How To Read A Hay Analysis

In my recent commodity on the benefits of turnout for horses, I talked about the importance of grass turnout. In North America, we accept seasonal ebbs and flows and it's non ever safe to plow your horse out. So, the next all-time matter? Quality hay! Information technology'south important that you know how to tell the difference betwixt good quality hay and something that might not give your equus caballus the nutrition they need. Poor quality hay can crusade nutritional deficiencies, gut issues and other serious health issues. Permit'due south talk about how to assess your hay quality.

When your horse can't have the perfect scenario (rotational grass turnout on well-managed pasture), the next all-time thing is good quality hay. Hay is the principal source of essential energy, fibre, vitamins and minerals during the winter and, for some horses, all year round. Ensuring that your horse has access to good hay is paramount in preventing serious wellness issues. Poor hay can cause a number of problems including impactions/colic, poor hoof growth, poor body condition, low stamina and other serious illnesses.

So how can you tell if your hay is making the cutting? Hay quality tin vary greatly depending on the region information technology is grown in, species of grasses, phase of grass maturity, fertilization methods, harvesting, curing and storage methods. The first way to appraise the quality of hay is by sight, aroma and feel. The other way is to get your hay analysed. And, of course, how your horse is doing on it will be some other indication. You should consider all of these factors carefully when deciding which hay to use and which supplements you may need to add.

You may want to ask you hay supplier about the types of grasses included in your hay. Fertilized grasses that are less mature are generally higher in nutritional value. When choosing hay, you will desire to ask what types of fertilizers are used and if there are whatever insecticides or herbicides used. Your hay supplier should be doing soil testing to assess what minerals might need to be added to the soil prior to growing the hay. A good hay producer will exist able to easily explicate their procedure to you. Avert all insecticidal sprays and, whenever possible, choose hay that has been fertilized with organic fertilizers such as manure and compost.

Judging Hay With Your Senses

Taking a expert physical await at your potential hay source is of import. You tin learn a lot within 60 seconds of assessing information technology. Be sure you ask for a bale to be broken so yous tin encounter the within as well as the outside of the bale. Here are the principal traits to look for in your hay:

Colour

Green color indicates proficient quality. It ways the hay was nigh likely cured correctly and that the nutrients have been preserved. Greenish color also means that there are enough of import precursors for your horse to get enough vitamin A in their diet. Xanthous, stake looking hay indicates that it might be former and depression in nutritional value. Brown or black colour hay was improperly cured and is likely mouldy – likewise look for white fluffy spores. Mouldy hay is toxic so avoid it at all costs!

Texture:

Leafiness throughout the hay indicates high quality, digestibility, and that it has been harvested at the optimal time (non as a mature/flowering plant). This is a much more nutritious choice than mature grasses.  Course stems, seeds or flowers means the hay was harvested in its mature stage, is less nutritious and less digestible. Flowers volition only exist seen in mature legume hay. Seeds may be seen in mature grass hay.

Picture: Flowering alfalfa (legume).

Weeds and foreign material means the hay was poorly managed when grown. Weeds should brand up less than x% of the forage and there should be no garbage or other foreign objects present. Dusty hay is a health hazard for you and your horse. It indicates that the hay is quondam and it should not be fed. Practiced quality hay is dry but non dusty. Blister beetles are toxic and can infest mature alfalfa hay so do be sure to look for these. (meet movie beneath).

Smell:

It should olfactory property fresh and sweet. If at that place is a musty smell, it indicates mould and should not be purchased or fed.

Understanding Basic Hay Analysis

Getting your hay analyzed is an important office of getting to know your hay. Hay tin can sometimes wait very good but the analysis might still be defective. Another thing to consider is that basic hay analyses don't requite you all the pieces of the equine diet puzzle merely they give you lot a skillful baseline. There are many nutrients that won't exist mentioned on a hay analysis that are even so important aspects of a balanced equine diet. That's a story for some other day though!

Hay analyses average nearly $20.00 per test so information technology'south well worth information technology. A expert hay supplier will often have this testing done and you can merely enquire them to send you the results. Yous will get a lot of data well-nigh what nutrients are present and what might exist missing. If y'all are doing he testing yourself, ensure that you ask for an equine analysis so that you lot go the information needed to assess the hay specifically for horses. Horses are hind gut fermenters and have unlike nutritional requirements from other livestock such every bit cows or sheep (ruminants).

Some basic values for nutrients that you should expect for in your hay include moisture (in the "every bit received analysis" just), DE (digestible energy), ME (metabolizable energy), CP (rough protein), ADF (acrid detergent fibre), NDF (neutral detergent fibre), Calcium and Phosphorus. Other minerals may likewise be tested which is a plus. There volition be two columns present on your analysis, the "as received" column and the "dry out affair" column. All ranges below appear in a dry out matter basis (DMB) format except for the wet.

