Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Bermuda grass hay

From: Jacqui

Jessica: Please help! The farm that has supplied my hay for the last five years just experienced a catastrophy that will prevent them from supplying any further. They have refered me to another supplier, but there is one hitch. We have been feeding coastal bermuda, and this supplier has some, but not enough to carry us through the winter, as he grows something called Tipton 85. He is trying to get me to switch to this hay. Is this a good hay? I've never heard of it. Also, is it OK to switch "cold turkey", or, like with grain, should it be done gradually? I am frantic trying to figure this out, as I'm almost out of hay, and with winter upon us, suppliers are quickly disappearing, and raising rates for new customers. Thanks for everything you do! Jacqui

Hi Jacqui! It's been a tough year for finding good hay in some areas, I know - "been there, done that", as the saying goes. Don't worry, it sounds as though your new hay supplier is trying to do the best he can for you. DO NOT PANIC. Tifton 85 is just another variety of Bermuda Grass, typically grown for horse-quality hay.

Bermuda grass hay is popular - it's a useful, warm-season perennial grass for full-sun fields. It's drought-resistant, with a tough, extensive root system. There are a lot of different varieties of Bermuda grass, developed to be suitable for specific purposes. Do you want a pasture, a park, a putting green, a hayfield? As long as you have enough sun, there's probably a Bermuda grass to suit your needs.

The Coastal Bermuda you're used to is a type of hybrid Bermuda grass with particularly good growth and salt spray tolerance. Tifton 85 is another hybrid grass that's been very succesful - hay suppliers like to grow this for horse farms. You'll notice some differences between this and the coastal hay you've been feeding - the Tifton 85 will probably be darker green, and will have longer, larger stems and broader leaves. Don't worry, you won't be short-changing your horses in any way - it's supposed to be even more digestible than Coastal Bermuda.

As with any hay, you'll want to check it to be sure that it's clean and that you see more leaves than stems. It's generally best to make any feed change gradual, but you can easily phase in your new hay over a week or so. Changing from one form of Bermuda grass hay to another is not anywhere near as drastic as changing from a grass hay to a legume hay (e.g. alfalfa), so with any luck, everything should go smoothly and your horses should thrive on their new hay.

Jessica

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