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Expert
Posts: 1695
   
Location: Willows, CA | This topic deserves a magazine article more than a forum post to be covered properly. But, in a nut shell there is nothing wrong with Bermuda hay in a healthy horse. I do a lot of feeding programs where Bermuda is the primary roughage available. There are two issues that need to be addressed. One is that it is very fast through the hind gut giving less time for digestion than other roughage sources. The second is that it is harder to break down while it is there. To fix these issues, you need to slow it down while it is in the hind gut, and you also need to do what you can to improve digestibilty. Adding a alfalfa source will show the hind gut, giving more time for the Bermuda part of the ration to be digested. It does not take a lot, two or three pounds per feeding does the trick. To make it more digestible, it is important that it is completely broken up to expose more surface area. This is the most often missed part of feeding Bermuda. It is vital tha your horses teeth are properly cared for so that it can chew comfortably without any rough edges causing discomfort. Completely chewing the hay also eliminates the vast majority of impaction issues by eliminating long unchewed strands of tough hay from being swallowed to the wrap together and start a blockage. Do this and Bermuda can be a good part of a quality diet. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
 
| PuffyVelvet - 2015-11-29 10:21 PM
Three 4 Luck - 2015-11-29 9:07 PM
PuffyVelvet - 2015-11-29 8:37 PM I know one thing my horses don't care for it. They would much rather eat their coastal from here in Texas than the bermunda from California.
Coastal is Bermuda. There are lots of varieties, coastal, hybrids, common...
Every time I go to Hay Usa the women corrects me when I call her hay coastal. I wonder why?
It may not be c9astal. What I grew up with was common Bermuda. What I feed now is coastal. I have never fed round bales. Have always fed square bales and put it out morning and night. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | PuffyVelvet - 2015-11-29 10:21 PM Three 4 Luck - 2015-11-29 9:07 PM PuffyVelvet - 2015-11-29 8:37 PM I know one thing my horses don't care for it. They would much rather eat their coastal from here in Texas than the bermunda from California. Coastal is Bermuda. There are lots of varieties, coastal, hybrids, common... Every time I go to Hay Usa the women corrects me when I call her hay coastal. I wonder why?
Coastal is one type. Coastal is Bermuda, but Bermuda isn't necessarily coastal. Next time, ask what variety it is. |
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 Famous for Not Complaining
Posts: 8848
Location: Broxton, Ga | We see a lot of the Alicia variety here in Ga.......I am not fond of it........fine stemmed seem to led to more problems with impaction colic during the winter months....per the University Florida.......I prefer the Tift 85 which has better digestibility. Plus the bigger stem is more like the orchard / timothy which the UF recommends. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 477
Location: Lost in the swamps | There are a few different types of Bermuda
I feed, and have always fed alicia Bermuda.
It's favorable for horses because it's a finer
stem and it's leafier. I have never had a problem.
I mainly feed square flakes so I can monitor their intake.
Occasionally I do feed round bales if it's all I can get.
Edited by imturnin3 2015-11-30 10:02 AM
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | coastal bermuda can cause impactions, most commonly in the pelvic flexure and i believe in the ileum. Also can cause choke in horses who don't chew their hay well enough.
That being said, we feed coastal because its what we have in TX. our horses have not had any problems with it, but there's always a chance it can happen. I would think you would have more problems with a horse who was never fed coastal, then you gave it free choice.
When you switch ANY feed.. be it hay, or concentrate.. do it slowly, and you should be okay. |
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