Facts About Coastal Hay
Coastal hay is cut and dried Burmudagrass. Bermudagrass is a hearty grass that is abundant in the South. It is most common in states such as Texas and Florida because it grows well in warm temperatures with lots of moisture. This grass is not only used for hay, it is also a great grazing grass for horses and cattle. Bermudagrass is deep green and has many leaves that stem off from the base of the plant in a flower like pattern. In the middle of this grass is a long stem that grows upward with thin flowering spikes that spread out from the very end of the stem. These spikes have a fuzzy white fringe all around them which is the seeds.
Coastal hay is the forage of this grass and is wonderful for feeding horses and cattle. After it has been cut and dried, the Bermudagrass turns into a crisp, golden coloured hay. It is a good nutritious hay for horses. It has 0.7 to 1.0 Mcal/lbs digestible energy, 42 to 50% total digestible nutrients, 6 to 11% crude protein, .25 to 0.4% calcium, and .15 to 0.3% phosphorus.
Even though Coastal hay is nutritious, it can be harmful to your horse if it is not clean. You want to make sure that when you buy your hay it is crisp and clean. Never buy hay that is dusty, grayish coloured, moldy, or smells musty. If your hay isn't clean it could make your horse seriously sick. The best way to know if the hay is clean or not is by asking yourself "does it look good enough for me to eat?". If is is sweet-smelling and golden (or better yet, fresh-but green) and it looks good enough for a person to eat, then it is most likely good enough for your horse to eat.
Coastal hay is easy to come by and can be bought for a fairly inexpensive price. Of course, it will always depend on the overall hay industry for how much the hay is sold for. If it is a good season and the Bermudagrass is flourishing, Coastal hay will be cheap. However, if there is a drought and not much hay can be harvested, then Coastal hay will be more expensive.
You can buy Coastal hay in the form of round bales and square bales. A round bale of Coastal hay will usually sell for around 65 dollars while a square bale will sell for about 10 dollars.
Published by Sally Emerson
She lives in the U.S.A. and like horses and has had a nice life. View profile
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