Alfalfa - Orchard Grass Mixed Hay Bales

Orchard Grass is the most desired of the horse preferred grasses surpassing that of timothy.

Orchard Grass has the advantages of a soft leaf with a good leaf to stem ratio and does not attract blister beetle.

Orchard Grass is harvested in the boot stage. Boot Stage is defined as the time when the seed head is enclosed within the leaf sheath of the flag leaf or that period that combines peak tonnage with peak hay nutrition. It is grown in fields well suited for alfalfa that in eastern Kansas means a well drained hay field.

In Kansas our local weather allows us to grow Orchard Grass in the same field as alfalfa to make mixed grass and alfalfa bales of higher protein per pound and increased fiber over that of alfalfa pure or grass hay.

The amount of protein in forage varies not only by the variety of forage but the maturity at time of harvest and overall quality of the hay. Alfalfa hay ranges between16 - 22% crude protein, while grass hays vary between 5 - 13% crude protein.

Young growing horses and those under hard work require higher levels of protein making alfalfa a logical choice. But for the average adult horse under light work, the extra protein in alfalfa, while not harmful, is wasted.

This illustration is a good example of how to get the most hay for money paid. It is better to buy lower protein feed with high fiber for better horse health than feed high protein forage in excess of the horse's capability to acquire that protein. As Cowbones forage is priced based on its nutrient value with most of the forage in excess of what the average horse can acquire by volume, any protein level in excess of that level paid for is simply money turning over for the economy rather than buying the appropriate level of nutrition and fiber balance for the horse.

A justification for buying hay in excess of the nutrition requirement of the horse is to mix that higher protein hay with low protein hay and much lower cost forage to stretch the horse budget.

Key at this point is that horse hay buyers that initially discount buying combination bales of alfalfa and grass such as alfalfa mixed with Orchard Grass are those buyers that chase protein at the cost of bulk fiber horse health and rather than a quality grower.

When combining pure alfalfa bales and grass bales mixing or layering in the hay bunk the horse knows what to selectively pick and pass on to eat. Most likely every bit of alfalfa will be picked out leaving the hay in the bunk and likely tossed out onto the floor. the solution is to pick the right grass and in our area what grows the best in terms of leaf to stem ratio and that which horses will readily eat is Orchard Grass. Orchard Grass when mixed in with the alfalfa bale will find the horse eating all at once. How to effectively mix Orchard Grass and Alfalfa hay then becomes the trick. the answer is to grow them together in the same field at the same tome, harvest together in to bales and feed to the horse the combination alfalfa and Orchard Grass bale.

All is not perfect and for every benefit there is a consequence.

The benefit to a Orchard Grass and alfalfa bale is the quality of the field as these two plants have differing lifecycles. This means at time of planting the hay tonnage per acre may be a 50 - 50 split between alfalfa and Orchard Grass, however one or the other due to environmental conditions will produce more than the other. It remains that nutrition comes down to testing first.

Second, an informed consumer that does not buy more than required.

The ideal for an 1100 pound recreational horse is 22-24 pounds of hay per 24 hours at 7% protein and that will exceed the protein requirement of the horse as well as provide sufficient through the day fiber consumption. Even at this rate a slow feed hay bunk is recommended not just for a horse boredom relief of those confined to stall or dry lot for extended daily periods, but also to extend that fiber consumption through the day for as long as possible for digestive health.

The conclusion is that feeding a bale of even poor alfalfa typically exceed a horse's protein needs. For the recreational horse owner it is better to feed more grass hay than alfalfa and when alfalfa is fed it is better to feed it as a grass and alfalfa mixed bale to boost the fiber volume while maintaining the minimum protein in the example above at 7% at 22 pounds per day.

Another hay buyer advantage of buying from a producer growing mixed alfalfa and grass bales is more tonnage per acre. This becomes important when prices increase and buyer competition increases or more likely when less than an ideal growing season comes along. Having more tonnage per acre may mean the difference between some and enough hay for your horses.

Regardless of the type of hay being sought it is more important to select a quality grower that provides proofs to his quality claim than just buying hay listed on any of a number of newspapers or web sites. Just to buy hay may be done anywhere. To buy hay based on nutritional value is the key.

A field of mixed Orchard Grass and alfalfa brings in more tonnage per acre of two highly desired horse forages. The value to the buyer is to have a more reliable source of horse hay from year to year from a grower that produces as good of horse nutrition as horses require, not promote excess requirements, on top of hay bales free as possible of mold, mildew, dust, weeds and field pests.

The point is buy what is needed and not simply spend money on nutrition points in excess of horse consumptive capability.

The second point is that shopping around for protein for the lowest is easily done. Finding and becoming a regular buyer from a quality producer is more difficult.