Perennial Peanut Hay: No-founder, no-colic forage for your horses
Ranked #502 in Animals, #13,871 overall
Several years ago, I was introduced to perennial peanut hay as an alternative to the Orchard and Alfalfa mix I was feeding to my horses, or to the (shudder) coastal hay that was all around us. It's a high protein hay that carries many of the benefits of adding peanut oil to your horse's feed. And from the way my horses go after it, it must be delicious!
Best of all, I've been told horses can't founder on it, and it doesn't cause colic. What could be better in a hay?
Unfortunately, peanut hay can be difficult to find on a regular basis.
(Photo by Dom W (http://www.flickr.com/photos/dom_w/))
Contents at a Glance
What is perennial peanut hay?
Before we start worrying about how to buy, grow, or bale peanut hay, let's look at what it actually is and why it's so useful.
- Perennial Peanut Hay, from the Florida Department of Agriculture
- Because it doesn't freeze in the winter time, Florida's sandy soil is a perfect environment for growing perennial peanut hay. This page from the Florida Department of Agriculture explains what this forage is, and where you should and should not plant it, if you're so inclined.
- Nuts About Forage Peanut
- Perennial peanut, as we know it, actually started by mistake, sent from Brazil as a test of shipping containers. This article explains how it all happened, and explains why it's so hard to get.
- How valuable is peanut hay?
- There's a lot of talk about nutrient value, but what is actually in perennial peanut hay?
- Growing Perennial Peanut
- OK, so it's a great hay. Now how can you grow it? This article explains some of the details and promise of growing perennial peanut. Hint: it's gotta be warm.
Would you feed your horses peanut hay?
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- deborah deborah Aug 16, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
- I have the most persnickity TB gelding, he enjoys the perennial peanut hay. I am now feeding it in addition to timothy and tifton 85 so whatever is available that is good, he will get. I don't like to eat the same thing every single day, why would my horses? Plus I like buying locally when I can.
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- AppalachianCountry AppalachianCountry May 21, 2009 @ 8:50 am
- Nice lens. We had never heard of this. Thank-you for the info.
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