Bearded Wheat

[Porshea Oxford]

Has anyone ever heard or used this type of feed (comes in bales).  I would like to hear all opinions.  Thanks. :). Porshea

[D'Arcy Demianoff-Thompson]

I haven't ever fed bearded wheat but I have had beardless wheat in tri-mix hay that I have fed.  Loved it!  Horses loved it!  However, I only fed it during the summer months and not the winter.  Was not substantial enough for winter and would have elevated their blood sugars too high.

 

D'Arcy

On Fri, Jul 23, 2010 at 6:15 AM, Porshea Oxford <izh...@yahoo.com> wrote:

Has anyone ever heard or used this type of feed (comes in bales).  I would like to hear all opinions.  Thanks. :). Porshea

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D'Arcy L. Demianoff-Thompson
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[Don and Pam Bowen]

DON'T TOUCH IT WITH A 10' POLE,  if it's advertised as bearded!!!!!

 

Technically (after moving into this haying area and learning haying 101), the bearded vs beardless only applies to barley.  For wheat hay, it "should" be called awnless wheat, or just wheat hay that has the awns (which is ok for cows).  If you're looking at wheat hay,  you need to make damn sure it is awnless.  And there are varying types of awns.  Make sure, or you'll pay the price with awns buried in the horse's gums………

 

As long as it's truly awnless wheat, cut at the right time, horses do just fine on it, I bought 10 tons last year, although I only fed as half the ration as I also have great access to good grass hay.  As long as your horses aren't spoiled, they'll clean it up, all of mine do except my 2 older pasture ornament mares, they're smart and will go on strike until I give in J.  Works for them!

 

Pam

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[Don and Pam Bowen]

Grain hay is not substantial enough for hard winters with hard keepers, agreed.  But doesn't do anything with "blood sugars", horses don’t metabolize the grain hays like they would a straight-out-of-the-bag-cracked-grain ration.  Grain hays are very safe……………..  I live with hard winters, my horses are flipping fat, half (or more, depending on the fatty fields) of their ration is grain hay, the rest is grass and some alfalfa on the coldest days.  It's not the grain hay getting them fat, it's the grass hay J.  Jenny Craig likes the grain hay, and it's what I use to keep my horse's weight under control!  The grass hay I get here is of exceptional quality, it's a pain, but guess I should feel lucky I can get the good grass hay, especially at the prices I get it for…………

 

Pam

[D'Arcy Demianoff-Thompson]

Hi Pam,

 

You might find the following article written off of research done at the University of Colorado on the 'sugar' content of forage hays. 

 

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/livestk/01818.html

 

D'Arcy