What cutting is best?

Question

What cutting of hay has the most protein ect.? what is the best? WHy? Which is the most fiberous? Which provides most nutrition for horses?

thanx!

Answer 1

the first cutting is not always the best as some farmers will cut too early and will not get a good cut. I have found the best cut to be the 2nd or 3rd but not after that as by that time you are usually getting into late summer and you will have a problem with blister Beatles.

Answer 2

For alfalfa hay I prefer a 3rd or 4th cutting because it's less stemy and a bit softer. Also if you have areas that are irrigated and some that aren't I like the ones that haven't been irrigated as long as it still looks healthy with leaves. The irrigation in dry times can cause the stem to be a bit thicker and woodier because it has plenty of water to suck up. You can test the hay for nutrition such as protein content which can vary with each load let alone each cutting. As long as the hay has been cut before it blooms or at least before it is in full bloom is the best, after it blooms the nutrition level goes down. You want a hay with a lot of leaves as that has the most nutrition in the hay, also you want something free from dust, and posinous plants and as weedless as possible. If you can crunch it in your hand and it's soft enough to not hurt (it just bends up) it'd be great for your horse. Hope some of this helps! :)

Answer 3

With alfalfa, bloom time is important to protein content. Ist cut pure alfalfa with a minimum of bloom can be as high as 16% protein. The stemmiest hay is that which has been left to grow past it's prime bloom or over 50% of the plant has flowered. Grass hay is very stemmy after seeding. It is also best when cut before it has set seed. We grow an alfalfa/orchard grass mix. The first cut is largely orchard grass and stemmy, the third cut is just about pure alfalfa. Depending on what we have horse-wise, we like the different cuts for different reasons. Our favorite tends to be the first or second cutting. When we have mares in foal and foals, we like to give them the 3rd cut alfalfa, beginning in the last few weeks of gestation. The first cut for us is about medium in protein content, with about 45% bloom on the alfalfa, stems are soft on the grasses and the horses really like it. It keeps them in good flesh without making them too fat. This year our 2nd cut is weird, being almost 100 % alfalfa with the weather being hot and dry, so it will probably be considered as 3rd cut would. Our 1st cut was near as perfect as we could want.

Answer 4

Most of my hay is second crop. We chop much of the first crop for cow silage. First crop grows while the weather is still cool and frosty causing changes in the sugar and starch levels in the hay. I like second and third crop combination hay. It has a little of everything in it, clover, alfalfa, and Timothy. Straight alfalfa hay can have too much protein and sugar in it causing horses to be more prone to colic and laminitis It also tends to make their dropping very loose rushing everything through the digestive track so fast the horse doesn't have a chance to absorb all the nutrients in it. Which is counterproductive when having to buy all that hay.

Answer 5

1st cut is the best, it is filled with the most nutrients. It has a lot of Timmisy and Alfafa. 2nd cut is okay too. But 3rd cut is more for cows, its not really good for horses. 1se cut is best because it the first time the farmers cut the grass for the year so the grass is filled with the most nutrients then in the the rest of the year.

Answer 6

Hi hun,
I find that the best is lucern chaff or hay. it is nutricious and is good for bulk. I dont know a single horse owner who doesn't feed it!

Answer 7

alfalfa. Ask the guy/girl where you get your hay, but I'm 99.9% sure it's alfalfa.