# Seeding grass hay?



## Hosted (Oct 3, 2011)

I am new to hay. I am a row crop guy and have been asked to help with a hay field a friend of mine is going to seed for his horses who knows less than me. We are planning on seeding timothy, orchard, fescue, and some clover unless I get any other ideas here. We will be drilling it early this spring. I was wondering if we can expect any hay the first year? My next question would be would it be a good idea to seed some oats and possibly teff with it to get something yet this year?


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

You will get a cut off of it in the first year but it will be light. I always seed with a nurse crop (oats) and cut it before it heads out. I have cattle so I can bale and wrap the green oats. Two years ago, it rained so much when I needed to be cutting the oats and they were to mature to be useful as feed (seems to turn out like smelly wraped straw), so I let it go to maturity and combine the oats then baled the straw. I like to seed with a nurse crop, it helps control the weeds but chemical options are fairly limited if you do get in a mess.


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## Josh in WNY (Sep 7, 2010)

Like Toyes mentioned above, you will most likely get a light crop. The other thing that may happen is that you might get more weeds in the first cutting. I'm not sure where you are located, but I have found that fall seeding hay fields works very well here in Western New York. I seed them down about the middle of August and the stand has enough time to get established in the fall, but most of the weeds are killed out by the first frost. This ends up giving you an almost weed free field the next year.

As far as what you are planting, I usually only plant a timothy hay with a little birdsfoot trefoil mixed in. Unless you really want it, I would stay away from the clover and fescue. The horse customers that I have sold hay to tend to not like clover since it has a tendency to get dusty and I have heard (but not confirmed) that fescue can carry some sort of disease that can cause problems with foaling mares. Hopefully someone on hear will be able to spread a little light on the subject.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Fescue is not considered a good grass by most horse owners standards.
The problems were mostly seen in pregnant mares.
The newer fescue is billed as "fungus free" or endophyte(sp) free.

We do not have much Timothy or Orchard grass around here. I do see those in combination marketed as a nice horse hay.
There are some very helpful people here that will be more help on the Timothy and Orchard grass.
Best of luck.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

Here you go.

Equine Hay and Pasture Mix

Here is another with some alfalfa in it.Maybe a little rich for some horses?

Premium Horse Pasture Mix

Don't use Teff as a cover crop it could smother it.

I'd use oats,annual ryegrass or another annual as a cover crop and bale it off to keep the weeds in check.

Some don't like red clover in horse pasture.

I sell this and can get you a price if you like.


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## steve IN (Jan 13, 2010)

How much hay do you need? If it is less than a 1000 bales I would recomend buying your hay. The equipment costs and labor not to mention getting it done right can be very expensive. Getting hay made right is not as easy as it sounds.


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## K WEST FARMS (Apr 4, 2011)

Have got to agree with Steve...making good hay can be a real challange. Plant cash crop for your area.....should make money...buy the kind of hay you want or need. Just the way I see it after making hay 40 + years !!! John


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm (Feb 11, 2009)

If you do go forward with planting your hay mix, as your horse owning buddy probably knows, if you're growing clover in the mix it should be of the low growing variety that won't be cut and baled, for diversity and add N. Most horse people don't like the clover because of the foaming and drool that it causes horses.


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## Hosted (Oct 3, 2011)

Thanks for all the info. I said that wrong in my first post, I have been around and baled alfalfa enough of my life to have a pretty good idea what's going on but I am clueless on horses and grass other than yards. I have talked him into buying hay the last few years but he isn't listening to me this year. I already have a mower, rake, baler, and access to a tedder. The guy has plenty of money and told me that he would pay me very well to take on this project so I figure it may be a way to make some extra money during one of my slower seasons. I am also in northern Indiana.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Only Alsike clover causes the slobbers in horses. I use medium red clover at rate of 4-5 lbs/acre as a cover crop.

Ralph


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## mulberrygrovefamilyfarm (Feb 11, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> Only Alsike clover causes the slobbers in horses. I use medium red clover at rate of 4-5 lbs/acre as a cover crop.


That would be a technical answer to a generic perception, but we're talking about horse people... My daughter has 2 horses living with my cows so I get to join the horse crowd and even get to sell to them, so I think it's okay for me to talk about them because it's like talking about your family.







Anyway, around here, if they see clover in the hay or you tell them it has clover in it, that's usually all it takes to kill the sale because the information from the vet and within the community is a generic "_clover is a problem._"


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mulberrygrovefamilyfarm said:


> That would be a technical answer to a generic perception, but we're talking about horse people... within the community is a generic "_clover is a problem._"


I had written a really long, pithy response (more of a serious rant) earlier today about horsey people, then decided to delete it. But here's a couple of thoughts about horsey people. (I have 15 head, for 25 years and have studied them extensively.)

1. Most horsey people know nothing about horses, horse nutrition or horse behavior.

2. The less they know, the louder and stronger they express their opinions and the more convinced they are that they are right.

3. If it ain't dark, dark green, it ain't good hay. That's why some people add green food coloring to their propionic acid.

4. "You can't fix stupid" (Ron White) so I don't even try any more.

Just some thoughts.

Ralph


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## Toyes Hill Angus (Dec 21, 2010)

I love it Ralph, I could not have said it better myself!!!
Except for one thing..."You CAN"T fix stupid." (Ron White)


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Oops, typo! You're right! I fixed it.

Ralph


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