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Published byHollie Wheeler Modified over 8 years ago
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Classes of Feeds for Horses Presentation Part 2: Roughages #8895-B
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Hay Usually fed to confined horses Producing and purchasing requires skill Differences in plant species affect certain qualities of hay
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Hay Legumes: Higher in protein, energy, calcium, and vitamin A than grass hays Plants with nitrogen-fixing nodules on roots – make use of atmospheric nitrogen
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Hay Should eat a mixture of legume and grass hays if: – In light to moderate training – Between 2 – 4 years of age – Mares in latter stages of pregnancy
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Hay Should not contain weeds and other foreign material Weeds add woody material – Low digestibility – Bad taste and smell
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Hay - Fertilizer Fertilizer - increases plant nutrient content and number of leaves As plants mature from stage of active growth to reproductive stage, protein content, digestibility, and palatability decrease
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Hay - Fertilizer Palatability - acceptability of taste Ratio of stem to leaf increases which amplifies fiber content Difficulty digesting fibrous stems
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Hay - Weather Conditions Conditions that reduce hay quality – Rain – Excessive sunlight Drought - less forage & fewer leaves Excessive moisture - promotes diseases that destroy leaves
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Hay – Weather Conditions Rain: Beats leaves from legumes Leaches out soluble carbohydrates Prevents hay from drying sufficiently
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Hay – Weather Conditions Moisture content should be 12-18% Hay with excessive moisture becomes moldy – toxic to horses Mold develops musty odor
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Hay – Weather Conditions Excessive sunlight bleaches color from leaves – Loss of Vitamin A Attempt to dry quickly If dried too slowly, hay will ferment and lose nutrient content
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Hay - Harvesting Legumes - harvested when few flowers appear Grass - harvested when seed heads begin to develop Grain – harvested in soft-dough stage – ensures maximum nutrient content & tonnage/acre
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Hay - Harvesting Crushing or crimping stems may reduce need to move a windrow for proper drying Too much movement can shatter leaves and mix soil into hay
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Hay Harvesting Leaves fall off during baling if hay remains too long in the windrows http://photogallery.nrcs.usda.gov
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Hay - Selection Determine stage of plant maturity No mature seeds or plants in full bloom
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Hay - Selection Estimate percentage of leaves present Should have high proportion of leaves relative to stems Leaves more nutritious than fibrous stems
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Hay - Selection Color should be observed Bright green indicates minimum bleaching and presence of adequate Vitamin A Rain may discolor hay which lowers nutrient content
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Hay - Selection Should smell good and clean Not moldy and dusty No foreign material
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