# Peanut Hay?



## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

i have seen local ads for peanut hay on my local CL so I googled it. Apparently a very good peanut hay is equivalent nutritionally to an ok bale of alfalfa and is more palatable to horses than alfalfa. 

Just wondering...anyone use it? thoughts? I assume you feed it like you feed alfalfa. I can only find it here in round bales (I assume for cows) and it is so much cheaper than alfalfa and coastal 1250# bale for $55. i pay $70 for a maybe 1000# round bale of coastal.


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## Maverick101 (Nov 8, 2009)

Hmmm.. learn something new everyday. Never heard of this before. And Ive been around a long time :lol:

And to say more palatable than alfalfa? Last time I looked Alfalfa was pretty palatable for horses lol!

Interesting


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## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

Generic comments about a hays suitability or lack thereof have no basis in a feeding program! You need a forage test to determine if the hay is good or bad for your paticular needs. Legume hay - ie, soybean hay, peanut hay, alfalfa, clover, pea, can all be good to excellent - they can also be poor to pathetic. A forage test will tell you.

A good price on a product comes from
1. Inferior Product

2. Ignorant Seller

3. Desperate Seller

4. Lack of demand for product

Find out why the hay is cheaper and that will tell you a lot about the nature of the product.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

I would look at it first.


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## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

In the information I read on the internet it is less expensive hay so not just what I am reading on my local CL. That was one of the points in using this hay in the articles...it is less expensive if you can find it. I know how to choose hay thanks. I was wondering about the hay itself and if anyone had any input on the hay itself. I never said I was jumping to buy some. I don't just feed my horses something because it is cheap. I can get crappy round bales for $45 but I choose to spend more and buy higher quality. So don't assume I am buying this hay listed because it is cheap. I am trying to learn more about it.

If it is like alfalfa then it should not be fed in a round bale for horses. I did some more research last night. I also read that horses are less likely to colic and have impactions on it.


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

why is it called peanut hay? does it actually have anything to do with peanuts? just wondering.


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## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

It is actually perinneal peanut hay. It has nothing to do with peanuts really... SS-AGR-39/AA148: Perennial Peanut: An Alternative Forage of Growing Importance


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

did you come across any pictures? 

some horses are picky as far as texture and smell.


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## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

Well i don't know what it smells like but it looks like it is really leafy Midwest Feed and Farm - Hay

and

Legumes - Perennial Peanut - Forages of Florida - Solutions for Your Life - UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

That looks pretty good, that website picture. I dont think it would hurt to buy a bale and try it out. I am always curious about new feeds and things like that. 

I usually dont pick out my own hay, the b.o. supplies it. But I usually like the softer hay, that has a more vibrant color. Of course I dont go around buying pure alfalfa.


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## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

Yeah I wish there was someone on here who feeds it. I am just real curious about it more than anything. Like I said I can't find it in anything around here except round bales and that wouldnt work. It makes for a really pretty field though doesn't it?


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

How about get a round bale, store it and peel it off and feed like regular hay?


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## stacieandtheboys (Jan 6, 2009)

No where to store..plus that would be a big pita lol


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## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

Some peanut hay is actual crop residue off peanut fields where actual "Planters Peanuts" are grown. Prennial Peanut hay is different entirely as it is actually a hay crop. Peanut hay is quite common in FL.

As to peanut hay not colicing a horse as easily, this is a forage test issue! Any hay with a high NDF (netural detergient fiber) will be prone to colic an animal. The higher the NDF of a particular hay, the slower the hay will ferment in the hind gut of the animal and thus the animal will be more prone to impaction colic. Bermuda hay is notorious for impaction colic, bermuda hay will run from 63 to 75 NDF whereas alfalfa will run from 38-60 NDF. Prennial Peanut will be somewhere in the middle of these two.


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