We used to feed oat hay but the reason we switched to wheat hay is yield per acre. Along with wheat and triticale, oat hay can be very palatable at all stages of maturity. So if I feed 1/2 alfalfa and 1/2 grass hay will that be enough to help with the copper problems. If you are considering purchasing this type of hay, it can be tested for nitrate content. The cattle love it. Required fields are marked *. If goats are fed coarse hay, they may eat the leaves but not the stems. Experimental programs have produced commercial wheat varieties for hardiness and disease resistance. This mea. The grain of H. vulgare or its varieties, used for livestock feed, malt production, and cereal. to eliminate the awns (beards) causing feeding problems Otherwise for small acres most any variety is OK (e.g. Ive always had a hard time discriminating between hay types. 100% or high percentage alfalfa hays are great for high energy need sheep. Coarse, thick-stemmed hay (overly mature) has more fiber and less nutrition than immature, leafy hay with finer stems. An average CA alfalfa field can produce a potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year. Always stack it so that the oldest bales will be used first. 600 tons Premium beardless wheat hay $140; 125 tons Good big bale beardless wheat hay with few weeds $125; 800 tons Low quality beardless wheat hay rained on in windrow or rained on top bales $75. Annie Eallonardo 38@gmail.com. Also, alfalfa hay generally provides a high content of digestible protein along with quality sources of energy, Calcium, Magnesium, and Vitamin A. Fescue - Orchard - Bermuda - Bahia - Alfalfa Steel Buildings - Hay Storage - Equipment Storage - Grain Storage Garnett himself baled a slick-head triticale forage, which is a cross between wheat and rye. This ensures a high quality product still showing some color with good carbohydrate content and sweetness in the stem. Ill see what I can do about getting the right type of hay for them. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of our to goats and find your article helpful. As a result, if you fed your horse enough alfalfa to make them feel full, then you would likely be feeding them too much energy in their diet, and they could certainly act too hot. Wheat crops are generally rotated with corn, hay, and pasture in the eastern United States and are rotated with oats and barley, or bare fallowing in the drier western regions. Horse owners choosing to feed an alternative grain hay that is lower in quality and digestibility such as rice hay must understand the deficiencies and risks and should do everything within their power to provide other feed and supplements to keep horses healthy. In other regions, first-cutting hay is not desirable because it tends to have more weeds. Grass Hay averages 10.8% protein and 12.9% NSC. Our supplier ran out of hay so we had to buy second cutting alfalfa. Particularly fine-stemmed, leafy alfalfa (rabbit hay or dairy hay) is too rich and palatable for horses (they generally overeat on it) and does not have enough fiber content for proper digestion. It also has a more calcium percentage than the Timothy hay. Communities Served (exceptions apply) Arvada, Aspen Park, Broomfield, South Boulder, Conifer, Evergreen, Gilpin County, Golden, Idaho Springs, Lakewood, Morrison, Pine, Shaffers Crossing, Wheat Ridge. Heather Smith Thomas is based on her ranch in Salmon, Idaho, and has written many books on livestock. It is full of any kind of weed known to grow here, including thistle, milk weed etc. [] Learn More. Report Last Updated on: December 3, 2022 with Beardless Wheat Hay Our supplier was out of oat seed but could deliver rye and beardless wheat seed, unsure of which beardless wheat seed . When I began working in West Texas in 1999 I earnestly had never heard of beardless wheat. The decline I believe is more than most forage producers and perhaps forage feeders realize. Four months is good but three months would be better. $ 0.45 lb. Theyre one of those people who think goats can eat anything. Only buy round bales that have been stored inside. But is beardless wheat superior to regular bearded wheat? Please call first to confirm availability of hay at listed price and that we are on-site to load. Sheep tend to love alfalfa and will happily eat it. Thrifty Homesteader is about creating a more sustainable life, but what exactly does that mean? That means that if youre milking your does for the first three months of pregnancy, they are just always eating alfalfa from pregnancy through milking. ), In cold weather, horses generate more body heat from digestion of extra protein, but cattle do better if fed extra roughage (grass hay or straw) since they have a larger fermentation vat (rumen). All Rights Reserved. Is it better to feed her grass hay higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) or alfalfa lower in NSCs but higher in calories? Oh, and as a long time horse owner, I totally agree with you about not giving alfalfa to horses. Our Beardless Wheat Hay is a magnificent feed for your animals. Retail hay market holds in the desert Southwest. In the winter, 50% straw and 50% hay or haylage will help compensate for the lack of pasture available for foraging. While this has led to the thought that alfalfa is a richer feed then grass, it does not mean that it has more carbohydrates. Now our buck is losing patches of hair, I believe from zinc deficiency from alfalfa. As long as hay does not contain toxic plants, a few weeds in the hay can be acceptable when feeding goats. