Understanding Hay Quality
This summer has provided favourable conditions for producing hay. Many of you have taken advantage these conditions and made a lot of lovely, well-preserved hay. However, just like silage, hay can also vary in nutritional quality. Good quality hay is only as good as the grass it is made from. Factors such as age and type of sward, growth stage at cutting, time of cutting and wilting time will all directly affect nutritional quality.
Good hay is made from young grass that has had a quick wilt. The energy and protein content will be higher compared to grass that has been allowed to head and left to wilt for too long.
The table below represents examples of poor, average and good hay analysis. These are average figures for metabolisable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP). Unlike silage, the dry matter of hay doesn’t tend to vary as much, at around 84-86% dry matter. If you got caught out by the rain, wetter hay will be more likely to spoil and reduce feed value. Any visibly mouldy hay should avoid being fed.
| Hay Type | ME (MJ/kg DM) | CP (%) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poor | 7.5 | 6% | Not sufficient alone for a maintenance ration and will need to be supplemented. Not suited to growing or lactating stock. |
| Average | 8.6 | 8.5% | Suitable for a maintenance ration for dry sucklers in early/mid pregnancy, in good condition. |
| Good | 9.2 | 10% | Similar in quality to a poor silage but intakes tend to be higher. Will still need to be supplemented if fed to growing, pregnant or lactating stock. |
(Figures from Dietcheck® rationing software)
It can be difficult to judge hay on appearance and preservation on how good it will be nutritionally. It is worthwhile sampling a few bales (at least 4 different bales from a stack) and sending it for analysis at an FAA approved laboratory.
Details can be found at https://www.faagroup.co.uk/
Mary Young, Ruminant Nutritionist - mary.young@sac.co.uk
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