Hi Dr Getty

We underseeded 30 acres to hay but the cover crop was oats, so we have a very good crop of oat greenfeed. It was cut before frost, quite green and in the dough stage. What I'm wondering is, is it good to feed to horses? We were going to sell it as cattle feed but it has been so wet this year, our hay crop is second rate and the green feed would help us get through the winter. We raise horses for a living so there is broodmares, young horses, saddle horses and weanlings on this farm. I would appreciate your input.

Where are you from? Alberta, Canada

How did you locate this forum? Web search

Hi Lane,

Hay that is cut in this early dough stage is high in moisture and is highly prone toward developing mold. Mold is toxic to horses and should be avoided. Hay cut this early also tends to lose its nutritious leaves, making its quality quite low.

So, if you feed this hay, first make certain that it is free of any mold. Look for white dust, or areas of dark brown, gray or black patches. Second, you should consider adding another source of feed to their diets to make up for the nutrients lost, along with a good multiple vitamin/mineral supplement to fill in the gaps.

Thanks for writing,

Dr. Getty