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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385
 
Location: washington | I just found out my horse is allergic to Timothy and Orchard Grass, and to Alfalfa pollen. The one grass he is not allergic to is Bermuda. We don't grow that in this area, that I am aware of... if any of you feed Bermuda, what is it like and what's the price? Comparable to Timothy? I did find one company that sells bermuda grass hay pellets. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | I avoid Bermudas if at all possable.Lots of it in these parts and lots of plugged up horses.I had TWO impact on it this year in the SAME day.Go figure.I know Vets that refuse to feed it.I try not to.I like a mixed common grass hay.Fesque,Orchard,Crab,Clover,some Bermuda mixed grass hay etc..The ONLY Bermuda growers I know DON"T own horses.The guy I buy hay from sells lots of Bermuda but dosen't feed it to his own if he can help it.You may feed it for years and never a issue but it makes me nervous. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391
Location: Columbia, KY | we lived in south GA for 11 yrs -I fed coastal bermuda and never had a problem. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317
Location: Barnesville, Ga. | I feed coastal bermuda hay almost year round and have for years. Never had a colic due to hay problems. I do not feed free choice rounds though; just a personal preference and don't want everyone to make pigs of themselves. I throw hay twice a day and all my guys and gals do well. I prefer to feed coastal bermuda. Never tried the Tift's, but know many horses owners that don't care to feed this type. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 500
Location: West TN | All I have fed for the past five years or more has been Vaughns Hybrid Bermuda. It will average $4-$6 a bale. I can see how this would be the type hay that would not be an issue for a horse with allergies. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | Your LUCKY! Talk to any equine vet and old been doing it a long time horse people.They'll probably voice same opinion.University North Carolina did a study and confirmed the pitfalls and danger of Bermudas.Certain stages of growth it causes more issues then others.Equus published the article.Hauler friend of mine said he dropped a horse off in one of the Northern states and said when people at the barn saw Bermuda in his hay nets they called it 'that killer grass". |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 391
Location: Columbia, KY | Yes... a lot of people have strong opinions about bermuda hay. it was about the only hay we could get in that area. I was lucky and purchased from 2 very good hay guys. their hay was always clean and sweet smelling, even after storing it for 6 months. I saw a lot of it in feed stores that was just crap, as is most coastal hay that I've seen here in VA. I've heard people say it causes impaction colic but we saw more sand colic than anything else at my practice, and probably 90% of our clients fed bermuda. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | Has nothing to do about the cure when its cut and baled.As a OLD man told me years ago(30 plus) 'Don't feed that 'fine bladed Bermuda Junk if you can avoid it as it plugs horses up" I found what he said way back then to hold a lot of truth. |
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.jpg) Expert
Posts: 2828
Location: Southern New Mexico | We had 3 horses colic on a round bale of coastal last year. We almost lost my mare. She required sugury to clean her out. The vets said the hay was to mature and dry and sucked all the moisture out of her gut. That being said, we have fed coastal since I was a small kid and this is the first time we have had problems with it. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 376
Location: Missouri | Never fed Bermuda, but have heard many stories about problems with it.
