Availability and quality affects the price of hay in your area. Availability—determined by weather during harvest—affects hay prices, as does quality. And quality affects nutrition. Some links in articles are part of an Amazon Affiliate program that provides income to support this brand.
Links are chosen by our editors. Hay is big business, the third-largest crop in harvested acres. Cattle are the primary market, and alfalfa is the largest hay crop. When you are purchasing hay, you often pay by the bale or ton. Following are averages if you are buying by weight:. Save money by buying in bulk, as in a semi-truckload, or buying bales still in the field. I agreed to pick up the hay bales, and he discounted the price; it was a win-win situation.
You can click here to see what they have to offer. When you are purchase hay, you often pay by the bale or ton. Following are averages prices if you are buying by weight:. Apart from the different hay grades, it would vary even more if we included the price range according to types. For instance, alfalfa hay is much more expensive and is denser than grass hay.
Hay can be purchased by the bale or ton. Typically a small bale of grass hay weighs between 50 and 70 pounds. A large three-wire bale weighs between and pounds. Alfalfa hay bales weigh at least ten percent or more than grass hay bales. When I lift a bale of alfalfa hay, the difference in its weight compared to a bermudagrass bale is significantly more.
Newer hay balers often compact bales tighter, and this results in heavier bales. Different types of hay are more or less expensive than others. A bale of Alfalfa is more expensive than a bale of Bermuda grass hay. You pay more for Grade 1 Bermuda hay than for Grade 3. There is no uniform standard for grading hay, but the goal is to provide a measure that reflects the hay quality. To determine hay quality, sellers and buyers look at the color, freshness, moisture content, and nutrient content, emphasizing the percentage of protein and calories.
Try to get first cutting but if you get fresh first cutting you should be fine. See how the horses like it and maintain their weight. You may need to look to supplement with some alfalfa which is legume hay meaning lots more protein and calories. So you have to be careful with this and you may want to ask your vet about maybe doing alfalfa pellets instead. Legumes are a plant family that includes alfalfa, clover, and birdsfoot trefoil hay. Legume hay is higher in protein than grass-based hays such as timothy or oat straws.
This increased concentration of the amino acid arginine leads to an increase in energy for horses eating legume fodder; however it can also lead to problems with obesity if they consume too much food at once — especially during summer months when feeding limits may be lower due to heat stress on animals who do not have access to fresh water sources like rivers or lakes where they can take dips from time-to-time while grazing.
Alfalfa hay is the most common legume for horses, and one of the more popular choices in America. If you are looking to feed your horse some high-quality food that will provide plenty of nutrients as well as ample fiber, protein, and calcium then alfalfa might be a great option! Clover hay is a great source of energy, protein and fiber. However, if it molds the horse will experience nausea as well as slobbering and bleeding in their mouth.
Birdsfoot trefoil is a more resistant forage to negative soil conditions and moisture fluctuations. Birdsfoot trefoil grows from feet tall, and thrives when mixed with grasses in the pasture mix of hay. Legumes offer many benefits over other types including increased digestibility which means horses can get nutrients faster without as much effort on your part or theirs—meaning you will need less fodder than what you would have needed if feeding only grass hays even though it may be easier to eat because it has lower lignin.
Grass hay comes in many varieties and the best hay can vary from horse to horse. Timothy hay, the go-to for most horse owners and their equine friends alike. Timothy is typically a finer textured grass than other types of hays which means it has higher protein content but also better balance in nutrients such as calcium and fiber.
Bermuda grass is a durable and flexible hay for horses. Coastal Bermuda Grass has short, fine blades of green that make it lower in protein than other types of hay but still provides an excellent source to keep your horse healthy.
The most affordable type on the market, you can purchase this coastal bermuda at any feed store near you! It has a different appearance from timothy and orchard hays as well—its leaves are wider with more variety in their color. Though brome lacks calcium when compared to legume-based hay, its high protein content makes this one worth considering for livestock that needs just some extra energy before winter comes around again! Orchard hay is another type of grass that can be a great alternative to traditional timothy.
Another characteristic about this tall green variety is that it does well with cooler temperatures — which for horses means less stress on their bodies during feeding times! Oat hay is a nutritious option for horse feed and can be used alone or mixed with alfalfa.
The plant can suffer if there are too many moisture fluctuations or a drought occurs because rye tends to be sensitive in those cases. Fescue grass is a tall, broad blade of grass that can be harmful to pregnant mares if it contains the fungal infection endophyte. Hay and pasture should always be tested for this fungus before feeding them to horses in order to prevent any problems from occurring!
If you are going to be keeping your horse close and they will be on grass it is probably best to start with whatever a farmer has local first that is horse quality. You can ask them and they will more than likely know. Below are some examples and what they bring to the table for the horse. We went out and gathered information from hay forums, websites like hay map, craigslist, Facebook Marketplace along with contacting many different farms across the country to see how much they charge or pay for hay.
We used all this information to come up with these averages that we feel very confident in. If you find any discrepancies let us know and send us an email at admin horsefaqs. As you have witnessed that prices vary for each grade, if the hay type was also in consideration, the prices would have fluctuated even more.
For instance, alfalfa is more expensive as it supplies better quality and denser hay. With all the expenses of keeping a horse, most equine keepers are always on the lookout for hacks and tricks to cut down on upkeep costs.
There is one way with which you can minimize the feeding cost to some extent. If the horse is being fed on hay alone, it is advised to buy in bulk. Buying in bulk gets you a good deal and huge discounts. You can bargain for some extra bucks off for each bale. Secondly, try to buy hay directly from farmers. Hay bales sold in feed stores are generally expensive than the ones bought directly. Yes, high-quality hay is definitely. Even the same type of hay can have different purchase prices due to the hay cutting.
Time of cutting affects prices and quality. The third, fourth, or fifth cuttings not only excel in quality but also are leafier and cut with better drying conditions. The first and second cuttings can have just as good quality relative to the hay itself and the quality analysis. If you can not find better hay locally, it is good to buy hay online.
0コメント