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  Discussion on 3 way grass with PEAS
Author Message
New Member:
lisae

Posted on Friday, May 15, 2009 - 7:53 pm:

Recently while trying to order a semi load of hay from a nearby grower(we are outside Las Vegas) I was offered a 3 way mix of Oat, Barley and PEA Grass. My ini}}tial reaction was "I can"t ask my horses to eat peas if I wont." This grower has always sent us good quality hay and says horses love it. Has anyone had this mix before with either good or bad opinions from horses or owners? I was looking for bermuda/alfalfa mix and might wait til it is ready next month but the PEAS has really got me thinking. It is a good oppurtunity to remind my self that you can never know everything about horses. If acceptable for horses where does it fit in among the others with protein, calcium, phosphorus, etc? Are there any medical conditions it would be positive for or detrimental too?
Member:
dres

Posted on Friday, May 15, 2009 - 8:34 pm:

hum, don't know anything about Pea hay , would be interested in hearing more.. Barley is a hay i would stay away from.. think it is more of a cow hay.. but i could be wrong ..

What i noticed this past two years is the growers are putting new stuff out there on the market.. i bought some '' pasture grass/ alfalfa hay this past week.. horses hated the grass part..
I don't reconize the hay.. it kind of looks like dried tall thin pasture grass i guess..

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
Member:
paardex

Posted on Friday, May 15, 2009 - 10:11 pm:

Well I read about pea straw being used for cows and pigs in esp. England and France on the old 'mixed' farms. They warn about feeding the peas to horses without grinding or processing them. Don't know if there's any scientific reason/value in it. The peas were grown to get the protein percentage up.
I would like to hear what Dr. O has to say about this.
Jos
Member:
mrose

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 12:11 am:

Where is your hay coming from? I live about 3 hrs.north of you in Cedar City, Ut. and haven't hear of pea hay. Peas are a legume, similar to alfalfa from what I understand, and there are all kinds of "peas" so I'd try and find out just what they are talking about. 3 way here is usually grass, oat and alfalfa. Barley is actually o.k.; it's the barley grain that is difficult for the horses to digest if it isn't steamed. The hay itself is often grown as a cover for the alfalfa, and if cut before the grain develops, is good hay.
Member:
mitch316

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 12:31 am:

I have never heard of pea hay, or pea straw for that matter. The peas we grow in the garden grow on vines, and I shudder trying to think of how fun those things would be to run through a hay baler. But, for what its worth, during the DrOught last year, our English peas were the only things that really grew, but we did not pick them, but let them dry on the vines and fed them to the horses. They seemed to like them, and are doing ok today, almost a year later. Lots of proteins and vitamins, so I would think it would be like Kudzu hay or alfalfa and need to be given in limited, very controlled quantities, but that is just a guess.
Member:
dres

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 1:18 am:

Sara, Barley hay is ok for horses.. ? I thought it was hard for them to digest? Right now our 3 way is Barley/ Rye/ and Alfalfa or sometimes orchard... It looks like very course straw?

On the first day God created horses, on the second day he painted them with spots.
New Member:
lisae

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 1:19 am:

The mix with peas is in Blythe Ca on the river abour 200 miles outside vegas. It is the only grower offering it anywhere around here.will try to call tomorrow and see if I can get more info. Initial call was for pricing and after I hung up the phone I really started wandering about it more. Like I mentioned I was looking for a bermuda mix and this is what he had while waiting to cut the bermuda. Thought it was interesting oppurtunity to educate myself
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 8:50 am:

You will find the nutritional information on barley and oat hay in the article on forages, but as is true of all forages the nutritional value is very dependent on the stage of maturity it is harvested at. If you wait until the barley forms seed, it will be straw.

Pea grass is unknown to me and when trying to research it I find several different plants labeled pea grass, grass pea, and then there is peas that may be harvested early as forage. I remain uncertain exactly what is being discussed. Do we know the genus and specie of the pea grass?
DrO
Member:
ajudson1

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 9:52 am:

Ann,

My hay guy said he was baling some mix of 3 things this year, one of which was orchard grass. Do your horses eat the baled orchard grass right up? He said it was a very soft bale, nothing stemmy.

Lisa,

WELCOME to HA!

Never heard of Pea grass either. Hope you don't mind my question Ann, we tend to be informal here, and get side tracked.
Member:
scooter

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 11:56 am:

Angie, my horses prefer Orchard over timothy. It usually isn't as coarse.

Lisa welcome to HA. Never heard of pea hay either
New Member:
lisae

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 12:46 pm:

thank you for the warm welcome. I have been reading for a while and have learned a great deal and have been informed on several new ideas or takes on methods of training and all other things imaginable. i have tried to contact the grower this morning to get more info on the pea variety offered on this grass mix but so far he hasn't answered so must be busy loading hay. will let you know what I find out.
Member:
leslie1

Posted on Saturday, May 16, 2009 - 9:06 pm:

Maybe he meant Peanut hay?
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