Abejita my hay results....

[appyday]

I had the hay I have access too tested. Only talking K (potassium) at this time..will have proteins etc when I get the total reports I was only interested in the K today.

Rained on Orchard grass 1.53

Fescue 1.72

Brome 1.49

1st cutting Orchard grass 2.04

2st cutting Orchard grass 1.93

Rogers nutritionist wants me to leech (soak) his beet pulp to release the extra sugars.

and leech (soak) his hay to release the potassium.

OK anyone have to do this? Can you give me some soaking times etc...She said just to rinse off the pulp I thought it should sit 10 min and then rinse..what do you all think??

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

For some horses we rinse the hay (straight timothy) for 30 min

On old horses we soak their sweet feed (triple crown senior) for 20 min.

[appyday]

For some horses we rinse the hay (straight timothy) for 30 min

On old horses we soak their sweet feed (triple crown senior) for 20 min.

He can not have Sr feed it has molassas in it..Tell me why you soak your hay...

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

reduces starch & sugars ...and correction, has to be soakin for a minimum of 1 hour!!! it will reduce apprx 30% also is a great form of getting fluids now in the heat!!!!

[Abejita]

for soaking hay
hot/warm water for at least 1/2 hour or cold for an hour. I soak mine in a muck tub ,(hold 5lbs or so at a time) tip it over to drain and then lay it on a screen for awhile to drip dry but if being fed outside on the ground and you dont mind a little moisture ..no need for the screen..
I have soaked for a few hours but some people feel the hay can 're-absorb" some of the sugars doing this..You can also rinse again after the inital soak to be safe if you have to soak longer than the hour..
In the summer you have to watch for it to go bad so I would try to soak it as close to the hour as possible, but I know someone who lets her's sit out overnight(covered) and has had no problems ( she lives in Northern MD)..in the winter it can be a pain if the water freezes..Horses WILL eat wet hay and haycicles too....If you dont have a place to soak that it wont freeze, I have heard of people buying big coolers and using them..water wont freeze and there is a drain plug ..
If you are dumping your hay water down a drain I will warn you IT WILL GROW NAST SMELLING CRUD...I was doing mine in the wash stall..and when it started to get warm this spring..I thought "WHAT is that smell???" and the drain had like a mold/fungus growing in it..so if you have a place to dump it outside where the horses cant get to it and the water wont'pond' that would be good.


For beet pulp I start by rinsing in warm water then a cold water soak for at least two hours then another drain and rinse .this info comes off the Yahoo group where one person spent some time and money /rinsing/soaking in different ways and then having the BP tested after each method to see what the NSC results were..this routine gave her the lowest NSC results.
I basically start 'breakfast ' the night before..I rinse it , then put it in a bucket of water in the fridge overnight, when I get in the barn in the morning I dump it in my bucket with the screened bottom that hangs on a snap in the wash stall, give it a quick rinse and go do the stalls, get horses in then feed..has pleant sof time to drain