Sorghum, Sudans, Millets and Corn.

Four main categories of sorghum and millets are grain sorghum, forage sorghum, sudangrass and sorghum-sudan-grass hybrids. These all put grazing cattle at risk for prussic acid HCN poisoning. Curing removes prussic acid from sorghum hay but leaves nitrates as a risk to cattle.

What kind of hay is bad for cows?

Barley straw is not as well liked, and wheat straw is least desirable as feed. If feeding cereal grain hay (cut while still green and growing, rather than at maturity, as straw), be careful with this type of hay, and have it checked for nitrate levels, to avoid nitrate poisoning.

Why is alfalfa hay bad for cows?

Alfalfa is an excellent source of protein for cattle, but rich alfalfa hay can create health problems, including scours and enterotoxemia, for young calves if their mamas are milking too heavily during the first couple months of lactation.

Is hay toxic to cattle?

In addition, spoiled forage or the presence of decomposed animal carcasses in hay can result in botulism and blister beetles have been found in alfalfa hay resulting in disease in cattle. Plant poisonings can have a tremendous impact on profitability of livestock production.

Is green hay bad for cows?

If you can keep your magnesium to potassium ratio in check, your cows should enjoy grazing green grass and keep healthy. BioZyme offers several supplements in its VitaFerm product line that are enhanced with magnesium to help prevent the onset of tetany.

Not All Hay Is Good Hay - Cow Update

What is the best hay to feed cows?

Most experts recommend mixing alfalfa with grass hay, rather than relying exclusively on alfalfa hay. Alfalfa hay is often recommended for dairy cattle, but may not be a good fit for beef cattle, since it can lead to bloat. Legume hay is another nutritious option for cattle, since it's high in protein.

Is fescue hay good for cows?

Cattle tend to avoid consuming tall fescue, because it is a more course and fibrous forage. Animal gains tend to be lower on these fields but are a good source of forage for the beef cow herd. When cattle are turned out to graze a fescue mixed stand, the cattle will eat around the less palatable fescue.

Is Timothy hay good for cows?

Timothy hay is recommended by many experts due to its ease on various animal's digestive system as well as promotion of bowel regularity. Additionally, there have been scientific studies done that show Timothy hay is an ideal feed for pregnant or lactating cows.

What grass kills cows?

Any condition that causes stress to the grass has a potential of producing this poison that can kill your cattle. It's not a common occurrence, but poisonous nitrates or prussic acids can form in everything from Bermuda, ryegrass, alfalfa etc., but is most common in Sorghum Grasses like Johnsongrass.

Is clover hay good for cattle?

As a grazing resource, sweet clover can be excellent feed. Research from North Dakota State University has documented yearlings gaining over 2 pounds per head per day grazing sweet clover pasture.

What grass can cows not eat?

Sorghum, Sudans, Millets and Corn. Four main categories of sorghum and millets are grain sorghum, forage sorghum, sudangrass and sorghum-sudan-grass hybrids. These all put grazing cattle at risk for prussic acid HCN poisoning.

Why is clover bad for cows?

Sweet clover contains a high level of a chemical that can be converted to an anticoagulant. Improperly curing hay made from certain sweet clover varieties such as white and yellow sweet clover can cause severe and often fatal hemorrhages in livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats.

Is alfalfa OK for cows?

Alfalfa is recognized as one of the most nutritious forages available and is widely used as conserved forage (ex, hay, silage) in the diets of beef and dairy cattle.

Is Bermuda hay good for cows?

This grass species is an excellent warm-season perennial grass that stands up to grazing pressure and responds well to fertility and moisture. Cows can meet their nutrient requirements on bermudagrass during the growing season and with stockpiled forage in the fall, if calving timing is correct.

Can cattle bloat on alfalfa hay?

However, as many a dairy farmer can attest to, cattle can still bloat on alfalfa hay, and long term frozen alfalfa should be considered bloat reduced, not bloat safe.

Is lucerne hay good for cattle?

Lucerne, also known as the 'queen of forages' is one of the most nutritious forages available for cattle. It can either be directly grazed or fed to cattle as hay and silage.

Is Johnsongrass hay good for cows?

Good forage

In grazing and palatability studies at the Noble Research Institute (Ardmore, Okla.), johnsongrass was shown to be a preferred species by grazing yearling steers. The forage quality of vegetative johnsongrass ranges from 10 to 14 percent crude protein and 55 to 60 percent total digestible nutrients.

Is peanut hay good for cows?

Residual peanut hay is by far the most widely used peanut by-product fed to beef cattle, and if it is properly harvested with minimal leaf shatter, it is comparable to good-quality grass hays in nutrient content.

Is Kentucky bluegrass good for cattle?

Livestock: Kentucky bluegrass is an important forage species for sheep and cattle. In the west, it is very abundant and frequently used as a forage crop. In the east, it is planted as a pasture grass. It is not usually used for hay, but it has been found as an invader of hay mixes.

Is oat hay good for cows?

Oat hay is nutritious and high in both protein and energy content. It can be fed to horses and cattle. In addition to straight Oat hay, alfalfa is often planted with oats to allow for better alfalfa stand establishment. This results in a high-quality feed.

Is orchard grass good for cows?

A sought-after grass known for its soft, highly palatable leaves, orchardgrass is suitable for horses, cattle, and small ruminants. It has good quality forage with heavy spring yield and moderate fall production but is less drought tolerant than fescue.

What is the difference between timothy hay and regular hay?

Alfalfa hay is higher in protein and calories, but timothy hay has more fiber and better calcium to phosphorus ratio. If you feed your horse a mixture of these two types of hay, it will get the best combinations possible for optimum nutrition.

Is Kentucky 31 Good for Cows?

It does have a more coarse appearance than improved types. While Kentucky 31 tall fescue has and is used extensively for livestock pasture grass, agronomists no longer recommend Kentucky 31 for livestock pastures due to the presence of endophytes.

What causes fescue toxicity in cattle?

Summer fescue toxicosis is a warm season condition characterized by reduced feed intake and weight gains or milk production. The toxins affects cattle, sheep, and horses during the summer when they are grazing or being fed tall fescue forage or seed contaminated with the endophytic fungus Neotyphodium coenophialum.

Does orchard grass make good hay?

Orchardgrass is a versatile grass and can be used for pasture, hay, green chop, or silage. A high-quality grass, it will provide excellent feed for most classes of livestock.