When does the grass lose its goodness?

[sms]

As in title really! Have loads of the green stuff left on the fields but when does its nutritional value really drop? I'm in East Anglia so has not been too chilly as yet.

Thanking you x

 

[Bluecat45J]

I was once told, but it may be an old wife's tale, that when the leaves start falling the goodness in the grass has gone.

 

[domane]

I would say when it stops growing.... when the daytime temperatures drop consistently below 10deg. If it's growing, the shoots are young and sweet.

 

[farriersmum]

How refresing to find someone who knows how to spell 'lose'. I'm getting fed up with all the 'loosing' going on here!

 

[Flummoxed]

Judging by the desperate squeal that greets me each evening, my horse is telling me that the grass has nothing in it..............

 

[AndySpooner]

When does the grass lose its goodness?

The sooner the better!! lol.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Judging by the desperate squeal that greets me each evening, my horse is telling me that the grass has nothing in it..............

Ditto this.....my chap is a greedy git anyway, but he is VERY hungry now and is going through lots of hay already

 

[helencharlie]

When they stop eating it and start hanging around the gate demanding to come in and be fed! Your horse will tell you the answer! Either by dropping weight or looking really pathetic and sorry for themselves. Charlie did this at the end of october last year, so now looking out for the signs for this year.

 

[AngieandBen]

Grass grows constantly when the soil temperature is above 5 degrees, so for a lot of the year!! I have acres of the green stuff up to my knees............a pain up the bum when you have two good doers

I put mine on the winter field after we have had a few frosts, or when the summer paddock gets too wet whichever is first hopefully by the end of October;

I'm still strip grazing at the minute, its still fairly mild here in Leics, but forecast to get colder tomorrow

 

[miss_bird]

The grass generally stops grown when temperatures start dropping below 5 degress or so i am told

 

[PucciNPoni]

How refresing to find someone who knows how to spell 'lose'. I'm getting fed up with all the 'loosing' going on here!

It's posts like this that make me wish for a LIKE button on HHO! LOL

 

[pottamus]

I am wary of it all year to be honest, having a good doer laminitic. I do believe it grows for most of the year and even when it is not growing it can still be full of sugars through being stressed or cold/frosty etc. So I guess it depands wheher you need to know because you have a laminitic or whether it is when to start feeding hay.

 

[TheCurlyPony]

Soon i hope, my boys been really silly over the last week or so...

 

[sms]

I am wary of it all year to be honest, having a good doer laminitic. I do believe it grows for most of the year and even when it is not growing it can still be full of sugars through being stressed or cold/frosty etc. So I guess it depands wheher you need to know because you have a laminitic or whether it is when to start feeding hay.

I need to know for hay feeding purposes. Obviously I'll see when she starts to drop weight but I don't want to leave it till then as she's a Shire and although only 2 she stands at 17hh plus already ! So if she drops its quite a alot of horse to feed to get it back on. However on the same token I don't want to feed hay until I really have to because she eats so darn much of it and it was hugely expensive around my way! Plus I have 6 other horses and 18 donkeys so thats quite alot of hay !!!!!!!!!

 

[Lollii]

We have fed hay all year out in our fields we always have a big round of hay out in the middle of the field, some weeks it all goes in 7 days, then other times it lasts over a week.... but they always eat it.

 

[soulfull]

when it stops growing, and when it loses nutritional value ARE they the same thing??

 

[Penny Less]

Dont know about goodness, but my horse got colic because he pigged on longish grass
last week. Feel that ! will have to mow my winter paddock somehow before he gets turned out on that ! Vet has said that lots of colic cases at moment because grass is doing weird things because of warm October weather

 

[Achinghips]

When they stop eating it and start hanging around the gate demanding to come in and be fed! Your horse will tell you the answer! Either by dropping weight or looking really pathetic and sorry for themselves. Charlie did this at the end of october last year, so now looking out for the signs for this year.

Haha, brilliant answer - and so damn true, total insight

 

[MummyEms]

I think as soon as Sept finishes and temps drop the grass has no goodness and its not nutritious anymore or satisfying for them xx

 

[Birker2020]

As in title really! Have loads of the green stuff left on the fields but when does its nutritional value really drop? I'm in East Anglia so has not been too chilly as yet.

Thanking you x

Usually when the temperature drops below 5C in the day I believe, this is usually after the October flush around November time in the UK but sometimes it can be as late as December down South. The heat and light that grass needs in order to grow isn't present much after end of Oct/early Nov.

 

[cauda equina]

I always wonder how/why these ancient threads get resurrected
It's nice to see some old names though

 

[expanding_horizon]

IME if there’s good grass they don’t eat hay put out. Once they start eating hay over grass are hungry. I’d put out a small amount of hay and see if it is eaten.

 

[southerncomfort]

My grass always browns at the tips at this time of year.

I'm assuming the tips are therefore less nutritious but still fairly good lower down the stem..?

Temperature here has been 7 to 8 degrees day and night.

 

[MummyEms]

I think once it has dropped below 5 degrees even once the grass is no good

 

[Birker2020]

I always wonder how/why these ancient threads get resurrected
It's nice to see some old names though

Pennyless

 

[rabatsa]

If you are feeding stock that needs the energy then grass growth at this time of year is often mainly water and you have to give supplementary feed.

If you are feeding fatties then it is too rich.

 

[ycbm]

I would say when it stops growing.... when the daytime temperatures drop consistently below 10deg. If it's growing, the shoots are young and sweet.

This. I've always understood that when the temperature consistently fails to reach 10c the goodness will have gone.

But it's also unsafe after frost because the plant puts sugar in the leaf to protect from frost.

Some winters these days that means it's never really safe.
.

 

[kidsandponies]

As in title really! Have loads of the green stuff left on the fields but when does its nutritional value really drop? I'm in East Anglia so has not been too chilly as yet.

Thanking you

I’m in East Anglia too and still have far too much grass for the ponies who are still out in the day wearing muzzles. That said, all are desperate to come back into their dirt paddock for hay in the evenings now as opposed to being at the furthest point of the field and pretending they don’t hear me call so it’s not filling them up as it once was.

 

[paddy555]

Pennyless

reading some of her final posts is now very sad.

 

[marmalade76]

I thought it was 5 degrees?