This is what I do too.
I’m game. I’m going to start off with all first cutting anyways, due to timing on bringing the horses home. I’ve got a great relationship with my hay guy, I’ll ask him to hold some back for me - if it goes well, I’ll fill the rest of the storage with it.
Ditto.
The Teff has been super for my crew. They eat it up and it’s not so calorie dense that I have to ration it. Even the little air fern pony can always have hay and not turn into a blimp.
Now, does it make my eyelid twitch to pay top dollar for trucked in grass hay when I live in the land of Bermuda? Yes, yes it does. I can get lovely, safe Alicia Bermuda for chump change. Same low calorie type hay as the Teff. Will the horses eat it though? No, not reliably. They like expensive hay
I don’t know of anyone local who supplies teff hay - I’ve never fed it and couldn’t ID it honestly!
Hay is such a regional thing. I’d just go with whatever you can get readily in your area.
Man, even “expensive” isn’t a good predictor for my horses, or at least not until you get into the disgustingly expensive/unsustainable price range.
I was getting this coarse, overmature grass mix from my hay guy for pretty economically, but he ran out. Switched them to his beautiful (and of course, higher priced) second cutting orchard grass, which to me, is exactly what hay should be. The ungrateful turds think it’s poison. Because… horses.
Totally different topic, but I’ve had more problems with horses refusing hay (like, nice hay) in the past decade or so than I have experienced in all my years prior. There is definitely something in the modern management of hay that is problematic, whether it is propionic acid preservatives or herbicides or different cultivars of seeds or what.
My horses won’t touch any of the Timothy hay (I mean I’m sure they would if they were literally starving). All cool season hay is trucked in here, and I’ve tried Timothy out of KY, NY, Canada and from out west. Total waste of money.
I dunno what’s the issue. But it’s annoying for sure
Well you get what you can get of course! But if you ever run up on some I’d totally recommend trying it!
We have been feeding Teff for years now, but we have Morgans who often are known to be easy keepers have lower metabolic rates. I guess could get fat on looking at photos of something.
The one six year old mare is muzzled when in the pasture, she could easily afford to loose some weight (about 75 to 100 pounds). She is not getting any grain, just a handful of chopped alfalfa with her SmartPak stuff each morning
There is very little waste feeding Teff hay, they eat nearly every little piece which does help to justify its cost. Cost has been the same for the last two years at just under $600/ton, which hurts until I see there is very little waste
I agree there is less waste with the Teff than any other grass hay I’ve fed.
I really wouldn’t want to muzzle a 26 year old when in dry lot and force them to eat hay through a muzzle.
I know horses can get hay with one because my mare does but I do not dry lot them anymore so she has the freedom to go look for grass when muzzled.
The easiest thing is to make 2 side by side dry lots for when they are confined. I did this when my gelding was younger and I wanted hay in front of him 24/7 when confined and I didn’t have to worry about who was eating what or how much.
I used round pen panels so easily assembled / taken down and you can use them for other things later on if needed.