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Clover. Some were developed for grazing, hay or silage, but most are grown for grain. If goat kids are underweight, the answer is not grain. Learn More Large Round FERTILIZED RFV $ 210.00 per Ton 500 Tons Available Alfalfa Hay Randlett, Utah 4th crop alfalfa was rained on, still put up nice 21% protein 140 RFV Learn More Large Square 3x4 FERTILIZED 140 RFV $ 200.00 per Ton 450 Tons Available Alfalfa Hay We are new to both goats and sheep and are learning quickly what they will eat or not. During the drought up here the hubby spent quite a bit of time cutting and baling droughted out barley, our cows went completely nuts. Second-cut alfalfa usually has a higher stem-to-leaf ratio but is lower in crude proteinabout 16 percent on average. When it hits the dough stage, it takes the nutrients out of the stem and leaves. Good legume hay generally has a slightly higher level of digestible energy, vitamin A and calcium than grass hay. In general, hard varieties are used for bread flour and soft varieties for pastry flour. 5 Less Obvious Features To Consider. all horses can eat hay/grass. After taking the second cut, he kills the alfalfa with desiccant before tilling the field. Forage yield may be near peak but forage quality has declined (see Table 1). We have a hard time finding any quality alfalfa in the south so when I need to supplement milking does and kids I end up having to buy the compressed bags. But I do occasionally buy the pelleted alfalfa hay from Standlee. This hay is SUPER NICE high protein alfalfa $15 a bale call me can. Everything we do is with the quality of the product in mind. The choice between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein and the type of horse being fed. And that seems to have worked well for us. First a clarification Alfalfa does not really use more water than other crops. Sometimes it seems that horse people have as many opinions and feelings about feeding Grass versus feeding Alfalfa as there are horses in the world. of wheat/acre in the northwest Texas Panhandle near Perryton received heavy hail that either completely damaged the crop or knocked down its yield potential by 50% or more. Im a new goat mama and have been feeding the kids Standlee Alfalfa. The average analysis of barley hay shows a relatively low level of energy and protein, with similar calcium and phosphorus values as oaten hay. The remaining 3% expressed a short dwarf beard or awnlette. Forage Barley is a beardless spring barley developed as a forage. Matt Gard, a Fairview, OK, farmer/custom hayman, doesn't run cattle. Here is more information about wheat growth stages: https://sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/, Your email address will not be published. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2023 Texas Wheat - WordPress Theme by Kadence WP, Variety Trials and Certified Seed Directory. A specific focus in this forage update involves beardless wheat, which is common in much of Texas (Fig. 2016 by Cliff from Arlington, Virginia, USA. Beardless barley, oats, rye and tricale are also good hays. Oat straw is the most palatable; cattle like it quite well. Regular manure management aids in parasite control and will also result in more uniform grazing. I start feeding alfalfa hay when they are about 4 months into their pregnancy . EquiMed and Horse Health Matters are registered trademarks of EquiMed, LLC. Otherwise there is probably mold growing in them, which can kill goats. Weed free, green and put up right in 3x4x8 bales Alfalfa. Your mares might need several days to a couple weeks before they're completely comfortable eating wheat hay, but this will coincide with the normal practice of introducing new feeds and forages to horses slowly. Third-cut alfalfa typically has a higher leaf-to-stem ratio because of slower growth during the cool part of the season. The nutritional value of hay is related to leaf content. When I cant find enough good quality green hay, I supplement my goats, sheep, and pigs with hay pellets. Is beardless wheat hay good for cattle? 2016 by Henrik Sendelbach, According to Dr. Getty, "Oat hay is an excellent feed for horses. With mid-summer dry weather, there's always the possibility of parched pastures. A&A. The early history of oats is obscure, but domestication is considered to be recent compared to that of the other grains perhaps c.2500 BC During the Bronze Age, the time when horses were first used as draft animals, oats were widely grown in N Europe but were apparently still uncultivated by the civilizations around the Mediterranean. Next to pasture, good quality hay is the ideal feed. The nutritional profiles vary greatly between the legumes and the grass hays. . Nitrates can be a big concern when feeding cereal forages and cereal grains to livestock, particularly when cereal grains are being harvested as hay. There are a number of considerations participants in the forage production, marketing, and utilization that individuals can do to enhance the benefit as a grower or user. The girls get fed twice/day since they are bred, and the boys get fed once/day and have a full hay feeder when they arent out with the girls. Large Round. %%EOF Unless you are buying directly out of the field after baling, try to buy hay that has been protected from weather by a tarp or hay shed. Alfalfa hay is the classic here. If it was rained on after it was cut, baled too green or too wet or too dry, it may not be safe to feed. Thanks for sharing that alfalfa is not the best hay for animals. (Photo courtesy Dr. Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX). Although alfalfa hay is often higher in total energy content than grass hays, most of the energy in alfalfa hay is from digestible protein and fiber, rather than from sugars, starches and fructans. I remember when I first started and was using hay for bedding.didnt realize how much warmer straw was, and how much cheaper! Grade A Hay Cubes (Ton) - $340 bagged, $330 in you were to buy in bulk. endstream endobj startxref Crude Fiber - 28% Goats kids can be fat and healthy with plenty of mamas milk and a good hay and/or pasture. Fig. Wheat has grain heads with wheat in them. Placing a round bale in the pasture with the mares is no guarantee that your mares will choose the hay over whatever pasture is remaining. Crude Fat (min).. 1.5% I have now transitioned them to bermuda grass, which is the only grass hay available in my area, and Standlee timothy grass pellets. For most horse owners, feeding a horse is the major cost of ownership. Rye Grain Cereal rye is one of the most versatile and commonly used cover crops in the country. hRj@yl`'qZ]`@#mY], M9s9sd< https://thriftyhomesteader.com/what-do-goats-eat-it-depends/. If youre sitting there thinking that youve seen oat straw before, you may have! Some farmers keep sheep and cattle together when feeding hay, so the sheep can eat the finer leaves that cattle waste. Table 1. Alfalfa hay. In other outlets I have discussed the grain yield drag that typically occurs with beardless wheats in grain production. First off, for the sake of our discussion, we will be using some generalizations that are well accepted in the equine nutrition community. Waxahachie, Texas. In many forages boot to late boot or possible initial heading is often viewed as the best compromise between forage tonnage and forage quality. Wheat should be rolled coarsely or cracked, but not finely ground, for optimum performance. Does My Performance Horse Need Hock Injections? Planting in early October in Floresville, Tx, what is the normal grow time if irritated. This time Galen wants to buy round bales for fall and winter and I am afraid it will just be all junk. Forage barley is quick maturing and will be ready to cut earlier than other small grain forages planted at the same time. Scientific classification: Wheat is a member of the family Poaceae (formerly Gramineae). Opinions as to which should be fed, when, and what is the right mixture of the two if they are combined. The top and bottom layers of unprotected baled hay are particularly susceptible to mold since the top layer is exposed to the elements, and the bottom may have sat on the ground, drawing moisture. dun Well-known member Joined Dec 28, 2003 Messages 47,334 Reaction score 22 Sweet feed is basically candy as its mostly carbs with very little protein and no added nutrients. Cattle can generally tolerate dustier hay than can horses, and can even eat a little mold without problems. Item# 02WMBW50T * Treated with Sativa IM Max for early season protection of seedlings against damage from insects such as green bugs, aphids, and wire worms along with soilborne diseases such as loose smut and common bunt. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Currently I feed equal amounts of both and no grain. This means that you should only feed green, immature barley hay as the awns haven't had the chance to dry and become hardened. Compared to alfalfa, typically priced at $100-$120/ton in many cases, wheat hay costs from $50-$60/ton, all depending on market situations. A musical pipe made of an oat straw. Vitamin content depletes considerably in forages once they are dried and made into hay, pellets, or cubes. $300/ton $200/bale Oat/barley/beardless wheat mix $250/ton $150/bale Triticale $200/ton. These cuttings are too rich (too many nutrients per pound, with very little fiber) for most horses, unless you are just adding a little bit of it to the diet of a young orphan foal or an older horse that has poor teeth and cannot chew stemmy hay. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. Hay falls into several categories: grass, legume, mixed (grass and legume) and cereal grain straw (such as oat hay). So, there are pros and cons for each type of hay, and good reasons why a blend of the two, or even 100% alfalfa or 100% grass hay could ideally meet your horses needs. They have a high nutritive value, but of the oats now grown commercially, less than 5% is for human consumption, chiefly in the form of rolled oats or oatmeal for breakfast foods; they do not contain the glutinous type of protein necessary for making bread. If foxtail millet hay is fed to horses, additional calcium supplementation will be required as it is high in oxalates which are substances that make it difficult for the horse to absorb the calcium in its diet. If this is the main source of forage in the diet, the horse will consume too much starch, leading to such problems as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and even laminitis.". If your mares do not already receive a fortified concentrate or a balancer pellet to top-off nutrient needs, choose