Bermuda Hay

[ayrabz]

Have successfully located a local hay source in the Williamsburg area, who will bring small loads and stack for me (!) This was a great concern, since hay barn is still not built, and I’ll have to work with small loads until it is.
Now. that said, this guy grows Bermuda. He sells that until its gone (climate/area) and then gets in mostly Timothy from NY but also timothy orchard blend.
My horse has never been on Bermuda hay…but I’m expecting this will be the norm in this more southern/eastern part of VA.
He come highly recommended by a very savvy horsewoman in the area so I have no qualms over his product or his knowledge in cutting, curing, etc. (matter of fact, I’m amazed he’ll even bother with me, but I’m very thankful!)

I will have a mini (she is used to Bermuda…coming from NC) and I will also have a 16 mo. old filly arriving after I get the gelding and the mini settled.

Should I have any concerns about using Bermuda? Not sure I’ll have much of a choice, but would like to know how to phase in, and if I should watch for something or supplement with something?

[Valentina_32926]

There is nothing wrong with Bermuda.

[Whitfield_Farm_Hanov]

Don’t do it! It has been proven over & over again to greatly increase colic risks. If you can get something else, say Timothy or orchard grass use that instead. I know lots of people do feed it but I was told by surgeons that it’s worse for the horses that weren’t raised on it.

[ayrabz]

Oh, jeeze. Whitfield, that is so scarey! I’m not sure I’ll have a timothy/orchard supplier at first. :no:

[cloudyandcallie]

Whitfield Farms is right. And there is a recent thread on bermuda hay on CoTH. I have decades of experience with bermuda hays and I finally just gave up over a year ago and now feed only timothy. Not grown here, so $26 a bale. Backup is the perennial peanut hay at $8 a bale. since my horses are easy keepers, they cannot eat alfalfa (which is expensive down here but a few dollars cheaper than timothy) and the peanut hay is also to rich for them to eat every day.

After an over 2000$ trip to our vet hospital in July 2013, my vet said that timothy was best for mine. If you do feed bermuda, try to get the russell bermuda rather than the Tift 85 or other varieties. Russell has thicker stems. My previous BO fed that. Don’t get alicia, it’s the finest stemmed.

[clanter]

There are different types of Bermuda

Coastal Bermuda can cause impaction but makes an excellent pasture grass however Giant Bermuda is highly digestible and makes great hay but poor pastures.

Giant Bermuda blades are grey-green in color. The erect stems can grow 10 to 35 inches tall. The stems are slightly flattened, often tinged purple in color. The seed heads are produced in a cluster of 3-7 spikes (rarely 2) together at the top of the stem, each spike 2 inches long. It has a deep root system. In winter the grass becomes dormant and turns brown. Growth is promoted by full sun & retarded by full shade

http://www.hayusa.net/bermuda.html

[morganpony86]

There has been one study that showed a higher correlation of ileal impactions when horses were fed coastal bermuda.

My horses were raised on timothy/alfalfa (two for over 2 decades) and had to make the switch to coastal bermuda when we moved to the gulf coast. I take simple precautions: feed in small hole hay nets and feed soaked timothy/alfalfa cubes as a supplement (maybe ~2-3lbs a day, so not much) from TSC.
You have to remember that horses who colic are likely not taken care of as well as some of our horses. Probably feed giant round bales to their hearts’ delight, allowed to hoover dry hay in mid-summer in Florida, not drinking adequately, etc.

[ayrabz]

got a quick email from my vet: she is in the no Bermuda if you can help it camp…and if you can’t, small feedings and slow feed and mix with other.

I admit, I was so relieved to find this hay source and know I’d have no issues over the winter…very savvy hayer, who will bring me small loads and stack. He just finds Bermuda is a crop for the East Coast VA area he can and has had luck with. But, I’m not going to chance my brand new filly and my aging gelding if I can help it.

So much for peace of mind and a sigh of relief in this new adventure.

[pds]

I have asked several vets here in Aiken all said Coastal Bermuda hay is fine to feed. All our horses get it (small sq bales)and no problems.

[Valentina_32926]

I have fed coastal for about 20 years and I can’t remember the last time one of my horses colic’ed, hence my supposition that it’s OK.

[ayrabz]

The conversation and concern? is in re: horses that are not born in/raised in/ fed in Florida and coastal Georgia and Alabama…and that have already been brought up on this type of forage all along. But rather? An abrupt change from cooler grass hay they’ve always had, to adapting their guts to this. There does? seem to be some concern for that particular situation that is documented?

