There are several different categories of hay: legume (such as alfalfa and clover), grass (such as timothy, brome, orchard grass, bluegrass), cereal grain straw (such as oat hay, cut before the seed heads mature), and mixed (legume and grass). It grows in USDA zones 4 through 8, notes North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. Hay also has regional variations. Wheatgrass hay, however, can be prohibitively expensive, especially as a late-season cut, and it is more often used as pasture grass than as cut hay. Alfalfa, Clover). Copyright Leaf Group Ltd. // Leaf Group Lifestyle. Different Types of Bermuda Grass There exist two broad categorizations of Bermuda grass: Hybrid Bermuda and Bermuda Common. The type of hay you feed the horses in your barn depends on a number of factors, including geographic location, price and the horse’s nutritional needs. There are three forms of seed heads (Figure 9, below): panicle (branching), spike (unbranched, with uniformly spaced spikelets) and spike-like panicle (unbranched, with uniformly spaced spikelets). Orchardgrass — I don’t know much about Orchardgrass but Penn State does! Rye grass hay, the most common hay found in pet shops, is a by-product of the grass seed growing industry. bunch-type grass, check to see whether the unemerged leaf blade is rolled or folded. The former is rich in fiber and low in calories, calcium, and protein, which makes it the best hay for guinea pigs. Alfalfa or alfalfa/grass hay often are considered the premier hay choices for working and competitive horses. When choosing the right hay for your small pet it can sometimes seem overwhelming by the choices you have and understanding the value of different brands. Meadow hay has a better spread of other minerals and trace elements than single grass hays. Most hay consists of either legume crops, like alfalfa or clover, grasses, or a combination of both legumes and grasses. Anderson Hay & Grain: What is Timothy Hay? Inflorescences . Annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) grows mainly as an annual but can also be a biennial in certain climates. TYPES OF HAY. Switchgrass – a perennial native grass that is a bunchgrass. Timothy hay (best for adult rabbits) Meadow hay (best for adult rabbits) Oat hay (best for adult rabbits) Orchard grass hay (best for picky eaters) Alfalfa hay (best for baby/junior rabbits) Timothy hay for rabbits. The differences between grass and hay are minor but if misunderstood, could affect your rabbit’s health. Depending on the species, fescues are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 9. Certain varieties are resistant to toxic fungus, including 'Fawn' (Festuca 'Fawn'), 'Kenhy' (Festuca 'Kenhy') and 'Johnstone' (Festuca 'Johnstone'). Intermediate ryegrass (Lolium hybridum) is a cross of annual and perennial ryegrasses, and is less winter hardy, growing in USDA zones 4 through 9, but higher yielding than the other types. The latter, on the other hand, is the opposite. Legume includes alfalfa, clover, or soy. Cutting fescue for hay should begin just as the flowers begin to emerge for best quality. Grass hays should be the main component in rabbit, chinchilla and guinea pig diets. These grasses are cut and stacked by hand, dried and stored. It is one of the most common hays fed to horses. Grass hay is exactly what it sounds like – a short leafy plant – while legumes are members of the pea family. Let’s take a deeper look at each of these two types of Bermuda grass varieties below! While the Oklahoma Extension lists fescue as having a moderate forage nutritional profile, the Kentucky Cooperative Extension advises against using it as a feed hay, as a symbiotic fungus within the fescue has a negative effect on some animals. Perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, is grown mostly in the northeast and some western states, and is used for both forage and hay. is a perennial grass with fibrous roots that can be used for both pasture grass or hay. Oat — The Graff’s mixture also included oats! • Use fertilizer. Commonly used plants for hay include mixtures of grasses such as ryegrass (Lolium species), timothy, brome, fescue, Bermuda grass, orchard grass, and other species, depending on region. Hay including clover perennial grasses bermudagrass ( Cynodon dactylon ) spreads mainly by (! Notes Anderson hay & Grain: what is timothy hay ( timothy grass ) is a bunchgrass in! 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