturity. If pasture is a feed source, horses with a mature weight of 1,000 to 1,200 pounds generally need the following amount of pasture: mare and foal, 1.75 to 2 acres; year-lings, 1.5 to 2 acres; and weanlings, 0.5 to 1 acre. Armed with this new information, adding more flakes of hay to the daily ration put the horse right back on track. The price is the same as the Oat & Alfalfa and the straight Alfalfa Cubes. During certain times of year, hay may be the only forage available to horses and therefore the selection of well-preserved hay harvested at the appropriate stage of maturity is critical. Clean, dust free alfalfa can be a useful hay for horses if it is fed with an understanding of its nutrient value and nutrient needs of various types of horses. What are the pros and cons of choosing teff hay for horses? It’s been thought that a long-stem forage source was a better form of forage to feed than a smaller particle size. The use of alfalfa hay in horse diets is usually touted; however, negative and incorrect information is out there. Horse Nutrition: Alfalfa hay for horses is a very rich horse feed containing ample protein, beta carotene, chlorophyll and trace minerals. Alfalfa hay may not be the best feed for all horses in all situations, but it contains nutrients needed for many classes of horses. Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. Grass hay is a long hollow stem that can grow up to 60 inches tall with leaves that can grow up to 17 inches long. Alfalfa is a legume hay and is possibly one of the most well-known types of legume hay. Alfalfa hay is usually the highest in protein and energy, with 15-22% crude protein. Alfalfa is also rich in vitamin k and bioflavanoids. “So we often mix the horses who receive legumes and look for a low sugar grass hay to go with it. Alfalfa is nutritionally dense. It contains high levels of calcium, as well as magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, lysine, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folic acid. Alfalfa helps slow down sugar absorption into the blood. This can make it a useful dietary addition to the feed for metabolic horses if they can tolerate it. The Calcium in Alfalfa is higher, but the Continue reading >>. The leaves of grass hay have more nutrients and are more digestible when the plant is immature and growing, and more fiber when the plant has reached full growth. McCown et al 2012 Its concentrations of protein and calcium meet the nutrient needs of horses in high levels of production, such as growth and lactation, but exceed the nutrient requirements of horses in other life stages. Nutrient Composition of Forages Fed to Horses ( 100% Dry matter basis) Digestible %Crude % Type of Forage Energy/lb Protein Calcium Midbloom Alfalfa Hay 1.1 Mcal/lb 18-19% 1.3% However, if the alfalfa has an extremely high calcium:phosphorus ratio (over 6:1), the only way to significantly affect the calcium:phosphorus ratio in the diet is to replace at least half the alfalfa with grass hay. Its concentrations of protein and calcium meet the nutrient needs of horses in high levels of production, such as growth and lactation, but exceed the nutrient requirements of horses in other Alfalfa hay is a very digestible feed source that is high in protein, energy, vitamins and minerals. Cleanliness of the hay, nutrient value, palatability and cost are all important. It’s mixed with a little molasses to make it tasty and the fat is super low at 1.5% so the horse won’t gain too much weight. An excellent source of protein and roughage for all classes of horses and large livestock. Have the hay tested to determine its nutrient content. This feed has more fiber. As the colder weather settles in, many of our forages will lose nutritional value. Next, the young horse requires calcium and phosphorus in the correct ratio to one another. This is the reasoning behind "alfalfa makes my horse hot." *The average grazing rate of grass is 0.5-0.6kg dry matter per hour, assuming sufficient growth is present. U.S., with Arizona hay producers contributing about 1.3 million tons of this alfalfa. Is It Okay to Feed Moldy Hay to My Horse? Alfalfa is a good source of nutrients for sport horses, but owners might want to avoid offering it when horses are working hard in hot weather, says Duren. This can become important when considering the ideal Calcium:Phosphorus ratio for horses, which should be about 2:1. Grass Hay for Horses. So, if Alfalfa … It has a Calcium: Phosphorus ratio of approximately 1.3:1 (with 1.6:1 being the “ideal”). Other hays grown in our state contributed in excess of 100,000 tons of annual production. Alfalfa is high in protein, calcium, and Vitamin A. Now the mixture is ready to feed. You can feed two types of hay to horses with a few precautions and moderation. The nutritional value of hay is related to leaf content. Protein metabolism creates more heat than fat or carbohydrate metabolism. Therefore, it takes less hay to meet a horse's nutrient needs when feeding alfalfa hay. The nutrients provided by rhizoma peanut hay meet the nutritional needs of horses at maintenance, while resulting in less nitrogen excretion than alfalfa.”. If you want her to gain weight, she needs more. However, it lacks fiber compared to first and second cuttings, and horses need a lot of fiber, plus it can be difficult for them to digest. This has real benefits for gastric health as it is one of the qualities that means alfalfa is a natural buffer to acidity in the horse’s stomach. It has 120 percent more energy per unit in weight than oat hay. Protein, Fiber, and Sugars. These levels are a bit low for its daily needs of digestible energy, and to hit its daily requirements; you need to supplement its diet with grain, more grass hay, or alfalfa. Many horse owners purchase bales alfalfa and bales grass hay. In a pasture setting, says Martinson, horses can graze alfalfa in … We will … Horses fed to appetite consumed 17 to 25% more cubed alfalfa than long-stem hay. Cubed feed for larger livestock. They contain twice as much protein, three times the calcium and have the highest vitamin content. Alfalfa hay is high in good-quality protein. 2-2.5% is the general rule. The types of hay we work with that are the most common are: Grass hay and legume hay. The amount of protein supplied by alfalfa can go a long way toward satisfying the high protein requirements of young growing horses. Horses can normally eat 1.5-2% of their body weight in hay, which equates to 18-24 lbs. Many years ago, oats were introduced in … This means that alfalfa plants can take up more calcium than grass – chopped alfalfa contains between 30 and 50% more calcium than grass forages. Grass Hay averages 10.8% protein and 12.9% NSC. “The biggest benefit of alfalfa for horses is that it tends to be more nutrient-dense than most grasses when harvested at the same stage of maturity,” says Martinson. It typically contains more digestible energy, more crude protein and calcium, and fewer nonstructural carbohydrates (sugars and starches). Like Bermuda, it’s a good grass hay candidate for your horses. DrO: Member: Hwood: Posted on Tuesday, Jul 25, 2006 - 8:59 am: Of course, hay kept in storage for a long time will lose its field-fresh smell, but that will not affect its protein or energy nutritional value. Horses in this study ate 1.5% to 1.8% of their bodyweight in teff hay, with the lower intakes being on the more mature hay. In some parts of the U.S., a small percentage of horses fed alfalfa hay have developed intestinal stones. ProElite Alfalfa Advantage Diet Balancer, while lower in protein and calcium than ProElite Grass Advantage, is important in predominately alfalfa hay diets to meet the essential amino acid, trace mineral and vitamin needs of these horse.
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