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Discussion on Feeding during DrOught | |
Author | Message |
Member: judyhens |
Posted on Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 - 3:03 pm: We are having a hard time finding coastal bermuda hay that is excellent quality here in Texas. Typically we grow our own, but with the DrOught, the grass simply isn't growing. We have about 50 round bales that are great, but will need a lot more than that before the winter is out. We have a potential source of good Tifton 85 (we haven't seen it yet) and a good source of out of state alfalfa (which we have seen and does look great). Normally our horses are grained 2 times daily and have free choice coastal. If we cannot get clean, fertilized coastal, is Tifton and alfalfa mix adequate re: K+, Ca+ ratios, calories, etc.? We could do the transition slowly. Does anyone have any sources of good coastal in Central Texas that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Current prices are pretty prohibitive. Thanks for your input! Judy |
Member: tdiana |
Posted on Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 - 3:35 pm: Hi Judy,I live in TX also (Abilene). At this point almost all hay comes from other states and matters are only getting worse. Prices may seem high today but will seem like a walk in the park come winter time. I am currently ordering my hay (giant bermuda and alfalfa) from HayUSA in Weatherford. This hay was grown in CA. Those guys are telling me that they are having trouble finding trucking companies who are not already taking advantage of this hay crisis. Prices to bring hay in increase almost every week. It is wise to stock up now at today's prices. Let me know if you need the contact info of HayUSA |
Member: judyhens |
Posted on Thursday, Aug 18, 2011 - 4:41 pm: Hi Diana,Thanks for the info. I did call them and was told that they are only shipping semi loads to their established clients. However, if we get desperate, we could drive to Weatherford and pick some up. Since our Andalusian nationals are in Ft. Worth, we might just do that when we are in the area! :-) We are hoping to stock up. You may be correct. If we don't get rain soon, current prices may be low in the not so distant future. Good luck to you and your horses. Blessings, Judy |
Member: theresab |
Posted on Friday, Aug 19, 2011 - 1:17 pm: I'm in the same boat. I only have hay to last until the end of August then I'm in trouble. My local feed stores are out of hay and have no idea when they are getting any. I've run the numbers on the price per bale of hay where it becomes cost effective to switch to a complete feed and let them keep grazing on what little pasture is left. I'm also investigating using beet pulp instead of hay into their usual feed and splitting the feedings (just started reading on that). My farrier gave me a card for a feed/hay store in the Plano area who imports their alfalfa from MN at a reasonable rate at the time but I don't know how they are sitting at the moment. I'll have to hunt to card down and give them a call. |
Member: theresab |
Posted on Friday, Aug 19, 2011 - 5:29 pm: I'm checking out www.hayexchange.com as well but I'm a bit leery about buying hay I haven't seen as well as just not having room to store the quantities some of them want to sell it in. |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Friday, Aug 19, 2011 - 6:24 pm: Hello Judy,Tifton 85 is a F1 sterile hybrid coastal bermuda grass. In general it is more digestible than our commonly planted coastals. Assuming similar quality should substitute for your home grown bales just fine with similar nutritional profiles and metabolically slightly higher protein and energy availability. DrO |
Member: tdiana |
Posted on Friday, Aug 19, 2011 - 7:07 pm: The hay situation could potentially become very difficult this winter nation wide. The demand the DrOught states place on the "normal" states is enormous and supplies will dwindle at fast speeds sending prices towards the skies across the country. If one dosn't have a big hay barn maybe there could be some creative ideas on how to store hay, keep it dry without spending a lot of money on a building? |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Saturday, Aug 20, 2011 - 9:17 am: Hello Diana,We have some recommendations that might help under the Storage subtopic in the article HorseAdvice.com » Horse Care » Equine Nutrition, Horse Feeds, Feeding » Forages for Horses, an Overview. DrO |
Member: mrose |
Posted on Saturday, Aug 20, 2011 - 10:42 am: You might check with Farmtek. They have some inexpensive fabric covers/shelters etc. We have a quanset hut shaped "garage" for our camper that we've have for 10 or more years and it still looks good,and we live where we get high altitude hot sun, below zero in winter, and high winds. They make shelters specifically for hay storage I think. |
Member: judyhens |
Posted on Sunday, Aug 21, 2011 - 9:34 am: Thanks for the info everyone. This makes me a less concerned about the transition to Tifton. We will look at it prior to purchasing a lot of it. The quality of what we got locally a few days ago is less than ideal....i.e. the horses will eat it if we sprinkle alfalfa through it. Clearly we have two huge issues: (1) finding it, and (2) being sure it is of the quality that is needed. A few years back (2008?), in another DrOught, we bought a number of round bales and put them in the pasture. Over a couple of months the horses were noticeably losing weight. We had it analyzed at A & M and it was 3 - 5% protein. They said it wasn't even fit for cattle. We had to get rid of it and purchase different hay. A totally costly proposition. Another friend said she got bales that actually had hubcaps and other trash baled right in them. I think you guys are right - this will affect the entire country. Storing up good quality hay is definitely a plus -assuming a dry place to store it.Thanks for all your help! Blessings, Judy |