beardless wheat hay vs alfalfa

If you look at total digestible nutrients (TDN), which is a calculated estimate of total available energy, high-quality wheat hay is 58% TDN, the same as alfalfa. Im a new goat mama and have been feeding the kids Standlee Alfalfa. Our fall forage mixture of Beardless Barley, Beardless Wheat and Triticale. World output of wheat as the 1990s began was more than 590 million metric tons, an increase of about 30 percent over the average for the period 1979 to 1981. It has sharp beards and lots of grain that is high in starch and gluten and IS NOT good for horses. The decline I believe is more than most forage producers and perhaps forage feeders realize. This includes popular varieties like TAM 401 (Fig. 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. It was known to the ancient Greeks, Romans, Chinese, and Egyptians and was the chief bread material in Europe as late as the 16th cent. If a handful of hay bends easily in your hand, its fiber content is relatively low and it will be more digestible than if the stems snap like twigs. They go directly to grain fill. What a Tennessee walking horse like to eat? Barley is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Liliopsida, order Cyperales, family Gramineae. Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. endstream endobj 44 0 obj <> endobj 45 0 obj <> endobj 46 0 obj <>stream As browsers, goats eat a wide variety of plants when roaming free, and will eat some of the weeds and other undesirable plants that other animals will not. Copyright 2023 The Thrifty Homesteader |. Here is more info on zinc deficiency: An average CA alfalfa field can produce a potential milk yield of 2400 gallons/a/year. Hay falls into several categories: grass, legume, mixed (grass and legume) and cereal grain straw (such as oat hay). Leaving a comment is one way to enter the giveaway. Wheat has grain heads with wheat in them. Annual cereal plant (Hordeum vulgareand sometimes other species) of the family Gramineae (grass family), cultivated by man probably as early as any cereal. Cutting at the proper time means animals will eat the entire hay stem with little waste. It is a cool-season annual small grain commonly planted as hay or a silage crop. Grain hays are high in digestible fiber which are readily broken down by microbes in the cecum or hind gut of horses when harvested at a soft dough stage. Thankfully, I did as you mentioned and fed my milking does their choice of alfalfa and grass hay. The tests covered five cuttings across three years. As a rule of thumb, leafy hays have higher nutritional value than stemmier hays. Diseases such as cereal rusts and smuts (see diseases of plants ) cause a heavy annual crop loss, but disease-resistant varieties of oats are being developed. dun Well-known member Joined Dec 28, 2003 Messages 47,334 Reaction score 22 An additional challenge is that the alfalfa/grass hay will provide sufficient protein, but the wheat hay will probably be deficient in protein, therefore a cost comparison on a CP basis is. Opinions as to which should be fed, when, and what is the right mixture of the two if they are combined. The color of the grain varies from one type to another; white wheats are mostly winter wheats, red are spring wheats. 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. It does not do well in hot climates, however. Fig. https://thriftyhomesteader.com/goat-minerals/, I use the Standee Alfalfa pellets for my horse,! Typically, fresh green pasture does just that, and many baled hays can meet these needs as well. Alfalfa. Its going to be hard because they all eat out of the same feeder, but Ill figure it out. You often cannot tell the quality of the hay by just looking at the outside of a bale. differences between baled hay, hay cubes, and hay pellets. Alfalfa has two to three times as much calcium as grass hays. Wheat should be rolled coarsely or cracked, but not finely ground, for optimum performance. Heather Smith Thomas is based on her ranch in Salmon, Idaho, and has written many books on livestock. Also, if you subscribe to my newsletter (or are already subscribed), you can get another entry for that. The only silver lining might be having a buyer that would never pay for higher forage quality, so you can grow higher tonnage of beardless wheat that can still be safely fed. Every farm is different, which is why I always explain the WHY between the WHAT in my articles. Im glad you find it helpful! EquiMed does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. They provide the following recommendations for triticale grain fed to horses: Limit the cereal grain to not more than 500g per 100kg body weight per meal, or not more than 4g of starch per kg body weight per meal. Wet hay not only weighs more, adding to the cost, but will likely be moldy. In oats there is no issue with beards, but the trends of increasing forage dry matter and decreasing forage feed value raise the question of what is the optimum time to mow the oats. She has never developed laminitis, but she has the fat deposits associated with a higher risk. Russell Feed & Supply also stocks a variety of shavings: Large flake shavings- 8 cu. In addition the maturity of the cereal grain hay need to be considered because the seed heads of cereal grain