can horses graze on alfalfa

Can you pleas tell me what I need to know and what precautions I need to take about grazing my mare in a field with Alfalfa? They come back through out the day and "graze" on the left overs. Oklahoma commons (such as OK08) thin quickly with continuous grazing, apparently because of the combination of diseases and grazing. Chewing also creates saliva in the horse’s mouth, which provides moisture to the food and lubricates the intestines. It is highly palatable and may stimulate them to eat more. After water, the major constituent of the horse's body is protein. Researchers at the University of Minnesota recently completed a study evaluating the effectiveness of grazing horses on legume pastures . But grazing them during the growing season means that bloat is an even higher risk. The new pasture has a significant amount of Alfalfa plants that will be coming up soon. 3,000 lbs of dry matter production would result in 30 tons of surplus hay. Clipping can encourage legumes by controlling rank grass and weed growth that horses don’t eat. The only thing I have noticed with feeding alfalfa cubes is that they eat it really fast and have nothing left after their rations done. Whichever paddock has the most rest in the fall should be grazed first, the following spring. Once grazed off, little regrowth occurs, especially in late July and August. While the lower relative nutrition level of grass hay makes it a good filler, it does have relatively more carbohydrates. “Grazing may reduce the grass and weed competition and allow the alfalfa to have a resurgence,” explains Lacefield. To understand the science behind nutritional management of Cushing’s, it’s important to first grasp the condition’s essential mechanisms. Is my alfalfa safe to graze? Horses allowed to graze are continually chewing, which helps wear their teeth in a consistent pattern, which results in better dental health. Or you can swath your alfalfa ahead of grazing and let animals graze dry hay in the swath. This fall, just before shipping a potload of 750 steers we grazed them through one of the cells full of alfalfa for 21 days. Once the final cutting of the alfalfa is done, horses can graze the field, but it is a good plan to feed grass hay before turning them out so that the horses do not eat too much of alfalfa at once. Grazing in Fall/Winter Rotational grazing is essential to efficiently graze alfalfa and maximize stand life. more uniform seasonal production than grass. If used to appropriately balance a diet, it can be useful in alfalfa. Why is alfalfa bad for horses? Also, be careful not to damage your alfalfa stand. I like that they can keep their gut more constantly working through the day. If the pasture is at least 50% grasses, this again will tend to dilute what the horse eats. Alfalfa can provide the nutrition required during this period. This means that grass hay, not alfalfa hay, is a more dangerous food for an obese horse, or a horse with laminitis concerns. Alfalfa production usually peaks in years two and three after seeding, then it drops off as the stand dies out. values when they mature than alfalfa. Usually corn stalks are ready to be grazed. This can be an expensive supplement, but it works well when animals eat a uniform amount each day. “The biggest benefit of alfalfa for horses is that it tends to be more nutrient-dense than most grasses when harvested at the same stage of maturity,” says Martinson. This can lead to a higher risk of colic or founder for grazing horses. Admittedly this can be a tough goal to achieve given that sugar levels within plants can fluctuate from hour to hour. Once completely dormant, alfalfa can be grazed to the ground with little harm. Alfalfa can be ideal on farms where it can be used for hay, silage, or grazing. Meadow Brome is the newest pasture grass species available. To help prevent these health issues, wait up to a week before turning horses back onto a pasture after a killing frost. This is counter intuitive for most horse people, but is certainly something to keep in mind in regards to your horse. Systems of grazing the early spring growth provided quality feed and delayed the first hay harvest until more favorable weather for curing. I have found one that is perfect. If the pasture is at least 50% grasses, this again will tend to dilute what the horse eats. Grazing alfalfa during the growing season. But this differs slightly from horses kept by humans. Use a pasture system containing a pure grass pasture for early spring and for fall grazing after September 15th. Alfalfa hay is an excellent source of protein, both in content and quality. Good pasture alone is sufficient to meet all of the nutritional requirements for many classes of horses. Alfalfa should not be over-grazed due to the risk of damage to the crown and crown-buds. Example: 60 Acre Field - Four Paddock Design. (total digestible nutrients) values of alfalfa provide adequate nutrition even when close to being fully mature. A horse with a full stomach will not want to eat that much additional alfalfa. Under peak grazing season conditions the horse would not graze that close to the ground, clipping grass off at a height of about 2 inches. What to feed horses when there is no hay? Pure stands of bluegrass and ryegrass pastures can be grazed several weeks earlier than alfalfa or alfalfa-grass mixtures. It grows different than smooth bromes and is less aggressive in a mix with alfalfa. While alfalfa is known for its hay quality, certain varieties also persist well in a rotational grazing setting. An alternate approach is to allow the horse to graze the pasture and alfalfa for 30-60 minutes, gradually increasing the time over a 7-10 day period. Grazing horses typically need less dental care. Do not put horses into the pasture for the first time when they are hungry. A seeding rate of 7 lbs (3.2 kg)of alfalfa with 3 lbs (1.4 kg) of Meadow Brome/acre would be a good mix for pasturing in most areas. Alfalfa can be grazed or harvested lower height during the growing season, but some stubble promotes winter survival especially during winters with excessive snow or ice. Straw from the Japan variety is especially good, being small and remaining green until harvested. It may be necessary to clip pastures to control old grass and weeds. When I hear that question I can almost imagine the scenarios from which it comes. I am looking at a few different horse properties. There are a number of reasons to consider grazing horses on predominantly alfalfa pastures. Depending on how much alfalfa is in your pasture, it would be wise to feed your horse grass hay before turning the horse onto a pasture with lots of newly sprouting alfalfa. 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