I've been trying to identify the different hay types in our pasture. We originally thought it was alfalfa, but after a talk with our vet and doing some research online, I think the majority of it is a mixture of Orchard Grass, Canary Grass and Indian Grass. The stalks have the signature "rifling" that occurs where the blade folds over. And the tops have that "broken cattail" top.
I'm rather excited that it's not alfalfa as alfalfa is a legume and tends to be too rich for goats to graze on, especially when it's lush and green. We spoke to the neighbor and he explained that once we bail what we have that the alfalfa might creep in. Any of you out there that are hay experts, let me know what you think. This is a whole new world for us.
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From the picture it looks like "Timothy". Other common hay grasses for our area are Rye, Red Clover, Brome and of course Alfalfa. Most hay fields contain a mix unless one spends alot of time keeping the fields clear of the unwanted types. With the mix you can feed different types of livestock from one field and most will eat all of it. Happy Farming!! ...tom b
ReplyDeleteTom,
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look up those others you mentioned, thanks so much!!