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  Discussion on Hay Quality/Protein and TDN %
Author Message
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Saturday, Dec 29, 2007 - 3:29 pm:

Dr. O -- It has been difficult (and expensive) to find quality hay from vendors who are willing to deliver and stack where I live. My husband and I are no longer able to stack the quantity of bales that will fit into our hay room, but I wanted a large enough supply so that I would not have to be hunting and switching all winter long. I took delivery of 150 bales of coastal hay after trying a few bales on my boys to see that they would eat it. The hay is clean and has a good texture. A feed company representative took core samples for me from the interior of several bales, which I had analyzed through the University of Florida. The results of the tests for my "horse hay" were 8.3% Crude Protein and 48% TDN. My boys are relatively easy keepers so I give them a limited amount of Triple Crown LITE pellets daily and have also been using about 2 bags weekly (split between the 3 of them) of Triple Crown Safe Starch Grass forage to further enhance nutrition and digestion. From reading about TDN and protein it seems to me that my hay may be a bit "average" or maybe even less as coastal hay quality goes, though it should "do no harm." Can you elaborate on these forage test results? I have read your articles regarding forages, etc. Thank you.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Dec 30, 2007 - 8:48 am:

Vicki, based on the information you give this might be a slightly above average coastal hay. If the small amount of concentrate they receive has a high protein profile this should about balance the protein. What specific questions would you like answered about the hay?
DrO
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Sunday, Dec 30, 2007 - 10:55 am:

Thanks Dr. O. The TDN percentage is a bit of a mystery to me so I am wondering about what that means for a horse and what levels determine the quality of the hay. Also, I was concerned whether I should be supplementing protein in some additional way, but believe you have helped me to determine they are okay with what I am doing. The Safe Starch Grass Forage is from Timothy hay and I will check to see what the protein level is. I think that it might be around 10%, maybe a bit more. Each horse is currently getting about 3 - 4 pounds daily, but a minimum of 1% - 2% of a horse's body weight would be required to replace all other nutritional forage requirements. I just checked the protein level of the LITE pellets and am happy to see it is 12%, though one horse only gets 2 cups daily and the horse who eats the most receives 4 cups daily. They are healthy and energetic.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Sunday, Dec 30, 2007 - 6:34 pm:

Though you should check with the lab for details, often TDN (total digestible nutrients) is a rough measure of the amount of energy the food might yield to a ruminant so may not have much meaning for a horse as it usually includes parts of the hay that are only digestible by cows. In general the higher the TDN the higher the value of the hay but I am not sure how you might use such numbers to balance a horses diet.

Concerning whether to supplement protein I would need the percent protein and the weight fed of each foodstuff.

Since your horses were doing well under the older feeding regimen, I would compare the new hay with the old. Are they of similar quality? If so I would figure substituting lb for lb will yield similar results. If the quality is much different changes may need to be changed to correct for the differences. In either case you watch carefully for changes in the horses condition to evaluate response.

The article on Overview of Nutrition deals with adjusting diets based on forage quality and will provide additional guidance.
DrO
Member:
vickiann

Posted on Sunday, Dec 30, 2007 - 7:38 pm:

Thanks, Dr. O. I believe that my baled hay is of lower quality this year based on the horses' attitudes, but the acorn crop is huge, and though it is the end of December, I continue to have some grass. The condition of my horses seems good (except the face fly season is extremely long this year, which continues to cause eye irritations) and they are bright and energetic. I will try to continuously monitor their condition. Last year I fed the same feeds with what I believe was better quality hay, and my horses all became too fat, so I will try to avoid that this year. Thanks for the good information. As a seriously dedicated horse owner and horse lover, I very much value this resource and all of the supporting articles and information. It is the best money that I spend to ensure my horses' welfare and health.
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