Hay is grass, legumes, or other herbaceous plants that have been cut and dried to be stored for use as animal fodder, either for large grazing animals raised as livestock, such as cattle, horses, goats, and sheep, or for smaller domesticated animals such as rabbits [1] and guinea pigs.

Tree hay (sometimes also referred to as leaf fodder, leaf hay or tree fodder) is a source of animal fodder produced by harvesting the leaves and twigs of a variety of perennials, and in particular trees. It specifically refers to the practice of feeding the material to livestock directly after collection or more commonly after storing and ...

As a rule of thumb, two-thirds of the hay protein is in the leaves. Therefore, the higher the leafiness, the higher the nutritive value of a hay. Leafiness is important for both grass and legumes.

Leafiness, the ratio of leaves to stems, is an excellent indicator of hay quality. Leafiness in legumes is particularly critical because legumes lose their leaves during curing and handling more readily than grasses. Leafiness is extremely important to high quality feed given that about 60 percent of the total

3 天之前 · Leafiness – Leaves are the most digestible portion of the plant, both for grasses and legumes. Leaves should be plentiful and attached to the stems. A greater presence of leaves in hay tends to be correlated to greater nutritional value for the livestock consuming it. Maturity – Maturity is the number one factor that impacts forage quality ...

2024年8月7日 · Hay is a natural fiber from grasses such as alfalfa or clover. You can use them for animal bedding, mulch, and insulation. The plant material is harvested and dried before being baled into large blocks called bales. Hay is usually fed to livestock such as cows, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs.

Haymaking turns green, perishable, forage into a product that can be safely stored and easily transported without danger of spoilage, while keeping losses of dry matter and nutrients to a minimum. This involves reducing its moisture content from 70 - 90% to 20 - 25% or less.

Leaves are most critical with legumes and first-cut grass hays. Young leafy forage is better than old stemmy growth. Determining the maturity of clover is done similarly lo alfalfa. When clover hay is pas! the Bud-Stage you will need to examine the color and condition of the bloom and the maturity of the seeds, if present.

• Leafiness of the hay – The more leaves a hay has, the more nutrients it is likely to contain since nutrients are concentrated in the leaves (where photosynthesis occurs) • Color of the hay – generally the greener, the better but see chart on next page.

2022年3月21日 · Leafy Hay is determined by having 65%-70% leaf coverage with a pliable stem. Stemmy Hay is noticeable from its thick woody steam and only 10%-15% leaf coverage. The ideal color of fresh, high-quality hay is one that resembles that of bright green and immature grass. It should be cut during a desirable stage of maturity then rapidly and well cured.