Grass or Alfalfa hay ?

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Quality Farms</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Quality Farms"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U>About Us</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Our Hay Product"><U>Our Hay Product</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Varieties"><U>Varieties</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Inventory / Pricing / Payment Options"><U>Inventory / Pricing / Payment Options</U></A>   |   <B>Grass or Alfalfa hay ?</B>   |   <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Identifying Quality Hay"><U>Identifying Quality Hay</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contaminated Hay"><U>Contaminated Hay</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Economical Horse Hay"><U>Economical Horse Hay</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feeding Your Horse"><U>Feeding Your Horse</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hay Quality and Horse Nutrition"><U>Hay Quality and Horse Nutrition</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feeding Horses Free Choice"><U>Feeding Horses Free - Choice</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Choose the right hay for your horse"><U>Choose the right hay for your horse</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Map to Farm"><U>Map to Farm</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Hay News"><U>Hay News</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id20.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U>Contact Us</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="02ad2c00dkelyh.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Grass or Alfalfa hay ?</I></div> <div> <I> </I></div> <div> <I>By Dallas Mount, University of Wyoming assistant</I></div> <div> <I>extension educator, Platte County</I></div> <div> Many horse owners spend a lot of time and money</div> <div> to find the right hay for their horse; however, many of the</div> <div> less expensive, more available hays may work fine.</div> <div> <B>Alfalfa vs. Grass:</B></div> <div> There is a common misconception that only high-</div> <div> quality grass hay will work as a horse?s main source of</div> <div> roughage. There is no reason to think alfalfa hay is harmful</div> <div> to horses when fed properly. Most alfalfa hay contains</div> <div> larger concentrations of both protein and energy than</div> <div> typical grass hay; therefore, alfalfa hay may be a better</div> <div> buy than grass hay when the two types are the same price.</div> <div> Because alfalfa hay is more nutrient dense, care should be</div> <div> taken when feeding alfalfa. Alfalfa hay can cause horses to</div> <div> founder and develop laminitis due to the excess nutrients</div> <div> provided by the high-quality hay if too much is fed. If</div> <div> switching from grass hay to alfalfa, less alfalfa is generally</div> <div> required to provide the same nutrients present in the grass</div> <div> hay. The best way to evaluate the amount of hay that</div> <div> should be fed is to monitor the horse?s body condition.</div> <div> <B>In General:</B></div> <div> To avoid digestive and respiratory problems, always</div> <div> visually inspect hay for mold, dust, or other foreign material.</div> <div> When changing feeds, adapt a horse to the change slowly to</div> <div> avoid digestive upset, such as colic. The more gradual the</div> <div> dietary change, the less chance for digestive upset.</div> <div> Feed sampling, laboratory analysis, and ration evaluation</div> <div> are the best steps to ensure a horse is receiving the</div> <div> required nutrients. Check with a local Cooperative Extension</div> <div> Service office for help in sampling and analyzing feed</div> <div> or to formulate a horse ration.</div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>