I assume so? I notice a big distinction between the hay at our barn. One side is yellow with a little green, and the other is all green. Only specific horses get all or some of the green, while the rest get, “the rest”. There seems to be so much to learn about hay and I get confused when trying to learn. Any input appreciated.
Green hay typically indicates younger, less mature, and thus, more nutritious hay. However, that’s not always correct. One of the most important factors is maturity which is indicated by leaf content. You want more leaves and fewer large, brittle stems. Leafy, thin stemmed hay will usually be the most nutritious as it is the most readily and easily broken down in the horse’s digestive system (hindgut). The leaves are what contain the most nutrients so they are important. The only way to tell for sure, however, is through a hay analysis which is always recommended for making sure your horse is receiving a fully balanced diet that meets all his nutritional needs.
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If you are taljing about lucerne (alfalfa) then shredded is better than green hay that is mostly water.
What do you mean by “side”? Are you talking about a single bale that has both yellow and green hay or are you talking about different bales having different colors? Do you have a photo?
I suspect the green hay is alfalfa and the other hay is not alfalfa.
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It really depends on the hay. Color is not a reliable indicator of nutrition. You also want to look at how ripe the hay was, how stemmy, etc.
also, you have to ask what hay is better for the particular horse. Many horses do not need the “best” hay because they get too fat if they eat much of it. I buy first and second cutting hay…the fatties can therefore have hay in front of them for longer. If I fed them the second cutting I couldn’t feed much.
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I am not sure that I understand. Are you saying one side of the bale green, the other side yellow? If that is the case, yellow can be caused by time and exposure to light. How old is this hay? How was it stored?
As indicated above, the only way to truly assess is to have hay tested. Generally, the desired product has fewer and smaller stems, lots of leaf, soft to touch, no dust, smells good, and is green.
The only indicator of nutrition is the color - the more green, the more Vitamin A. But that’s not terribly useful, just something to know.
Take 2 green bales of the same batch, put 1 in the sun, the other deep in the shade. In just a few days you’ll have green and “yellow”. Break them both open and both will be green in the middle.
I get big rounds of Orchardgrass. The outer layer is “yellow”, aka bleached. Inside is just as green as the day it was cut. That green is much less than fresh alfalfa though, so it’s all relative.
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Then there is this to consider.
Some preservatives/dessicants make hay appear green.
Some haymakers may even add food coloring to make hay appear greener.
https://extension.psu.edu/chemical-conditioners-for-hay
The only way to know for sure is test the hay.
Your local Coop or Ag Extension can test or tell you where to get tested.
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I’m assuming this is two different batches of hay.
OP, can you post photos? And can you describe the hay better? When you look at it, do you see seed heads? What kind of leaves? How thick are the stems?
Here is an even easier solution. Ask the trainer or barn manager. Say “I see the horses get two different types of hay. What is the difference?” Then you can ask why some horses get one kind and other horses get another. Then you can say they sure love the green stuff!
It isn’t necessarily a question of some horses are getting good hay and some are being deprived. If the horses are in good weight and health then the barn manager knows their job!
Most horses do fine on a basic grass hay, whatever that is in your region. The biggest nutrition problem for stabled horses these days is obesity which is just as dangerous to horses as to people (but can be harder to notice as people like fat shiny livestock).
Some horses however are harder to keep weight on or work harder, and these horses might be getting alfalfa or a higher quality grass hay at your barn. Yes they will eat that first. And if you stopped a tub of apples or a handful of ginger snap cookies on the stall floor they’d eat that before the alfalfa.
Horses prefer sugar, just like people. It doesn’t mean the things they prefer are better for them!
Horses also are designed to eat a little food over a long time, rather than wolf down one high quality meal a day like a cat and then go back to sleep. So it can be good overall practice to feed a hay that takes longer to chew and eat.
I’ve had late cut hay that was green had early cut that was also green. Green hay doesn’t mean it’s good just means it’s green. Horse gets fed what hay is available whether late cut or cut early & green . Might not be liked if stemmy but horse gets hungry enough they will eat it. Never have had hay analysis never will horse either does good on hay or doesn’t simple as that. Had horse’s lose weight on green hay that smelled wonderful so green means nothing it’s just color.
Had them gain weight on the crappiest looking hay ever.Had beautiful green hay they wouldn’t touch,had straw colored hay they gobbled up no hesitation.
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I attended a symposium at a Land Grant university, quite a while back, where there were a number of grass (coastal bermuda) hay bales of different vintages on display, some up to two years old, in various shades of yellow to green. This hay had been analyzed, but we weren’t informed as to the results before we were asked to judge the relative quality of each bale by its appearance.
Afterwards, the testing results were shared with us, the point basically being NOT to judge on the basis of color, but rather by the leafiness, stem to leaf ration, etc. So, what we were taught, all things being equal (at least when comparing same type of grass hay), if the hay has been properly stored, then the color isn’t what’s important in judging the quality.
Also, we were told that hay loses a bit of quality fairly rapidly, then remains at a relatively steady level for a while, if properly stored, so not to be afraid of purchasing decent hay from a previous year, as that would be preferable to current year’s hay of poorer quality.
In my neck of the woods, sometimes there is a deal to be had if the producer wants to empty his barn of past season’s hay as the current year’s crop comes in - here that can be a savings of a couple of $ per bale, for instance.
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If hay is stacked with one side of the stack exposed to air and sunlight, the hay on that side of the bale will bleach out. Greener hay is usually fairly fresh cut, even if well dried. Early cut hay, and properly timed hay will be green as well.
There are so many variable in making hay, that only crazy enough people to be farmers make it. The trick is to lean to spot well made hay.
I also suspect that the OP is referring to Alfalfa and ordinary hay, hence why only some horses get the ‘green’ hay
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