Posted 2015-12-29 11:27 AM Subject: Winter Rye Grass
Expert
Posts: 1343 Location: East Texas
For the past couple of years, we have had some rye grass come up in one of the pastures that we cut coastal hay off of. This year it is absolutely covered in rye. Is it okay to turn the horses out on it?
Too much rye grass will founder horses. The recommendation is no more than 4 hours per day on a pasture of winter rye. Sadly, I've known several people over the years that were not aware of the winter rye dangers and ended up with crippled horses that eventually were euthanized.
Too much rye grass will founder horses. The recommendation is no more than 4 hours per day on a pasture of winter rye. Sadly, I've known several people over the years that were not aware of the winter rye dangers and ended up with crippled horses that eventually were euthanized.
I would only turn them out a few hours a day. Thank you for everyone's response!!
We plant cold grazer which is a rye grass hybrid. Yes we graze it 24/7 and we round bale it if weather permits before it goes past dough stage in the spring.
Do u plant it in your current pasture or totally separate pasture
We drill in existing pastures in the fall. Typically give it a 20-45 day head start then kick them back out on it thru the winter and pull them off for 30 days In midmarch so we can try to round bale it. If the weather doesn't cooperate we mow it down (high yield forage 6 round bales to the acre and gets taller than me if you don't cut it). We have had great luck with it and it's fairly inexpensive to overseed into existing grass. The variety we use grows whenever soil temp is above 40* and is an annul grass.
Winter Rye Grass