My first question would be, are you sure the horse is allergic to the hay, or could it be the dust and/or pollen in the hay? Your the first case I've ever heard of that was allergic to timothy. Many times a horse will be allergic to the dust generated from certain soils that the hay is grown in. Also, if the hay is not cured right before baling, you can have lots of problems, especially if it is baled too dry. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 681
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas | We've had several impaction colics at our barn.. My husband's gelding was one... They were eating coarse-stemmed coastal round bales.. The problem stems from these series of dry, dry years where there IS nothing else to eat but hay 24/7 (excepting grain, of course.. I am referring to forage).. The colics at our place all are related to the horses staying in the back of the pasture, crowded around where the bales are placed and not walking up to the front for a drink. They have always fed coastal at our place... Many of the owners, myself included, buy a bale of alfalfa and feed it very sparingly for a little more protein, or as a treat.. We sometimes add bran to our feed to help pull more water in our horses gut (as recommended by my vet after our gelding colicked) but now it's very hard to get bran also.. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | I have had them impact colic on round bales and just leafs of hay.I feed it some but try to avoid it.As I said I like mixed grass hay.I have some Bermuda in my barn now but I do try to avoid it if at all possible.Have a hay grower/supplier within 1/2 mile of me.He is turning sections of his fescue/mixed grass hay fields to straight Bermuda.Then again he has NEVER owned a horse or cared for one.He asked me why I never bought from him.I told him the GOOD grass he's killing off and as long as he only baled straight Bermuda I more then likely would never buy from him.Told him 'ask a equine vet' if you don't believe me. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378
Location: Nebraska | You could use cubes, silage, haylage, bluestem, prairie grass, complete feeds, straw and molasse, crested wheat, millet, differnt cakes, brome, clovers, trefoil, triticale. rye grass, there is alot of options. |
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Expert
Posts: 1989
Location: South Central OK | I've seen more horses colic due to Alfalfa than Bermuda. In fact all our pastures are Bermuda and people around here (OK/TX) pay a premium for fields planted in Bermuda. |
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Expert
Posts: 2615
| Originally written by hounddog on 2009-03-11 7:33 PM
I have had them impact colic on round bales and just leafs of hay.I feed it some but try to avoid it.As I said I like mixed grass hay.I have some Bermuda in my barn now but I do try to avoid it if at all possible.Have a hay grower/supplier within 1/2 mile of me.He is turning sections of his fescue/mixed grass hay fields to straight Bermuda.Then again he has NEVER owned a horse or cared for one.He asked me why I never bought from him.I told him the GOOD grass he's killing off and as long as he only baled straight Bermuda I more then likely would never buy from him.Told him 'ask a equine vet' if you don't believe me. I'm sorry,but,I'm just not getting this argument.That's ALL we feed our horses,and all they graze on in summer.That's mainly all we HAVE around here to feed anyway.We feed baled Tiffen 144 and they graze common bermuda.We've never had a problem with any of our horses.My vets have never said anything about any horses in this area having problems eating bermuda,either. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | Ask.Its always been a issue as I stated. Uninversisty of North Carolina didn't make up their study that was printed in Equus nor I with TWO impaction colics in one day a couple months back.I've had several $800 plus vet bills over impaction colic due to Bermuda hay over the last decade.If you haven't had a issue with it your lucky.
Edited by hounddog 2009-03-12 9:22 PM
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Expert
Posts: 2615
| Well,so you have.We haven't,and,I did ask,and my vets both looked at me like I was crazy,and said,"Do what?" They both feed Bermuda hay themselves.I may be lucky,and you just may be unlucky.Just because it's happened to you doesn't mean it happens to anyone that feeds bermuda.That is the hay of choice in OUR part of the country.My husband has been feeding it to his horses for 20 years now with no problems.That's what we fed my horse when I was 12,and I'm still feeding it.You have to do what you have to and i'm sure not driving to another part of the country to pick up what someone else considers superior hay.
Edited by crowleysridgegirl 2009-03-12 10:40 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544
Location: Claxton, Ga. | Free choice Bermuda.... Bad idea. They will eat too much and colic. Round bales.... don't do those either. Not as good of quality. One thing with Bermuda, your horse MUST stay on the water or you will have issues. Too much freshly bailed Bermuda, Colic!!!!! For my area, sand is the biggest problem. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | Well maybe its only GEORGIA BERMUDA.Been knowing of the issue for years.Fine bladed grasses are not good for equines.I feel like those northerners that saw it in my friends trailer delivering horses"killer grass" is what they called it.Some of you can be in denial but I hope others will at least take this as a warning and keep it filed away as I did 30 odd years ago when a older country fella with a chaw said avoid that fine bladed Bermuda hay cause 'it plugs them up' but what ever.Hey Spooler hows that 'good looking'gelding you bought from us doing? |
