Is teff hay bad for horses?

Palatability – Teff is fine stemmed, leafy and “soft” which is very palatable to horses. Low Sugar Solution – The high fiber, low sugar and starch content make this a rescue feed for horses suffering from many, and some debilitating, disease conditions.

Is teff hay high in protein?

GOOD PROTEIN and ENERGY VALUES: Protein and energy values are appropriate for a wide range of needs. Good quality teff hay should range between 11-13% protein and 0.9-0.95 Megacalories per pound (DE).

Is teff hay the same as grass hay?

Teff is a warm season grass native to Africa, with different varieties grown mainly for grain and hay production. As Teff has a shallow root system which is easily overgrazed, it is not used for grazing pasture. When grown under warm, moist conditions the low sugar content of Teff remains steady.

Does teff grass make good hay?

Teff makes a very palatable hay and is well accepted by horses, llamas, alpacas, and similar livestock. Recently weaned calves also adapt to teff hay quite quickly. Teff may be better suited to these uses than our other summer annual grasses.

How much teff hay do I feed my horse?

In a separate study that featured teff hay cut at three different stages of maturity (boot, early, and late), mature horses preferred the boot and early-maturity hays based on voluntary intake: 1.8% of body weight for boot, 1.7% of body weight for early, and 1.5% of bodyweight for late maturity.

What is teff grass good for?

This grass has a wide range of adaptation and is used as hay, silage or pasture for dairy, beef, sheep or horses. The growing popularity of teff is due to its ability to produce high-quality hay in a relatively short growing season.

How much does teff hay cost?

“Teff requires relatively low crop inputs and offers high yields,” Shaw noted. “It loves the summer heat. “We’re finding that teff will bring a premium price in the horse-hay market. For teff that is testing less than 10% nonstructural carbohydrates, the median price from 2016 to 2018 was $240 per ton.

Why is alfalfa bad for horses?

Alfalfa hay can cause diarrhea in a horse that overeats it because the hay is rich and full of nutrients. Overeating alfalfa can also cause a horse to have excess gas, develop laminitis, and founder.

Can cattle eat teff grass?

Teff grass originates from Ethiopia. It is a warm-season annual grass that can be used for hay, silage, or pasture. It is fast growing, high yielding, and a forage of excellent quality. It can be fed to horses, sheep, dairy and beef cattle.

What are the types of hay?

Different types of hay. There are several categories of hay including legume, grass, mixed (legume and grass), and cereal grain straw (i.e. oat hay). The more common varieties of grass hay include brome , timothy, bluegrass, and orchardgrass.

How is teff harvested?

Teff can be harvested as dry hay, silage or grazed . However, the prevalent harvest method is dry, baled hay . Teff forage is fine-stemmed, leafy and “soft,” which is very palatable to livestock. Teff forage does not have anti-quality compounds such as nitrates or prussic acid that are associated with other summer annual species.

When is alfalfa dry enough to bale?

In the fall or spring, it may take 7 to 10 days to get the crop dry enough to bale; this is when we get a lot of dew and there are extreme temperature swings between night and day,” he added. Unless water supplies become limited, alfalfa fields are flood irrigated two times between cuttings.

Can Horse founder on oats and alfalfa hay?

DearCustomer. If the horse over eats either oats (or any grain) or alfalfa hay it is possible that may cause it to founder. Switching from a low quality grass hay to alfalfa may cause founder or colic, or if the feed or hay is spoiled. Founder can occur when a horse colics, so if he over eats and colics that can in turn lead to founder.