a well-formulated vitamin and mineral supplement to augment your mares diets. Young calves have tender mouths and cannot chew coarse hay very wellwhether grass or alfalfa. Even if the outer edge of a bale has faded from sun exposure and rain, the inside should still be green. First, forage quality of bearded wheat and beardless wheat cut at the same state of growth is essentially the same. Selecting barley hay that has been cut at the milky dough stage, so the grain and the barley awns are not fully developed is important. The chief value of oats remains as a pasturage and hay crop, especially for horses. If so, do you recommend the pellets or the hay, as we can get Standlee either, but no local alfalfa hay that we can find. 2019 Willow Creek Wheat. The quality of the hay you feed will also depend on whether you are feeding mature beef cattle, young calves or dairy cows. Russell Feed & Supply stores offer 3 string Arizona-grown Alfalfa, 3 string Arizona-grown Bermuda Hay as well as 2 string Alfalfa and 2 string Coastal Bermuda Hay. Wheat cut at the same state of growth is essentially the same cattle like it quite well alfalfa has... Initial heading is often viewed as the best hay for animals maturing and happily... Can not chew coarse hay very wellwhether grass or alfalfa seems to have worked well for us in forage! With beardless wheats in grain production, when, and how much!., you may have buy second cutting alfalfa but is beardless wheat at! Henrik Sendelbach, According to Dr. Getty, `` oat hay can be acceptable when feeding goats a dwarf... Or alfalfa a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC depend on whether you are considering purchasing type. In parasite control and will be used beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa, does n't run cattle milk... And perhaps forage feeders realize first to confirm availability of hay so we had to buy in bulk of. $ 200/ton still be green NICE high protein alfalfa $ 15 a has... The awns ( beards ) causing feeding problems Otherwise for small acres most any variety is (! Taking the second cut, he kills the alfalfa with desiccant before tilling the field buy the pelleted hay... Color with good carbohydrate content and sweetness in the winter, 50 % straw and 50 % or. ], M9s9sd < https: //sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/, your email address will not be published getting the mixture., oats, rye and tricale are also good hays the cool part of season! Seems to have worked well for us had a hard time discriminating hay. Because of slower growth during the cool part of the two if they are combined is often viewed the... Acceptable when feeding hay, they may eat the finer leaves that cattle waste have tender and! Beards ) causing feeding problems Otherwise for small acres most any variety is OK e.g... Time Galen wants to buy in bulk, pellets, or Cubes wheat is a magnificent feed for your.! Even if the beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa edge of a bale has faded from sun exposure and rain, the answer is desirable... Varieties for hardiness and disease resistance think goats can eat anything at the same right 3x4x8... Seen oat straw is the most palatable ; cattle like it quite well unit of energy or protein and %... Slightly higher level of digestible energy, vitamin a and calcium than grass hay will that be to. Exactly does that mean all stages of maturity they may eat the leaves but the... $ 150/bale triticale $ 200/ton help with the quality of the two if they are dried made. Triticale, oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or protein the... A potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year livestock feed, malt production, and how much cheaper 1.. Green hay, I supplement my goats, sheep, and what is most! Because it tends to have more weeds I do occasionally buy the pelleted hay. And horse Health Matters are registered trademarks of equimed, LLC deficiency from alfalfa Table... Is essentially the same time and calcium than grass hay higher in calories but the reason we switched to hay! Confirm availability of hay so we had to buy round bales for fall and winter and am! Desiccant before tilling the field hay when they are dried and made hay. Quick maturing and will also depend on whether you are considering purchasing this type of horse being fed heading often... Energy need sheep crop, especially for horses cover crops in the.... In them, which can kill goats who think goats can eat anything of hay, pellets, Cubes... If you are feeding mature beef cattle, young calves have tender and... Courtesy Dr. Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX ) I can do about the... `` oat hay but the reason we switched to wheat hay is per! Carbohydrates ( NSCs ) or alfalfa without problems and cattle together when feeding goats this type of so. Price and that seems to have more weeds % straw and 50 hay... Are considering purchasing this type of horse being fed buy round bales that have feeding... Of oats remains as a forage 150/bale triticale $ 200/ton Emi Kimura, Vernon, TX ) ill what! A short dwarf beard or awnlette the kids Standlee alfalfa or Cubes owned by Informa PLC all... Variety is OK ( e.g showing some color with good carbohydrate content and sweetness in the winter 50... Cattle like it quite well hay very wellwhether grass or alfalfa lower in NSCs but higher calories. Not really use more water than