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 Big Gun
Posts: 2216
 
Location: Texas | Im from S. Texas and I dont buy much alfalfa because by the time it gets to me its pretty expensive. But I did buy a bale recently but it had a lot of small loose leaves, then I saw a bale today in the feed store and I saw it was more 'stemy'. Which is better the leafy kind or stemy? I have heard they could digest it better if it had more stems to it. Also, which part of the country do you seem to find the beetles in it? Thanks for your help. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
 
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | You are likely to find beetles in the Oklahoma Alfalfa, unless it has been sprayed. In our part of the country, they spray and fertilize. As far as the stemy vs leafy. I like a more leafy, but that is hard to find. We feed 3x4x8 bales of alfalfa. It's a good quality out of Kansas. |
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Expert
Posts: 3147
| The stems don't have the nutritional value as found in the leaves. The bales that are so leafy they fall apart when you're separating the flakes are the best. |
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Big Gun
Posts: 2216
Location: Texas | thanks |
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Mrs. Txdad
Posts: 14084
Location: the fantasy txdad married | BMW - 2014-05-19 1:09 PM The stems don't have the nutritional value as found in the leaves. The bales that are so leafy they fall apart when you're separating the flakes are the best.
I hate that kind.
They suck in the wind and it gets everywhere!
I will not buy fall-apart bales. And when I have, my horses leave most of the leaves in the bottom of their feeder anyway. |
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Big Gun
Posts: 2216
Location: Texas | Well how do I know what kind to get when it's still ties up? I wish I knew enough about quality alfalfa and where to get it, I would drive up north to get it |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Send me a PM, I can tell you of several good alfalfa growers here in TX, gasp. Yes, we have darn good alfalfa right here. You need to "test" the hay to know if its good or not.
leafy is going to be of higher quality. I too like my flakes to fall apart to a degree, its tough this year due to the dry fronts we've had. The moisture helps the bales to have not so much "shatter".
I was always a NM or AZ gal until recently on my first cutting alfalfa. (Wehave lots of babies so momma's can use the hotter bales.)
I love the CO alfalfa for the riding horses and the mares once their colts get to 4 months. The grass mix just works good in our heat. |
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| Look at the size of the stem at the sides of the bale ... matchstick size or a little larger is typically young shorter growth alfalfa and you can see the leafy structure by tugging a little spot and peeking at it.
Alfalfa bales should show lots of stems since it is trucked in on semi and the wind blows the first ~inch of leaves away.
If stems are drinking straw, cigarette size or larger ... not good for horses but cows love it ..
You are probably better off buying the sacked cubes and soaking them good before feeding ... puts the moisture back in the stems and helps prevent a horse from choking on a dry one..
OKLA//TEXAS alfalfa ... blister beetles are after larvae and baby grasshoppers ... not there to eat the alfalfa .... good rule of thumb is buy your alfalfa from January cuttings and no later than June 15th ....
Alfalfa grown at high elevations has no beetles and comes from states such as NM, CO, MT, WY, SD and ND ....
Edited by BARRELHORSE USA 2014-05-20 1:10 AM
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 Expert
Posts: 2457
| I'm going to throw a few cents in here too ...
The size of the stem doesn't always indicate age of the alfalfa stand or which cutting it happens to be from. There are different seeds that have been developed to grow a smaller diameter stem regardless of the cutting or the age of the plants. In general - Ruminants like cattle and sheep can digest the stems easier as they regurgitate and re-chew these stems. Horses are hing gut fermenters so they do better with more leaves and less large stems. The smaller stemmed more leafy hay is also more desirable for young livestock - think growing lambs, calves, goats, and colts.
I'm getting the impression from your original post that you are not familiar with buying alfalfa soooooo ...
Go LOOK at the hay. Talk to the producer and get to know them. The more you do this, the easier it will be to have a constant supply and the producer will know your needs and desires. You can ask about beetles and hay testing for quality too.
Next, it is normal to ask if the producer will pop a bale for you. If not, no worries, go ahead and pull a chunk from the end. SMELL it - is it sweet smelling or moldy/wet? LOOK at the size of the stem as the smaller stems are easier to digest and often will also indicate quality of hay. We're looking for SOFT stems that don't stab your finger - this indicates that you are buying hay that was baled with a small amount of moisture and the hay will not crumble or be too dry. You're also looking for larger leaves with NO FLOWERS (purple flowers indicate a stand that went to seed and often the quality and quantity of protein is decreased). Ask your producer if the hay has been tested ... if not, no worries, there are many state run labs at universities that will test your hay. Testing ensures quality and you can balance your rations correctly when you know the protein content (among other things) of your alfalfa.
Blister Beetles - don't be fooled by thinking that all hay from a region will have them. If the producer sprays for them and takes care of his stand, the resulting feed will have no beetles.
Good Luck! |
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Big Gun
Posts: 2216
Location: Texas | thank you all for the info |
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