I have a Hay Question??

[dmkrieg]

I know that sounds like a REALLY DUMB question. But, I have always used Timothy/orchard grass hay with a bit of Alfalfa in it? Well recently I bought 100 bales from someone who I have purchased from before and the hay itself looked great but it had a TON of dirt in it so I had to go out and buy more hay.

I found a guy that had Timothy hay and he told me it was the best that he had. so I bought 40 bales. It looked really clean with no dirt whatsoever in it. My only question is it isn't as green as the other hay I purchased from the other guy. It also has a different texture?? What should good timothy hay look like? Is it really green and leafy and soft too??

If I knew how to post a picture I would take a picture of my hay with my digital camera. My hay isn't as green as the mix hay I got in the past. It appears to be between a straw color and a hay color if that makes sense.

 

[Hosscrazy]

It's very green, long thin stems, with green furry tips that look like little green cat tails. Here's a picture:

Liz R.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I found a picture of it on the net. Sorry if it isn't any good.

 

[Miniv]

Timothy Grass tends to be stemmier than Orchard Grass so doesn't look as green.....I wouldn't be concerned about that, but dirt I would be. Hay with lots of Orchard would be VERY green. And Alfalfa is greener than all of them.

MA

 

[Marty]

Would you like a little linky dink to go with your pictures?

http://www.canadianhay.com/secondary/horsefeed.shtml

 

[dmkrieg]

Thank you guys so much for your pictures. I was thinking since it wasn't as green as what I had before that I had gotten stuck with not the best hay. I paid $4 a bale for this hay that I just bought which is TOP DOLLAR for Missouri so I wanted to make sure I got what I paid for.

The bad hay that I did buy, I did got out and look at first before it was delivered but it was switched by time it hit my door and I got a bunch of bad hay. There were just a few in there that were perfect because it did come off of what I originally ordered. But I called the guy and told him I wanted him to pick it all up and take it back.

Thanks again guys, I honestly don't know what I would do without my friends from the LB forum.

 

[Margo_C-T]

In my experience, timothy or timothy mix hay(in the general grass hay-growing area around here, which includes northern NM and CO)which has some of that 'yellow' look has been cut at a more mature stage of growth than is ideal. The 'problem' with a lot of this kind of grass hay(a mix which often includes timothy, brome, and orchard grass, at least) is indeed that it is being cut at a later stage of growth than is ideal. It is for the most part still good hay, just not optimally good! I had to get grass hay from a feed store this year(finally made contact with my previous supplier, and will go back to him this year!)--most bales have been good-green, soft, weed-free-but, there has been an occasional bale that has a lot of thicker, yellow stems, and clearly isn't as palatable(and almost certainly, not as 'good', nutritionally) as the others. I even have found moldy spots; have a total of about two big bales piled up/stuffed into empty shavings bags, in my barn right now, to return to the dealer for replacement. Good grass hay is pretty expensive around here, as little if any of what constitutes the 'better' (IMO)grass hays is grown/growable in the immediate area, and has to be trucked in from some distance away.

 

[kaykay]

no matter what hay you buy you should try to get the greenest hay you can. hay that is LESS green is older or as said cut when too mature. Less green equals less nutrients. i had a horrible time finding anything green here in ohio. there was no way i could feed my horses the hay i was finding as it was all straw colored. Now when i call a hay person the first question i ask is is it green?? That way i dont waste a trip to see inferior hay. if i had to feed a hay that wasnt very green i would for sure supliment with a complete feed.

 

[dmkrieg]

I do feed a complete feed along with Beet pulp and Boss so I think they will be fine with the hay I got. Mine isnt yellow like straw jsut a lighter green than I am used to with my timothy/orchard grass/alfalfa/brome mix. They are eating it fine. But I will add a little chopped alfalfa or soaked alfalfa cubes too.