Horse ”quality” hay vs cattle …

[backhoeboogie]

Their horses are usually in a pen browsing brush and weeds, all the grass has been pulled out by the roots long before.

They want you to drive 20 miles to show them the hay you have for sale so they can buy one round bale and they want you to hold bales for them to pick up one each month. When someone asks, "Do you have horse quality hay?" I used to tell them I sold all that to the feed stores already. That was a mistake. Now they call any time they think you are about to cut hay. You can't win.

 

[Jogeephus]

Their horses are usually in a pen browsing brush and weeds, all the grass has been pulled out by the roots long before.

They want you to drive 20 miles to show them the hay you have for sale so they can buy one round bale and they want you to hold bales for them to pick up one each month. When someone asks, "Do you have horse quality hay?" I used to tell them I sold all that to the feed stores already. That was a mistake. Now they call any time they think you are about to cut hay. You can't win.

Don't you love those high volume high quality operations that demand all of your time. ;-) :lol2: :lol2:

 

[djinwa]

Like Milkmaid said, horses not growing, reproducing, lactating don't need much. Not much protein needed. Need more energy if working, but don't know many horses that do much. I know a guy who has some he rarely rides, and he buys the poorest weedy hay he can find and they look great.

My brother has 3 Belgians he feeds the premium quality irrigated alfalfa hay he grows. Since he doesn't use them any more, all they're producing is a large quantity of very rich urine.

 

[chippie]

Hay that has been rained on prior baling is called "cattle" hay around here too.

Like the others said, the cattle hay may have junk in it, weeds, coarse stems and may be last years crop (or older).

The best thing to do is to look at the hay in person before buying and get the best quality that you can afford. An older or poorer quality hay may only be a rib stretcher, meaning that it only fills the cows stomach (diet hay).

Our cows get the same quality hay as our horses. There is less waste.

 

[grannysoo]

Hay that has been rained on prior baling is called "cattle" hay around here too.

Same here unless the big hay producers are out.

Then the miracle occurs and cow hay becomes horse hay...

 

[HobbyFarm]

around here the diference is cow hay got wet in the field. Rained on after cut - before bale, or rained on before it got picked up out of the field.

 

[TexasBred]

The only difference in this area is whateve the buyer asks for....he's shown hay for cattle..if he then says he wants "horse quality hay" they usually show him the hay on the other end of the barn and double the price.

 

[backhoeboogie]

The only difference in this area is whateve the buyer asks for....he's shown hay for cattle..if he then says he wants "horse quality hay" they usually show him the hay on the other end of the barn and double the price.

Don't go telling everyone my tricks! :shock: :shock: I am as crooked as the Brazos.

It costs $47 to produce a round bale, we should sell it for $40 just because.

During the drought I had over $40 a bale in irrigation cost alone, and that doesn't count the cost of pump or irrigation pipe. Just fuel. Customers appreciated me having hay and strangers felt I was gouging.

When I have horse quality, I tell the hobby horse folks I don't. I seriously don't want to mess with them. Too much trouble with no volume of sales.

Cattlemen who have horses feed my cow hay to their horses and tell me it is better than the feed store stuff, so long as it isn't first cutting. It is not pure leaf hay so I don't call it horse hay.

One of my fields was full of winter growth clover because it had no cows on it. No weeds at all just clover and coastal. Rich dark green coastal. People thought the clover was weed. It is going to my cows this winter and they'll be very happy about it Those who know better want that hay versus the granual fertilized.

Most all of us selling hay are trying to squeeze all your profits away. :lol: :lol: :lol:

If I had to sell hay for less than cost, it can sit in the rows until it rots. That is just how it is.

 

[TexasBred]

Boogie...I agree with you 100%...an horses can actually eat most hays given time to adjust to them. I've seen them eating everything from sudan to corn stalks and wheat straw.