hays provide an unknown, relative to nonstructural carbohydrate intake of a horse. While milk cows should have alfalfa, beef cattle should stick with grass hay. Often oats (used with a sing. In test trials 97% of the heads (9,700 out of 10,000) were completely beardless. Thanks for the info! Those varieties developed for grain production have rough awns. Do you have any suggestions? We buy our hay at a Tractor Supply and are ver happy with it, but it isnt cheap.. Even with the record high prices for retail hay in the desert Southwest, demand has remained good. Reich grows the forage winter wheat on fields being rotated out of alfalfa. Goats kids can be fat and healthy with plenty of mamas milk and a good hay and/or pasture. It should smell good, not musty, sour Mobile equine veterinary practice serving the West Denver Metro and Foothills area. Horse owners are also reminded that drastic changes to a different kind of hay including grain hay, can result in indigestion and laminitis. Treated Weathermaster Beardless Wheat. Other major wheat producers are India, Canada, France, and Australia. However, if grass hay is coarse and dry (with little vitamin A or protein), youll need to add some legume hay to the cattles diet. Legume hays such as alfalfa, clover, vetch, soybean or lespedeza work very well for kids, as well as pregnant and lactating does. Some farmers keep sheep and cattle together when feeding hay, so the sheep can eat the finer leaves that cattle waste. This is Goats 101 https://thriftyhomesteader.teachable.com/p/goats101/ In 2015, high levels of nitrates were reported in many cereal grains such as oats, rye, wheat and barley, among others, as well as some forages such as bromegrass, fescue, sorghum and sudangrass. Laub's Feeding & Cubing - 4016 N Beryl Hwy, Beryl, UT 84714. all horses can eat hay/grass. ", "Oat hay is best cut when the oat seed is out of the milk stage and into the dough. 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. Grass Hays are generally lower in overall nutrition than alfalfa hay, but this makes grass hay ideal to meet the needs of filling a horse up and making them feel full, while still meeting their nutrient needs. Oats , I like to lay them down soon after headed out , if you let them go to long they will produce too much seed, which dont hurt if you are grinding them into a feed ration. A mix of grass and legume hay often works well. But alfalfa hay is not the best for all animals. When I got started with goats I barely knew the difference between hay and straw. The nutritional value goes downhill in a hurry., Adds Hansen, If cattlemen are buying wheat hay, it may be wise to determine when it was harvested. Wednesday, September 18, 2019. Closely related to the common wheats are the club wheats, which have especially compact spikes, and spelta (not grown in the United States), in which the glumes (reduced, scalelike leaves) tightly enclose the grains. EquiMed Staff - 04/11/2018 The USSR continued as the worlds leading producer, with a near-record 235 million metric tons, but as the central government broke up in 1991, production fell. Standlee Forage makes hay pellets with alfalfa, timothy, and oat grass. According to a study from the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota, an analysis of forage and diet composition of dry matter shows triticale's crude protein at 17.5%, compared to alfalfa's 22.6% and oat's 14.2%. I need all the help I can get. or pl. In many geographic regions that get only two or three cuttings of alfalfa per season, first-cutting alfalfa might be the preferred hay for horses. See bhares- in Indo-European Roots.]. A few short awns (1/2) are observed on TAM 204 (left) vs. TAM 401. While neither of these things is an out and out myth, they come from misunderstood feeding principles. Alfalfa was recommended for a friends anemic goat (treating for barber pole too) :(. Just because your animals live outdoors doesnt mean youre off the hook for manure removal. It also has a more calcium percentage than the Timothy hay. They always went for the alfalfa. In some regions, it is hard to find good grass hay. In the winter, 50% straw and 50% hay or haylage will help compensate for the lack of pasture available for foraging. 2), TAM 204, and Razor from AgriPro/Syngenta. At the other extreme, overly stemmy alfalfa that is well past bloom stage may be too coarse for horses. Forage yield may be near peak but forage quality has declined (see Table 1). If you click on the Shop link above, you can also order my books. We have high-quality alfalfa hay, Blister beetle free and low moisture content. We have 350-400 rolls. Wheat is used also in the production of breakfast foods and to a limited extent in the making of beer, whiskey, and industrial alcohol. Thus legume hay, cut early, is more apt to meet the protein and mineral needs of young growing, pregnant or lactating animals than will many of the grass hays. Hay that has to be redried due to rain will be dull in coloryellow or brown, rather than bright green. OK Corral, a new beardless wheat variety, has been released by Oklahoma State University's Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, with seed available through Oklahoma Foundation Seed Stocks. Beardless wheat hay is acceptable for horses, though it might take some time for them to become acclimated to it, as some horses must acquire a taste for it. When oat seeds are planted, they first grow as a grass. 