# Rye Grass Hay???



## BaliDoll (Sep 21, 2009)

Mom2ThreeGyrls said:


> Someone was telling me that they fed their horses Rye hay and they were doing well on it. I would think that it wouldn't have a lot of nutrients in it but that's just my opinion (which isn't worth much! :lol
> Has anyone ever used Rye hay? The hay itself looked great and smelled good but I don't know how a horse would do on it.
> Thanks!
> Missie


My horse is on three way hay, which is a mix of oat, rye and barely... he's doing alright. He was on alfalfa and his pasture mates aren't too nice to him yet so he seems like he's lost a little weight since getting here, so I can;t give you a super good review on my horse PERSONALLY... but he likes it and all, and the horses in his pasture are plump and happy!


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## sillybunny11486 (Oct 2, 2009)

the less grean, or brilliant in any color usually means less nutrients. if it smells really sweet it probably has alot of sugar in it. ive never fed rye, we give timothy or orchard grass. if its expensive compared to other kinds its probably pretty good for them.


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## Mom2ThreeGyrls (Sep 23, 2009)

The cost seems about the same and it does smell really sweet...which worries me a bit. I know Hootie would be fine on it, he has the stomach of a battleship but we have some rescues coming in that I don't know about. 

I'm just trying to find a good, quality hay around here and it's just not easy to find...then when you do, they run out.


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## BaliDoll (Sep 21, 2009)

If it's sweet it's not going to be bad for them in most cases, it's just going to get them a little fresh...


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## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

sillybunny11486 said:


> the less grean, or brilliant in any color usually means less nutrients.
> 
> 
> > Color is nice!
> ...


There is an element of truth here; however, it may also just be an item that is hard to get in a particular region of the country!


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## Production Acres (Aug 26, 2009)

Rye hay is a small grain hay. Small grain hay (oat, wheat, barley, rye) is very good hay - Put up correctly! Small grain hay is common in the west and can be successfully put up in good condition in their airid conditions. In the South, small grain hay is typically made into Haylage for cattle as it is extremely hard to get completly dry here and you have a tremendous amount of residual stem moisture. It is rare here in the south to get small grain hay put up correctly. Small grain hay put up correctly will usually have good sugar levels and good feed value. Always get a forage test if you want to actually know the value of your hay.


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