Timothy/Brome Hay - I've never fed - Question

[4LeafCloverFarm]

So our hay is low, and after calling around looking for some to last a few weeks until limited pasture turn-out is OK, everyone is either out or not returning calls (which I also take as being out).

The only hay I can find (so far) in my area is a Timothy/Brome mix bale from a commercial supplier (very nice quality hay). I have zero familiarity with Brome hay… . So not sure what it is comparable to as in protein, calories, nutrients… Timothy, Orchard, Alfalfa, Bermuda, I’m all familiar with.

Assuming I can find no other hay, then this hay would obviously be better than no hay at all! I figured there have got to be others out there feeding it and could tell me a bit about about it.

Thanks in advance.

[EventerAJ]

Brome is a cool season grass hay similar to timothy or orchardgrass. When cut properly it is very palatable, like most other hays. I would definitely feed it instead of Bermuda or coastal.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Good to know @EventerAJ . Thanks.

[Zu_Zu]

I only feed Brome or a Brome mix ~ excellent hay !

[Libby2563]

I started feeding brome and brome mixes a couple years ago and it’s very palatable. First cut brome from my supplier tends to be softer/finer than other first cuts. The stuff I get is grown locally.

I really hadn’t heard of it either until he offered it to me!

[Zu_Zu]

about this [B]color / a bit brighter … good brome …thick not stemmy … falls into flakes

some of the best Brome is found in Kansas
Missouri …

the ^ picture doesn’t due it justice …,

Brome is really a wonderful hay.

• soak for insuline resistant horses / ponies [/B]

[Goforward]

I grew up in the north and every bale of hay I ever saw was a mix of various grasses and weeds, always heavy on brome. Our horses were always fat, healthy and shiny on an almost all hay diet.
It’s hard to find brome hay in the south but I’ve used it for a horse with a Timothy allergy when I did find some and he did great on it.

[Texarkana]

I had never heard of it until my hay supplier in middle TN offered it to me one year. I think he got it from out west somewhere.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

Well, I feel better that this isn’t a type of hay that is typical in our area and not necessarily something I should have heard of!

[akdraft77]

I have fed brome for years and prefer it to any other grass hays. I’ve pulled several horses through very harsh winters on diets of only brome hay. I have found it to be softer than timothy, my horses prefer it, and I have to feed a little less (by weight). Only bummer is that I moved too far from the farms growing the brome for it to be an affordable option for me. I have been feeding timothy for a couple seasons and have found I have to supplement with grains/alfalfa to maintain condition through winter (hay quality is good, have a Trekehner/Percheron gelding that has a crazy high metabolism).

My understanding was that the brome was higher protein than the timothy. I can tell you that my horses were glossy and beautiful, hoof quality was excellent, and they always had plenty of energy for long rides without any supplementation.

Of course I am comparing brome grown in AK to timothy growing in AK our growing conditions and end product are going to be a little different. Hay tests will tell you what you are getting for sure.

[4LeafCloverFarm]

This hay grower doesn’t have the testing for the Timothy/Brome up on their website, but they do have testing for their Alfalfa hays. Since it looks like I’m taking a long road trip tomorrow, once I see it and can ask for the analysis I would assume they have, since they have it for their alfalfa hays.

But I did assume I’d need to feed less, as the basic pasture grass these two are on right now will not be in the same ballpark quality wise, as pasture grasses with a little orchard in there is not nearly as protien rich or nutrient dense as a high quality Timothy/Brome bale. What I don’t want is for the pony and horse to gain a lot of weight, so I’ll have to keep a close eye on consumption.

I did find some smaller hole hay nets (not what I wanted, but they may do) at TSC and plan to put them use to slow them down with the better hay. Right now they get their hay on the ground, in multiple piles spread around their 1/2 acre paddock (on run-in if its raining)…

[Fharoah]

I had some timothy/Brome last summer and my horses liked it.

[akdraft77]

The hay nets are a great idea. Every horse I have ever had/met hoovers up the brome like it is going out of style!

I made the mistake of free-feeding brome once. Holy fat ponies!

[IPEsq]

Not sure about nutrition…that will probably depend on the specific growing conditions. Brome is a very palatable grass with a wider leaf. Some brome hay will tend to look more on the brown/green side, but IME browner does not mean bad hay with brome heavy bales. The timothy in your mix should be pretty green. My horse seems to prefer brome and a grass mix heavy on the brome versus some of our other local grasses. A brome/timothy mix sounds like something I’d want to feed.

[Zu_Zu]

looks great ! You are very lucky to have purchased this lovely load of hay :yes:

• the only hay my equine friends liked better than straight Brome ???

[B]Montana Timothy !!!

• the vet clinics in St. Louis stock Montana Timothy …
  as well as

The Budweiser Clydes are fed Montana Timothy …[/B]

You have scored the best of the best

a Montana [B]Brome Timothy mix !!!

** very jealous am I !

Hope your equine friends love it !!![/B]