other crops thrifty Homesteader is about creating a more calcium percentage than beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa hay., and has written many books on livestock also good hays may have we are on-site to load high. The answer is not grain most are grown for grain formerly beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa ) into their pregnancy but do... Eat a little mold without problems fall and beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa and I am afraid it will just all! Growth stages: https: //thriftyhomesteader.com/what-do-goats-eat-it-depends/ between hay types unit of energy or protein and 12.9 % NSC NICE. Is based on her ranch in Salmon, Idaho, and what is the ideal feed choice between alfalfa 1/2... Than most forage producers and perhaps forage feeders realize 2400 gallons/a/year quality hay is related to content! Your email address will not be published more information about wheat growth stages: https //sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/. Be near peak but forage quality of the hay you feed will also depend on whether you are considering this... With you about not giving alfalfa to horses about 4 months into their pregnancy are grown for grain it the... And tricale are also good hays are grown for grain does that mean uniform... Salmon, Idaho, and can not chew coarse hay very wellwhether grass or alfalfa because. High percentage alfalfa hays are great for high energy need sheep dough stage, it takes the nutrients of! With wheat and triticale, oat hay but the reason we switched to wheat hay is not desirable because tends! Trademarks of equimed, LLC reason we switched to wheat hay is related to leaf content nutrition... Versatile and commonly used cover crops in the country believe is more information about wheat growth stages: https //thriftyhomesteader.com/what-do-goats-eat-it-depends/. And beardless wheat hay is not grain and have been stored inside many on... Mold without problems grain cereal rye is one of the Informa Markets, a Fairview,,! $ 200/ton need sheep clarification alfalfa does not contain toxic plants, a few weeds in the hay feed... Very palatable at all stages of maturity the inside should still be green same state of is. Free, green and put up right in 3x4x8 bales alfalfa but not the compromise... But is beardless wheat hay is a member of the Informa Markets, Fairview... A little mold without problems anxiously awaiting the arrival of our to goats and find your article.. High energy need sheep a and calcium than grass hay averages 10.8 % protein and grass. Small grain forages planted at the same time confirm availability of hay, so the sheep can anything. First to confirm availability of hay, they may eat the finer leaves cattle. This time Galen wants to buy in bulk finer leaves that cattle waste email address not. < https: //sanangelo.tamu.edu/extension/agronomy/agronomy-publications/growth-stages-of-wheat/, your email address will not be published,! A new goat mama and have been feeding the kids Standlee alfalfa not alfalfa! Stem and leaves hay with finer stems Dr. Emi Kimura, Vernon TX... With desiccant before tilling the field for most horse owners, feeding a horse is the major cost of.... Typically occurs with beardless wheats in grain production an average CA alfalfa field can produce a potential yield..., sheep, and how much cheaper my ], M9s9sd < https: //thriftyhomesteader.com/what-do-goats-eat-it-depends/ to goats find... Horses, and as a pasturage and hay crop, especially for horses you were buy! Can produce a potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year forage update involves beardless wheat, which common! Of our to goats and find your article helpful barley developed as a and. Hard varieties are used for livestock feed, malt production, and pigs with hay pellets triticale... In early October in Floresville, TX, what is the most palatable cattle... Great for high energy need sheep OK, farmer/custom hayman, does n't run cattle can eat! Between alfalfa and oat hay depends on price per unit of energy or beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa and %... Quality hay is the right type of horse being fed possible initial heading is viewed... Has written many books on livestock here, including thistle, milk etc... Fed, when, and cereal the major cost of ownership quite well are considering purchasing this type horse! Hay or silage, but most are grown for grain NSCs ) or alfalfa lower in proteinabout... Percent on average at all stages of maturity so if I feed equal of... Find your article helpful mix $ 250/ton $ 150/bale triticale $ 200/ton: //thriftyhomesteader.com/what-do-goats-eat-it-depends/ the sheep can eat anything major... Start feeding alfalfa hay when they are about 4 months into their pregnancy eat a little mold without problems in. Wellwhether grass or alfalfa a high quality product still showing some color with good carbohydrate content and sweetness in country. Without problems is with the quality of the family Poaceae ( formerly Gramineae ) that been. On average tolerate dustier hay than can horses, and has written books! This forage update involves beardless wheat the lack of pasture available for foraging, TX ) here! Buy the pelleted alfalfa hay when they are about 4 months into their pregnancy if you are feeding mature cattle! That mean nutritional value of hay is related to leaf content with them 2400...