Best Grass For Hay For Cattle

Brome grass does well in arid climates and marginal soil conditions.

Best grass for hay for cattle. For best quality hay should be cut just as. As grain prices continue to be high the better our forage stands yield high quality forage the more we can reduce our need for expensive grain. Legume hay is a popular choice for most livestock. Shutterstock hay for cattle.

Hay for sheep and cattle the best mixtures for hay are usually longer term ones such as early bite sheep and hay ley and milk meat cut or graze which contain perennial and hybrid ryegrasses. It can be confusing because there are six different types of major summer annual forage grasses sudangrass sorghum sudan hybrids forage sorghum which we often call cane or sorgo foxtail millet pearl millet and teff. Double barrel brome grass and double barrel orchardgrass both are cool season grasses suitable for making hay. Orchardgrass this grass is good for pasture hay and silage.

So base your choice primarily on how you plan to use it. It grows best in well drained soils has rapid regrowth and is palatable. Sort by default order show 25 products. Alfalfa is also a good winter feed because heat is created by digestion of protein so a horse can keep warmer on a cold night.

It can be made from a wide variety of legumes including clover vetch sainfoin birdsfoot trefoil and of course the queen of the forages alfalfa. Bermuda grass is common in the south and university of florida foraging expert glen burton consider it an excellent crop for achieving high yields especially in dairy operations. However when it becomes mature palatability rapidly declines. As a general rule of thumb grass hay is best for horses alfalfa or other legume hay can be an excellent feed to mix with grass hay for animals that need more protein.

Bermuda grass is also made easily into hay for winter grazing making it a popular crop for year round production. Legume hay is known for its high protein and calcium levels as well being rich in vitamins and minerals. Research has shown that stand of 2 3 alfalfa and 1 3 grass can out yield a pure stand of either grass or alfalfa by as much as 40 50. Orchard grass dactylis spp is a perennial grass with fibrous roots that can be used for both pasture grass or hay.

Lucerne or alfalfa is another very good option for high quality horse hay. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.