[bay_blnd jmpr07]

One of the hay guys we use(we have 2 guys we call) called my mom up and said they got a shipment of really nice hay and asked if we'd like alfalfa. My mom said she wasn't sure I would want that and he said he also got a bunch of bales with a little alfalfa mixed in. I told my mom I was fine with the mixed bales.

It's Timothy. So it's "new" to me for feeding my horses with. I'm used to just grass hay and not worrying about over feeding it.

I have mini yearling Legz and the Hano yearling Mars. I fed Mars by weight with the grass hay(10lbs a day with BtW) and Legz I tossed a smallish flake twice a day.

I've been told minis don't do well with alfalfa, but little amounts are ok. It doesn't look like there is any alfalfa in this hay, maybe small traces and I'm just not really seeing it well.

Should I continue to feed Mars by weight? The flakes are a pretty good weight each.

Should I worry at all about feeding Legz this hay?

[Dawn]

Timothy is grass hay. If it's different than what you had before, it's a question of what you had before.

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

If Timothy is grass hay why are there two names for it? I thought Timothy was some sort of mix?

[Dawn]

Timothy is a type of grass hay. 'Grass' just refers to a type of hay. There are 'grass' hays and 'legume' hays. Alfalfa falls under the 'legume category.

You might have had another type of grass hay, or it might have been timothy, I don't know.

[JBandRio]

As with switching anything, do it slowly, if you can.

Yes, Timothy is a grass hay, just like Orchard Grass or Bermuda or Fescue. If you HAVE to cold-turkey switch to Timothy, it's a lot safer than cold-turkey switching between a grass hay and a legume hay. If you HAVE to, just reduce the amount fed for a couple of days and then work back up to whatever you were feeding. Still feed by weight - all grass hay is in the same calories/lb range.

Can you test some bales first? Timothy is a harder hay to cut and have it be palable.

On the plus side, Timothy (all else being equal) is about the best balanced hay in terms of minerals.

[bay_blnd jmpr07]

I had two bales of my old grass hay left when I got the new load and I gave Mars a few flakes of each at each feed to switch it out and to make sure he liked it. And Legz normally gets the fallen hay pieces so she got the old hay with scrapings of the new stuff.

They both love it. It's pretty soft too for what I've seen in this area. It's firm, but not hard...if that makes any sense LOL

[sorrell]

I had to switch mine over this winter. The timothy has a higher protein content than coastal bermuda which is what most of us in the south consider "grass hay". Alfalfa has a high protein content too.
My arab developed runny bowels and he had never had any problems with the bermuda.
I fed the grass hay free choice. With the timothy I have about ten pounds per horse.
You might want to start out mixing if possible, half and half new hay and old.
Ponies gain weight quickly on alfalfa, so you have to watch out for laminitis.

[Preppy_Ponies]

As everyone said timothy is a type of grass hay. So it's not too much of a change. My gelding has been on timothy for at least 6 years, which where I live is usually. Most horse out here get alfalfa but it's too rich for my boy and has caused him to colic so we stick witht the timothy. It does have a higher protein level than most other grass hays which is good imo. If the mix has a lot of alfalfa be careful with both beacause they can gain a lot of weight on it if there used to just grass hay, especially the pony.

[BettyBootsy]

Horse Hay
Horse Hay: Making Hay by Cherry Hill