Looking for Hay Alternatives

My hay supply is dwindling and although my pasture is green, it isn't enough. I have to feed hay all year. The thought of doing what I have to do -- find hay and stock up for the coming winter -- makes me tired just to think about.

The hay fields have been converted to corn fields to make fuel for me to burn in my car. Other countries are buying up our hay crop. I wonder if this summer will be yet another drought? The price of gas and fertilizer will drive the hay prices up whether or not we have enough rain. Ouch!

The two hay suppliers I consider friends have more friends these days than your average philanthropist. I may start baking cakes for them and other bribes. I do so hate to beg but beg I will. And then pay a fortune.

If you search for "hay alternatives" on the 'net you'll find out all kinds of information that basically says there are alternatives but none as good as hay (except maybe alfalfa cubes). Beet pulp is easy and readily available (and really fattening) but it can only be part of the solution. Shoot.

Many alternatives, such as haylage, apparently carry the risk of botulism. And I don't think I can get my horses to eat ground up peanut shells. I don't even want them to.

Anybody have any success with "alternative fuel" for horses? I hope some feed company is out there working for a solution, because we're certainly ready for one. I've checked several feed manufacturer sites and nobody's talking about developing a hay alternative.

I can't use round bales. Colic, colic, colic. It has to be good hay. Horse quality hay. Hay that was babied from the moment it sprouted to the day it was baled. I feed it to them on a swept concrete pad, which seems to cut down on waste.

Sigh. Since when did dry grass get to be such a rare commodity?

Comments

[BrownEyedCowgirls]

There is nothing wrong with big round bales. Actually if you have the ability to feed them-they are very cost effective.
We live in an area where that is all that is available-if you don't want to drive 150 miles to buy squares-and there is nothing wrong with the quality of hay in them.
Here is the deal-if you can supply your horse with all of the nutrients they need from other sources, they don't necessarily need the highest quality hay. It can be used as something to munch on to satisfy the natural horse desire to chew for longer periods.
I know it goes against a lot of ingrained misconceptions that people have about the value of hay. Obviously-you would still want to look for something that has been cut before it gets horribly stemmy, relatively weed free and mold free.
Hopes that helps give you a few more options :)

[Anne]

Thanks for your comments. I didn’t mean to make it sound like round bales were poor quality. The problem is that my horses are too bored or something to have them. I’ve tried them before and BOTH horses colicked. I had fed them more and more hay until they were leaving it on the ground before I put the round bale out, so they’d be able to better self-regulate consumption. But it didn’t happen. My TB mare stuck her head in the bale and ate a hole through it until she colicked. The gelding colicked at the other end, when the bale was down to the dregs. I’ve bought round bales since then and fed daily rations off of them, but I can’t let the horses have free access. Maybe one day they would learn, but going through two colics was too much for me.

It may be that the hay you have where you are lends itself better to round bales. We only have coastal Bermuda hay. A lot of people don’t like that but it’s what grows best around here.

Thanks for the suggestion! Hope you get all the hay you need.

[mrsmom]

I use rounds here- but we peel them and feed hay as needed. Its a cost thing: one 4' x 5' (aprx 950 to 1000# round bale of either bermuda or alicia) is $75 delivered. Lasts two weeks. The equivalent in square bales would run me double that.

Are your hay suppliers going to have enough?? If they need help, please let me know. I do have contacts still in the hay industry, and I will GLADLY pass them along to you and them! Can't have starving horses out there!!!

[ell]

I use "Forage Extender" Super Bites (they come in normal pellet size to)From POulin Grains Vermont: http://www.poulingrain.com/pages/3629/Forage_Extender_Pellet_Super_Bites.htm

I use them to give vitamins to the fat ponies who can't have grain and to the old guy who is eating less hay to due to teeth issues. They are fed pound for pound for hay. They are hay.

[ell]

oops: They are NOT hay! They are: Soy Hulls, Dehy. Alfalfa Meal and Beet Pulp,and can replace up to 50% of hay (roughage), according to the company specs. Though I do know of horses who eat more than 50% of their roughage in Forage Extender.

[Grey Horse Matters]

I wish I knew of a good alternative to hay, but I don't. We feed denghi and alfalfa cubes at times for a treat, but they always have hay. I'm glad we have had rain and the grass is coming up. The cement pad seems a good idea, we have some feeders in the center of the paddocks in the winter and to keep the hay out of the shavings we have put the hay in nets that seems to slow them down a little.

[kathyc]

Another option is to fence around the round bale and only allow them access to it for a certain amount of time each day. (or twice a day)

Currenty I am turning my horses on pasture half a day and on the round bale half a day. By the time they come in from pasture they aren't much interested in the round bale, but at least they have that option.

[Grey Horse Matters]

Hi Anne,
Still haven't found a good hay alternative, but I did find an award with your name on it, stop by when you have a chance and pick it up.

[kelly]

I have something for you:) Swing by Everyrider when you get a sec to pick it up!

Thanks,
Kelly

[Callie]

I was going to suggest a round bale and peel it and feed as needed. Keep it stored as you would any other bale.

[risingrainbow]

I have used round bales a couple of times but I always peeled off enough for a meal. It actually got me to be really good at feeding by weight although it was tricky at the start.

Lori from prophotobylori feeds shredded beet pulp to cut down on hay bills. She's been doing it for years and her horses look great.

[BarnGoddess]

Ive heard good things abotu beet pulp, have never tried it though. I feed very little hay here. I do use square bales in the winter, 1 flake twice daily, but I feed equine senior (its a full feed) 3X daily in the winter. I slack it in half for the old guy during the summer (like now!) when the pasture is rich and full of nutrients.

[Scott piggott]

I have double compressed 2nd and 3rd cut hay from 2007 that was over flow of what we needed to ship overseas, that you can have at cost fob our yard. I also have about 600 ton of 3x3x8 bales of this years first cut timothy and Alfalfa mix that will not make the export grade because it got a little mature. But still green. I will let it all go for $110 a ton fob our hay plant in Manitoba. Samples are available and lab tests. We would like to set up a long term relationship for these types of scenarios. We bale 12’000 acres of our own and buy in a lot of hay to run thru our press. So we get alot of hay that is really good and could be moved to the horse market in the US but thats not our business. We rather move it on at cost then have to sit on it.

[Scott piggott]

I have double compressed 2nd and 3rd cut hay from 2007 that was over flow of what we needed to ship overseas, that you can have at cost fob our yard. I also have about 600 ton of 3x3x8 bales of this years first cut timothy and Alfalfa mix that will not make the export grade because it got a little mature. But still green. I will let it all go for $110 a ton fob our hay plant in Manitoba. Samples are available and lab tests. We would like to set up a long term relationship for these types of scenarios. We bale 12’000 acres of our own and buy in a lot of hay to run thru our press. So we get alot of hay that is really good and could be moved to the horse market in the US but thats not our business. We rather move it on at cost then have to sit on it.

[Scott piggott]

I have double compressed 2nd and 3rd cut hay from 2007 that was over flow of what we needed to ship overseas, that you can have at cost fob our yard. I also have about 600 ton of 3x3x8 bales of this years first cut timothy and Alfalfa mix that will not make the export grade because it got a little mature. But still green. I will let it all go for $110 a ton fob our hay plant in Manitoba. Samples are available and lab tests. We would like to set up a long term relationship for these types of scenarios. We bale 12’000 acres of our own and buy in a lot of hay to run thru our press. So we get alot of hay that is really good and could be moved to the horse market in the US but thats not our business. We rather move it on at cost then have to sit on it.