In the News -
November 2007
Your hay burner needs high octane fuel
LITTLE ROCK - Nutritious, high quality hay is important if you want your hay
burner to be healthy, says Steve Jones, associate professor/equine specialist
with the University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service.
Hay is the most common form of forage fed to horses. Quality is important
because it determines how much value the horse can get from the hay, Jones says.
You may be tempted to buy low-quality hay because of its bargain price, he
says, "but it's not a bargain if it's nearly indigestible to the horse, if they
refuse to eat it or if it makes them sick."
The trick to producing a nutritious hay product, Jones says, is to make sure
it has been cut at the right maturity. The highest quality hay will have more
leaves than stems and few seed heads or flowers. It will feel soft to the touch.
"Horsemen often put high value on a green hay color," Jones says, "but in
Arkansas, color is not a reliable indicator of hay nutritional quality."
In the intense southern sun, hay bleaches quickly, but still may have
excellent nutritional value, while over mature, poor quality hay baled under
different conditions may still be bright green. Also, bales often bleach and
weather on the outside, yet retain green color inside.
The only sure way to know if your hay is high quality is to take a sample and
have it tested in a laboratory.
Ideally, samples should be obtained from 20 bales using a hay coring device.
If a hay corer is not available, open the bales and take a handful of hay from
the center. Mix them together in a large paper sack and send the entire sample
to the laboratory.
"The U of A's Agricultural Services Laboratory in Fayetteville provides
testing, and samples can be sent there directly or through your county extension
agent," Jones says.
Another crucial part of quality hay is cleanliness. Your hay should be free
of dust and mold - the leading contributors to chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease.
"When evaluating horse hay for potential feeding or purchase, break open
several bales and look at the interior." Jones says.
It should have a clean, fresh smell, never moldy, musty or dusty. It should
be a uniform green color throughout.
"Quality hay is also free of weeds, sticks, pine needles, small dead animals
and insects and trash," Jones says.
Here are other tips from Jones about feeding hay:
- Trash is frequently found in hay that was baled beside a road.
Horses will pick most of it out of the hay, but may accidentally
consume dangerous pieces of trash.
- Horses kept outside can be fed hay from large, round bales.
Round bales are most effective when there are enough horses to eat
an entire bale within a few days.
- Hay for pastured horses can be fed on the ground if the soil is
not sandy.
- Small square bales are more convenient for feeding stabled
horses. Large round bales are less expensive per ton, but they
require equipment to move them.
- Hay prices should always be compared on a per-ton basis rather
than per-bale.
- Dense, properly made, round bales shed rainwater and can be
stored outside if they're raised off the ground. Covering bales with
plastic can help reduce spoilage.
- Hay exposed to the elements by sitting on damp ground or being
exposed to rain will weather and form a moldy outer layer. The
interior will remain nutritious.
For more information about horses, contact your county extension agent or
visit www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture, then Horses. The
Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.
November 30, 2007Media Contact: Lamar James
Extension Communications Specialist
U of A Division of Agriculture
Cooperative Extension Service
(501) 671-2187 or (501) 753-0207
ljames@uaex.edu
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