Re: Feeding alfalfa when it is cold

[Lynette Helgeson <helgeson@lansford.ndak.net>]

Yes, but what I was posting about was the statement, "In winter, it is
the ONLY feed which keeps weight on when it gets cold." And that is just
not true. And yes, I wish that I could get my husband to slow down on
what he feeds the horses in the winter so they would not get fat, but he
believes that they have to have "grass" hay in front of them at all
times to stay warm. It is hard to argue with that, but I hate having to
take the weight off of them before they hit the green grass because then
I have to worry about founder. So yes, considering that we have horses
in our area that founder on just the grass that we cut for "grass" hay,
I guess you would have to say that we have top quality "grass" hay. 

Lynette
Ps. and this "grass" hay sells for about $1.00 for a square bale, and
around $15.00 to $20.00 for a big round. Oh I love living in ND! "Grass"
hay is plentiful and the price is right! :-)

CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Alfalfa IS hay!  I presume you are talking about grass hay.  We likewise have
> at least some grass hay of sufficient quality to do what Lynette is talking
> about, but many are not so fortunate.  There is quite an overlap nutritionally
> between really rich grass hay and first-cutting alfalfa--in some instances,
> the grass hay will even have higher protein, etc.  So it all depends on what
> the quality is of the hay you are talking about.
> 
> Heidi