1. I feed Standlees Timothy grass pellets to my buck and alfalfa and alfalfa/timothy pellets to my pregnant does. I use grass hay but sometimes it is stemmy and my goats leave a lot. A Hands-Off Approach To Safely Living with a Ram, All Hay Is Not Equal: Choose Your Livestocks Carefully. Oats rival corn and wheat as a leading grain crop in the United States (the country of highest production), Canada, N Europe, and the countries of the former Soviet Union. Mix cereal grain with an equal volume of chaff to slow the rate of carbohydrate intake. So during cold weather, you will want to feed your cattle more roughage, rather than more legume hay. We currently feed our goats with grass hay from our property. Alfalfa Hay (also known as Legume Hay) averages 21.2% protein and 11% NSC (simple starches). Large Round. Cattle do well on it and horses colic or founder and can die on it. Winter wheat hay analysis (2010): 10% CP, 55% TDN 1200-lb cow NRC daily requirements: 2.2 lbs CP and 13 lbs TDN . What about endophyte free fescue for bucks and wethers and mixing it with alfalfa for kids/pregnant does/milking does? But is beardless wheat superior to regular bearded wheat? It is a valuable stock feed (often as a corn substitute) and is used for malting when the grain is of high quality. Patterned after our traditional Prosper 3-Grain Forage Blend, Fall varieties are "fall" and/or "winter" varieties intended for fall and winter sowing. In general the yield drag of beardless wheat in both irrigated and dryland grain variety trials has been lower by 10-15% and as much as 20% lower than our annual "Pick" wheat varieties for grain. Immature grass hay or leafy alfalfa is usually the best feed for sheep. Even if the outer edge of a bale has faded from sun exposure and rain, the inside should still be green. 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. $300/ton $200/bale Oat/barley/beardless wheat mix $250/ton $150/bale Triticale $200/ton. I feed Dumor (cheaper than Stanlee) alfalfa pellets to my girls mixed with a little, oat based, sweet feed and a lesser amount of a calf manna equivalent for the added vitamins and minerals. Oat hay analysis - Atascadero hay and feed.com. As a proxy for wheat, see Table 1 and the changes in oat forage tonnage and the simplest of forage quality measures, % crude protein (%CP), with increasing forage stage of growth. Our Beardless Wheat Hay is a magnificent feed for your animals. They let it keep growing until the seed heads mature, and then they let the entire plant dry before harvesting the seeds with a combine. In general the yield drag of beardless wheat in both irrigated and dryland grain variety trials has been lower by 10-15% and as much as 20% lower than our annual Pick wheat varieties for grain. They seem to love it. Always stack it so that the oldest bales will be used first. 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. All classes of forage sudangrasses and associated hybrids have toxicity levels that make them unfit for horse feed. Thus alfalfa is often fed to animals that need more protein and minerals. The cultivation of wheat in the Americas was introduced by the Spaniards in Mexico and by the English in New England and Virginia. Compressed Alfalfa Bale - $430. For pregnant or lactating mares, or young growing horses, some legume hay added to the diet provides the additional protein and higher levels of other nutrients needed. 11% protein. If I had a horse I wouldnt buy it. In many forages boot to late boot or possible initial heading is often viewed as the best compromise between forage tonnage and forage quality. Ca:P Ratio - 1.3:1. Cereal plants of the genus Avenaof the family Gramineae (grass family). More mature oat hay has thick tougher stalks that some horses will not eat. Regardless of storage time, you will need a way to keep it from getting wet or drawing moisture from the ground. Expect this hay to have 16 to 20% of proteins. Example: 1 = 1 lb, 2 = 2 lbs, 3 = 3lbs, etc. There are also thousands of Texas acres planted to generic Russian beardless wheats including HG-9, Eldorado, etc. Never saw rain . With mid-summer dry weather, there's always the possibility of parched pastures. 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As a rule of thumb, leafy hays have higher nutritional value than stemmier hays the lack of pasture for... Stocks a variety of shavings: Large flake shavings- 8 cu horses will not eat $ 200/ton rate carbohydrate! Climates, however, which is why I always explain the why between the what in my.! Grain hay, hay cubes, and Razor from AgriPro/Syngenta alfalfa/timothy pellets to my pregnant.... Forage tonnage and forage quality wheat superior to regular bearded wheat mentioned and fed my milking their. 1 lb, 2 = 2 lbs, 3 = 3lbs, etc often well. Smell good, not musty, sour Mobile equine veterinary practice serving the West Denver Metro Foothills! Differences between baled hay, so the sheep can eat the entire stem. Oldest bales will be used first for optimum performance equimed does not provide medical advice diagnosis..., 3 = 3lbs, etc many baled hays can meet these needs as well fed animals.