Moisture:

Cured correctly, good hay should be about 10-xvi% wet on an "as received" basis . This will ensure that the hay is non too dry or dusty and that it is digestible for your equus caballus. Above 18% means that in that location could be mould present and above 25% indicates fermentation which is non only unhealthy for your equus caballus but can also exist a burn down hazard.

Digestible Energy (DE):

An average sized horse (1000 lbs) in light work needs around xx Mcals per day. Mcals = per million calories. A skillful hay tin range anywhere from 0.75-two Mcals per pound of hay. You can use this evaluation to ensure you are giving your horse plenty calories to meet his daily energy requirements.

Crude Protein

The level of crude protein (CP) in your hay is an important cistron in how to balance your horse's diet. Horses are, past nature, not adapted to eating a high protein diet then information technology's of import that you aren't feeding likewise much. Legume hays, like alfalfa, are college in poly peptide than grass hays and they should be fed in moderation. The average equus caballus needs and average of 12% protein.

Average rough poly peptide in hay:

-Grass (eg. timothy, orchard grass, etc.) – can range from 8-14 % CP

-Mixed hay (often grass & alfalfa) – 14-17 %

-Legume hay – 15-twenty+ %

Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF)

The most undigestible parts of the hay, (eg. cellulose) are measured by the ADF. A low ADF value means that the nutrients in it are more digestible. A good range for ADF in hay is 35-45%. Anything above 45% is considered low in digestibility.

Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF)

The NDF will bear witness you exactly how much insoluble fibre is in your hay. Information technology also will signal how palatable the hay is. An NDF of 40-55% is platonic. Horses often will not swallow hay with an NDF over 65%. The idea is, the higher the NDF, the less a equus caballus volition consume but this depends on the horse and the hay.

Calcium, Phosphorus and Trace Minerals

This is one matter that actually gets people confused! Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) are considered macro minerals which means they are required in higher amounts compared to other minerals in the diet. The calcium and phosphorus ratio is as important as the levels of calcium and phosphorus found individually in the diet. Adult horses need a range from 1:1 to 3:ane of Ca to P. An boilerplate adult horse, not in work, requires roughly xx grams of calcium and 14 g of phosphorus per day. Growing horses require roughly 36-40 grams of calcium per mean solar day and 20-22 grams of phosphorus daily. So, if your hay is low in minerals, you will need to provide supplementation or other foods that balance the calcium: phosphorus ratio. Legume hays are higher in calcium and phosphorus than grass hays. It's a plus to have the other required minerals in the hay tested besides to decide if supplementation might exist needed. These include: potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, boron, sodium, sulphur, zinc, chloride and selenium.

Assessing Your Horse's Nutrition

An important aspect of assessing your horse's nutrition is to make up one's mind how your horse is doing on his current feeding schedule. His torso status, free energy level, hoof health and even his mood can exist affected by hay quality. Always consider your horse's current state of wellness when determining the all-time course of action with his diet. If yous're non sure, inquire your veterinary or hire an equine nutritionist to help you.

Nutrient Deficiency Hair Testing

So, you've tested your hay, evaluated your horse'south overall diet (including supplementation) and you're still having problem with your horse's health. What adjacent? The next step is to hire an equine nutritionist to help you. Nutritional deficiencies tin can nowadays like specific health problems in horses and so it'southward of import to try and figure out if it's only that your horse isn't getting plenty of all the equine-required nutrients or if they have an underlying disease that needs further attention from your veterinarian. If your equus caballus is really struggling clinically or has a diagnosed disease, they may require claret testing to check specific vitamin levels. Particularly useful blood tests include vitamin B12 and vitamin E.

Forth with hiring a nutritionist, yous can also opt to practice pilus testing to decide your horse'south entire nutritional profile. Hair testing tin can give you private information specifically from your horse including all the amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins that may demand adjusting. This can be a very useful tool if y'all're struggling to figure out why your horse isn't feeling their best. It's not always easy to get all the information about what your horse is absorbing/not arresting and what dietary adjustments might be needed. You may be giving great hay and supplements but if the gut isn't working optimally, your horse may not be arresting nutrients correctly. Gut issues are a common and preventable trouble in horses and I will discuss this further in time to come articles just probiotics along with other gut-supportive supplementation are often necessary. Check out my blog on equine ulcers to learn more about how to accost gut disease in your horse.

Have fun assessing your hay and happy feeding!

References:

1. The National Research Council – Nutritional Requirements for Horses 6^th 2007
2. The Merck Veterinary Manual: https://www.merckvetmanual.com/management-and-nutrition/nutrition-horses/nutritional-requirements-of-horses
3. University of Minnesota Extension – Horse Management: https://extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/understanding-your-hay-analysis#calcium-%28ca%29-and-phosphorus-%28p%29-1320267

Source: https://theanimalsynergist.com/understanding-hay-analysis/

Share this post