what to feed horses when there is no hay?

freegal · #1 07/27/12, 05:28 AM

No one has hay around here right now but our hay man is searching for sources and we are on a waiting list with another source. But what if there is no hay? We have two horses in their early twenties to feed. What else can you feed them to get them through the winter and keep them healthy? We aren't in a money-is-no-object position.

SFM in KY · #2 07/27/12, 05:38 AM

The only substitute I know of personally, and have used successfully, is hay cubes. Used those one winter in Montana. They are expensive, however, although I haven't bought any for quite a few years and I think the last ones I bought were around $14 for a 50# bag.

Wintergrower_OH · #3 07/27/12, 06:50 AM

I was asking this same question of friend in grand rapid , mich . "Annual forages are a good option for hay if you have enough moisture to get it to grow. Sorghum-Sudan grass hybrid will grow very well if planted right now but prussic acid can be an issue if it is not managed properly. Oats also works well in a pinch. The alfalfa, red and ladino clovers have survived well in this drought. Will be sure to plant more of them including my favorite, crimson clover ". Some thing to think about in future droughts .

Irish Pixie · #4 07/27/12, 07:26 AM

Most feed companies have a forage product that is chopped hay, I'm familar with Triple Crown's bagged grass hay (they also have alfalfa) and it's excellent. You can supplement with some type of ground and pelleted hay as well- Blue Seal's Hay Stretcher is a great product. Well soaked beet pulp can be used too.

RamblinRoseRanc · #5 07/27/12, 08:20 AM

Well soaked beet pulp is an excellent feed when the hay is scarce or of cruddy quality. It can be fed up to 50% of a horse's diet (manufacturer says 40%, I've gone to 50%) and can be used with bagged hay or a complete feed.

Molly Mckee · #6 07/27/12, 09:20 AM

Hay cubes and well soaked beet pulp are the only ways I know of. I would wonder about the winter long availability of both. The beets may be affected by drougth as well as the hay. If you can find them, I would get them now.

freegal · #7 07/27/12, 09:55 AM

Thanks for the suggestions. Our pastures are a good mixture of forage, including much of what was mentioned above, but they are suffering from the drought as well. The recent rains have spurred some regrowth which will help us to get through the fall. We still have some hay in the barn and hopefully will get a supply for the winter but I will see if I can find some of the hay products and stock up on some of the other things, too, just in case.

JPiantedosi · #8 07/27/12, 10:04 AM

we buy a couple bags here and there of hay cubes, as well as going to the local feed mill and buying a 14% supplement in pellet form. between them, when things get rough we do ok.

For 2 horses, I would imagine that you could keep them going without breaking the bank with some cubes and grain supplement.

Jim

arabian knight · #9 07/27/12, 10:30 AM

In AZ. where hay is always very high in price, many farms fed "pellets".
They were made from alfalfa and pressed into a fairly large "pellet"
And a few would get those hay "cubes". But most of the folks in barns fed those alfalfa pellets.

Stonybrook · #10 07/27/12, 05:20 PM

I fed timothy pellets and their regular feed.

A friend of mine went together with some others in her area and got a loaded semi from OK.

Wintergrower_OH · #11 07/27/12, 08:27 PM

From what i read you want to stay away from alfalfa pellets . Check with your vets as to proper diet . for instance Timothy pellets + hay . Alfalfa doesn't sit well with some horse .

where I want to · #12 07/27/12, 10:15 PM

You all have finally worried me enough that I got my winter supply early. We do not have a drought issue here but the feed store did say they were expecting shortages. Probably due to other areas purchaseing what we normally use.
I remember years ago that I got some wheat straw to bed only to have my horses consume it like it was sugar. I thought one girl was going to explode when I discovered in the morning that she had eaten practically her whole stall.
That leads me to wonder if some bales of that might stretch the hay. Not much food value but may work for "chew time." Sort of ballast for other sources like pellets.

Molly Mckee · #13 07/27/12, 10:33 PM

Here people will raise both oats and barley and cut it and bale it like hay. It has to be cut before the grain is ripe, but after it has headed out. The horses love it, if done right it is green and if I remember about 14% protein. If you had a choice of either one it should be good hay. I have never heard of nitrate problems with it but in a drought area and especially if it is stunted I would check.

**bergere** · #14 07/28/12, 05:45 AM

I can 2nd the Quality of Triple Crown copped hay in the bags. I use Triple Crown Safe Starch.
Horse's love it.

Cubes are also good.

Pellets do not have enough roughage in it, to be able to feed it as a the only food.

Rogo · #15 07/28/12, 04:31 PM

Here in central Arizona we've been in drought for years, but I've always been able to get hay. I've never used alfalfa or other hays, only Bermuda grass hay. Haven't used cubes either.

I've fed only Bermuda only pellets for years to older equine. I use the Mountain Sunrise brand. The pellets are tiny, soft and the critters can gum them. No soaking required. They come out of Utah and many of the feed stores here carry them. Perhaps they're carried in your area. Check their website:

mountainsunrise.com

Don't remember where it was, but I've read how years ago folks kept their cattle alive thru some bad weather by feeding potatoes.

Another article told how they'd make a fire and toss in cactus paddles to burn off the stickers. When cool, they were fed to the cattle.

Dusky Beauty · #16 07/28/12, 06:13 PM

We've got a feed mill in Phoenix that will sell Alfalfa pellets in bulk, you just bring containers. We bought it bagged at the feed store, but my next door neighbors took 6 (clean) trash cans at a time to fill and feed his mules and horses.

haypoint · #17 07/30/12, 09:22 AM

Increase your grain ration, slowly. Spelt is good horse feed, if you can find it.

copperhead46 · #18 08/04/12, 03:17 PM

Alafalfa cubes, soaked for a couple of hours, for our older friends, beet pulp, also soaked in water, (it's dry and a choking hazard) and calf creep pellets, 14 %, thats what I feed my older guys. They eat it up like a hog on slop !!

KOHL HAWKE · #19 08/14/12, 02:25 PM

My mare did great on alfalfa pellets and little bit of hay. Its what the cows and goats had too. She is large mare apox 1400-1600 lbs and i fed 7lbs alfalfal and 2 flakes of hay, she also had a colt at side and stay fat and round. alfalfa pellets from the feed mill were cheaper than crappy hay and dont have the starches found in most grain feeds. she did great

Teej · #20 08/18/12, 01:44 AM

Freegal, don't know what part of IL you are in but there is an Amish auction every Friday night about 30 miles east of Vincennes which is on the IN side of the IL/IN border. Tonight they had plenty of hay there and mixed grass and timothy was going for $3.00 - 3.50 a bale, alfalfa 4.75 a bale. We weren't there last week but was talking to a guy there who was and he said last week there were only 2 lots of grass hay and one went for 11.00/bale and the other 14.00/bale. So it would be a crap shoot on showing up on a week when they had plenty available.

Might be an option for you if you have a trailer to haul it on since it might be cheaper to drive a ways and buy some hay versus using cubes or pellets all winter.

If you're interested I can give you more info on the location.

freegal · #21 08/18/12, 05:27 AM

Thanks, Teej. We have no truck right now to pick up hay so we're stuck with having to have the hay delivered. Our regular hay guy only has 900 lb. rounds but we found someone nearby that will deliver small squares. He is importing large squares from the Dakotas and cutting and baling into small squares. It is pricey but very consistant quality grass hay. We'll stretch the hay and up the pelleted feed a bit to make do. Hopefully it will be a better local hay crop next year!