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Regular
Posts: 99
Location: New Mexico | Ok, reading all these threads about bermuda, maybe this is a stupid question, is it just the bales or is feeding bermuda pellets ok? I have always fed alfalfa, its what is available locally. Twice over the past 4 years I have had two foals, different dams and sires, develop ephysitis. I was told that the high protein and high calcium, low phosphorus in the alfalfa is a big contribitor. So I started mixing alfalfa and bermuda hays together for the weanlings/yearlings. Just recently I started buying the pelletized bermuda. A 80lb bag is $16.00 and would love to go back to bales, but just reading these questions is making me think twice about bales and just stick with the pellets. I do consider myself lucky not getting severe cases of colic. Only sand and gas colic episodes. Getting any other grass hay here is next to difficult and I was going to Phoenix tomorrow with a trailer and if I had room on my way back pick up 10-20 bales bermuda. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544
Location: Claxton, Ga. | July is doing good.... Dang if he dosen't take baths in the water trough too when it is hot!!!!!! He is fitting right on in. Everything I expected him to be. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 378
Location: Nebraska | Bermuda hay is a poor quality hay. when hays are tested there is 2 types of fiber tested for NDF and ADF. The higher these numbers (bermuda NDF 70 ADF 32 ) the less a horse can digest and that causes impaction. You can blend other hays in with bermuda or get a mixed hay and get by. One reason all your hay should be tested. Anything over NDF of 65 I would avoid feeding. |
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Veteran
Posts: 250
Location: AL | Have been feeding coastal hay for years, and I will admit that my vet does say that you have to be more careful with bermuda hay versus bahai, mixed grasses etc..., but alot on it depends on how fine it is when it is cut. If it is very fine it is more likely to cause problems. Also, I can't stress this enough. The horses eating it need to be drinking their water. I had one of mine colic this winter due to the fact he didn't want to drink the very COLD water. It is a really good hay here in Alabama, you just have to be careful with it. I would never feed it free choice either. I am also not a fan of round bale feeding, just my personal preference. Just my 2 cents for what it is worth. It is very obvious that different people have had different experiences with it-some good and some bad!! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 681
Location: Corpus Christi, Texas | Right now we are feeding round bales because there is NOTHING else... We have to just be sure our horses drink....We have had maybe a 1/2 inch drizzle here for the last 2 days and people are practically dancing in the streets... Of course, cold rainy weather ALWAYS coincides with spring break!!! YUK YUK!! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 544
Location: Claxton, Ga. | Originally written by hconley on 2009-03-13 3:07 PM
Bermuda hay is a poor quality hay. when hays are tested there is 2 types of fiber tested for NDF and ADF. The higher these numbers (bermuda NDF 70 ADF 32 ) the less a horse can digest and that causes impaction. You can blend other hays in with bermuda or get a mixed hay and get by. One reason all your hay should be tested. Anything over NDF of 65 I would avoid feeding. Your right.... It is not even close to the top of the line hay, but that is all you can get down here. |
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Expert
Posts: 1205
Location: Danielsville Georgia | I hear of more wells drying up here.I have a rented pasture that HAD a fast flowing spring on it.Was told in the worst droughts of the 80s it NEVER dried up.Well about three months ago it got smaller and smaller and turned into a wet spot in a hoof print.Was lucky as in having a retired couple living next door to it that offered to keep a stock tank full for me as they enjoyed the mares I have there. I did express concern over THEIR water as they are on a well.But they insisted.I have four mares in that 20 acres.And by the way we have a WEB site.Its new and not completed.Some of the info and photos that has been put on it needs revision and will be changed around but its up and running. The walking horse sire of two of Spoolers horses a mare and gelding he has is on it as well as JF Rodeo Roan my Driftwood/Freckels stallion. You can also see the type of grass we have in these parts in times of RAIN. http://www.signalfireranch.com/
Edited by hounddog 2009-03-14 8:12 AM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 385
Location: washington | hi bbsmfg3 - in response to your question, yes I am sure he is allergic to Timothy and to Orchard Grass and to alfalfa pollen :) The test results from the bloodwork done at the lab are in my hand. My vet strongly urged me to start him on desentization shots which I have, and I hope for some positive results. My first question would be, are you sure the horse is allergic to the hay, or could it be the dust and/or pollen in the hay? Your the first case I've ever heard of that was allergic to timothy. Many times a horse will be allergic to the dust generated from certain soils that the hay is grown in. Also, if the hay is not cured right before baling, you can have lots of problems, especially if it is baled too dry.
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bermuda hay
