My Horses Are Hay Connoisseurs!

[Lolliver]

I just bought first cutting hay. It’s decent hay, about 30% alfalfa. I know first cutting is not the most desirable, and this is a bit stem-my, but still decent.

My horses are hay snobs. They like, and are used to, 2nd or 3rd cutting with a decent amount of alfalfa in it. When I throw this newly bought hay, they sniff it and look at me like “You’re kidding, right?”

They will eat some of it eventually, but leave some behind as well. Big surprise, they leave NOTHING behind with the alfalfa hay.

So, will horses starve themselves, even if they have access to decent, though not PREFERRED, hay? I’ve told them there are horses in 3rd world countries who would love this hay, but they’re not buying my story…

[allons-y]

They are planning to outwait you. Who’s the toughest?

[clarity]

My horse LOVES first cut. She will eat every last bit of it, but will leave gorgeous later cuts that you’d think would be tastier :uhoh: Wanna switch?

[warriorhorse]

Mine eat first cutting hay no issues. Most summer’s there is only 1 cutting of hay. If there is a second cutting its not Usaully great. 3 rd cutting doesn’t exist.

Hay guy hasn’t even cut any hay yet fields have standing water in them.

[IPEsq]

Mine would give himself an ulcer over this…lol. Although there is some first cutting grass hay he likes, right now he’s used to 3rd cutting alfalfa, and we have some stemmier bales that were likely 2nd cutting (probably because we had some delivery issues from the supplier). Perhaps because he was raised on free choice hay he just assumes there will always be more coming and so there will surely be something acceptable to eat. He’s happy to make the rest bedding.

[Mango20]

Mine make their preferences known, but will eat any decent quality hay. I think yours will give up the protest and start eating more of it.

[going_gray]

Hi, I’m new to the forums but have been a reader for several years. I had to chuckle when I read your post. Yesterday, my DH brought home 75 bales of first cutting orchard grass. It’s lovely hay, clean and smells great. But it has more stem in it than what our two horses are used to. Our pasture grass is rich and lush which is why they can’t be out in the pasture 24/7. They had a new flake for their dinner last night and one for breakfast this morning before going out to pasture. Stalls this morning look like I bedded them in straw. So, it looks like we will be wasting hay the next several months until 2nd cutting comes in. I’m thinking I have two spoiled horses. It was so interesting to know that others are experiencing the same thing. Oh, well, I’m just glad that farmers here in southwest MI have finally been able to cut and bale their fields.

[enjoytheride]

@warriorhorse

Mine eat first cutting hay no issues. Most summer’s there is only 1 cutting of hay. If there is a second cutting its not Usaully great. 3 rd cutting doesn’t exist.

Hay guy hasn’t even cut any hay yet fields have standing water in them.

Where are you that there’s no second cut?

[MissAriel]

I wouldn’t know if other horses will starve themselves to protest inferior hay. My hoover snarfs down every morsel within reach of his lips. Grass, teff, alfalfa, first, second, third cutting - they are all good.

[Simkie]

When I was in MN the hay guy routinely got five cuttings. Six in a good year. Go farther south if you want later cuttings, @warriorhorse.

I’ll wait out a strike with my easy keeper. It’s just not possible with the harder ones…they’ll lose too much being picky.

[wsmoak]

I don’t know what cutting I’ve got right now but it’s beautiful orchard grass – it just has way less alfalfa than usual. Mine doesn’t do well on straight grass hay, I notice the manure gets dryer and I do not want an impaction colic. So I go to Tractor Supply and buy those $20 compressed bales of alfalfa and mix it in myself. Now he has the correct “orchard / alfalfa” again and he’s fine. The things we do for these guys!

[PossumHorse]

I have more than once switched from a nice alfalfa rich hay to good grass. I’ve learned to expect a 24 hour hunger strike before they resume eating like normal. They survived each time.

[mlb722]

Mine will eventually eat it but make my life misrerable. As in whinnying every time they see me as if they are starved, banging at the fence, etc.

[fordtraktor]

I put it in a net. They get more when they eat the existing hay, as long as it is decent enough hay. They can be as picky as they want but the net doesn’t get a refill until the hay is depleted. Otherwise my horses would waste half of the hay because God forbid it touch dust or they step on it once! Inedible!

I try not to buy stemmy hay because they hate it. First cut that is cut early can be soft and lovely, it’s a matter of if the weather cooperates. Around here, if you don’t have it in your barn by the end of May the horses are going to be picky about it. Same goes with second – one year all I could find late in the year was a third cut alf that was quite stemmy and they gave me grief about it eating it like they do with stemmy first. It was basically pure alfalfa too.

[2DogsFarm]

Equine Motto: Good Help, So Hard to Find :nonchalance:

My Herd of 3 - 18yo Hackney Pony, 17yo TWH & 4yo mini - never gets anything but 1st cut.
Which means they are currently turning their noses up at what is left of last year’s 400 bales.

Hay which was perfectly acceptable to them until this year’s 1st cutting got brought in < just last week, weather determined no cutting/baling until then!

I mix their flakes - 1/2 new stuff. beneath 1/2 old & they eat most of it.
Although, the occasional “I Pee On Your Old Hay!” protest does occur. :rolleyes:

My pastures are far from rich, but decent enough so they can stay out all day & night and only come in for grain/supps & the Hay Buffet.
Hay consumption is about 1/2 what it is when there’s no grass.

[Obsidian_Fire]

:lol::lol::lol:

Oh yes. Mine are picky, especially the old man. He likes hay from the Klamath Falls area (Southern Oregon) as opposed to Eastern Oregon…go figure… Has turned his nose up at certain alfalfa… my mare is less picky but if she doesn’t get the amount of alfalfa she thinks she ought to have she acts like a starvin’ Marvin’…LOL. Even tho they both have grass hay available 24/7…

[reignthealarm]

I used to mix orchard (don’t know what cutting- I take what I can get) with 1/2 orchard 1/2 alfalfa. When I ran out of alfalfa I decided not to restock and just to just keep them on straight orchard. There was a 4 day hunger strike which was then followed by a week of “I poop and pee on your money” protest. I then put hay nets up and they finally decided they were hungry enough to eat the prison food. Like @fordtraktor, no hay net gets refilled until it is empty, so sometimes they get desperate enough for a refill to eat the leftovers at the bottom of the bag. :lol::lol::lol:

[Scribbler]

I think they will eventually start eating if they aren’t getting full on pasture.

That said, my very hungry mare once stopped eating a batch of first cut hay about 3 weeks after delivery. I opened a fresh bale, no luck. It was winter, no pasture. After a couple of days I sold the stack on to someone else in the barn, who was happy to get it.

I also found that with first cut hay, mare sonetimes got persistent diarrhea after returning to pasture and starting on hay (not the batch she refused though). After having no diarrhea at all switching on to pasture.

When I got some local first cut grass hay tested, I was surprised to find out the NSC was 25% and this was not unusual for our first cut hay even when it looked coarse.

So I suspect the hay maresy refused was really not agreeing with her.

[bt1]

HALLELUIAH!!! I AM NOT ALONE!!! MOM’S (&DADS) OF 3RD CUTTING AKA “GREEN CRACK” ADDICTED PONIES UNITE!!!