Hay question

[Nari]

Which is likely to have the lower feed value, hay cut in June 2008 or late August (may even have been September) 2009?

I'm wondering which is best for a welsh cob that's currently on box rest with a touch of laminitis (has seen farrier & it's nothing major at this stage). He's getting a slice morning and night, ordinarily I'd soak it to try & reduce the sugars but at the moment that isn't a practical option! The June 08 stuff is pretty horrid, he's leaving sme of it & trying to find bits of clean bed to eat, the August/September 09 stuff isn't loads better - none of the other stabled horses will touch it - but he does eat it.

 

[dorani]

You could try offering some nice clean barley straw if you canget it as he still needs the bulk. Mine often eat their straw instead of hay!

 

[Nari]

He's not keen on straw. He has a deep oat straw bed but will only pick at it if he's desperate, if the hay's horrid he'll nose through the bed but actually eats very little of it. So it's one of those two hays. If this weather ever warms up then it's easy - soak the hay & stop worrying!

 

[pottamus]

Depends on the type of grasses too, aswell as when cut. I had my field cut in July but the grasses were very mature and long/stalky which has made hay that whilst crap quality wise is actually very high in sugars because it was stalky. Sometimes meadow hay (the soft feathery type) can be lower but it depends on how it was grown and when cut in terms of weather conditions. Why dont you get a couple of samples off to dodson & horrell for ananlysis....you may be surprised and it is worth doing if you have a laminitic.