(and had to edit because I thought “Sandy in Fla.” was hilarious and brilliant)

[clanter]

we moved our horses from Kentucky, they had never seen Bermuda before coming here. We have Bermuda pasture grass as it appears to be the only thing besides weeds that will tolerate draught.

We switched the horses from the northern grasses to giant Bermuda hay without a problem.

[halo]

FWIW, Ive been feeding Coastal bermuda since I moved to Florida 15 years ago with no issues. I have also worked at a farm for 13 years that carries anywhere from 150 to 200 horses a year, and they feed bermuda with a flake of alfalfa a day. Have never had any issues with colic. Thats a lot of horses.

[morganpony86]

[QUOTE=ayrabz;7796186]
The conversation and concern? is in re: horses that are not born in/raised in/ fed in Florida and coastal Georgia and Alabama…and that have already been brought up on this type of forage all along. But rather? An abrupt change from cooler grass hay they’ve always had, to adapting their guts to this. There does? seem to be some concern for that particular situation that is documented?[/QUOTE]

Where is that documented? Because I haven’t seen it. As I said in my post above, all of my horses were raised on timothy/alfalfa in the upper midwest for their entire lives (5-20+ years depending on the horse), and made the “abrupt” change when I moved to the Gulf two years ago. Absolutely no issues with switching to coastal bermuda, as long as precautions are taken.
The horses have had a much harder time acclimating to the climate (still growing Minnesota winter coats, hooves falling off due to humidity, etc) than to the switch in hay type.

[Zipsmom]

Here is some information about Coastal and Tifton http://cflag.ifas.ufl.edu/documents/2007EquineInstit/CoastalvsT-85.pdf
I do not like to feed coastal-picky horsey usually just throws it all over the stall and occasionally pees and poops on it to show his displeasure. I usually try to get a timothy/alfalfa or straight timothy or orchard grass. But there are times when all the “good” hay looks crappy (but costs just as much) and if I can find really fresh, green coastal or Tifton, he will eat it over the crappy “good” hay. I prefer Tifton because it is not as fine as coastal. But usually I only feed it over a short time period. I have not seen any problems. Many of the people at our barn only feed coastal.

[fooler]

Soon to be 36 year old TB mare has been on coastal all her life except for about 4 years (not all together).
I boarded and worked on a farm with 60-70 horses and none of the relatively few colics were attributed to the hay. We had 2 requiring surgery, 1 elderly horse and 1 with a hole in her soft palate - both recovered and went back to work. The rest, probably less than 10 over 20+ years were resolved with a good oiling and/or a ride to the vet school. As in they were fine once we arrived at Auburn University. The horses were usually kept for observation for a day and then sent home.

The main thing with hay is always find a reputable supplier.

[wildlifer]

There are many different types of Bermuda hay. And good hay is good hay & crappy hay is crappy hay.

That said, in southern VA, there are multiple good suppliers of beautiful orchard hay. I’m about 20 mins from the border in NC & just bought my winter supply of gorgeous orchard square bales from a super guy my neighbour introduced me to in Henderson. Know another source near South Boston who has lovely rounds & tested 70-lb orchard bales as well.

But as correctly stated, quality is what you want first. I like my hay coarse (as do the horses) & I like to know about who baled it & their management practices (not so hard in an area where everyone knows everyone, ROFL). Both I mentioned above were getting their third cutting last week & what I bought was leftover from this spring, so there is still a LOT out there right now, keep exploring.

[Luseride]

[QUOTE=Whitfield Farm Hanoverians;7795025]
Don’t do it! It has been proven over & over again to greatly increase colic risks. If you can get something else, say Timothy or orchard grass use that instead. I know lots of people do feed it but I was told by surgeons that it’s worse for the horses that weren’t raised on it.[/QUOTE]

All I have been feeding is Coastal Bermuda for over thirty years with no problems at all! On average we have seven plus horses and those change through the years so we are not talking one or two that have been lucky.

As with any hay you have to get quality, horses need exercise and plenty of water, and everything has to be monitored. I would be much more wary of feeding alfalfa than Bermuda.

[crosscreeksh]

We fed Coastal Bermuda hay for years and now a different strain of Bermuda. Mostly, with no problems at all, but over the years we have had, maybe 5 different horses who were totally “Bermuda intolerant”. They would all colic within hours of eating it. All the others were fine on it for years. I’d try it mixed with other hay or hay cubes and watch what happens.

[katarine]

30 years in horses in Alabama…hundreds of horses or more in my life-loop…two significant colics. One a 21 yo appy and a 7 yo qh. All fed coastal. It’s not razor wire. It’s hay.