Most folks think that they know "horse hay" when they see it. Taking forage samples and getting nutrient analysis testing through NCDA&CS is the best way to get complete analysis and know for sure but visual appraisal of hay is important as well. There are key factors to look for when visually analyzing hay, including stage of maturity, leafiness, color, smell, and presence of foreign material. Using these tools can give you a guideline for inspecting hay.
Stage of maturity refers to the forage plant's stage of growth. Generally speaking the earlier growth stages will be higher in nutritive value than later harvested crops. Alfalfa hays should be harvested in the bud stage and can be identified by small buds at the tips of the stems but no purple flowers visible yet. The leaves will be very soft and the stems reasonably fine and pliable. As alfalfa becomes more mature the purple flowers will become more evident and stems much more coarse and almost woody. Grass hay maturity can be easily evaluated by examining for the presence and maturity of seed heads. Early harvested grass hays will have a minimal amount of seed heads and those present will be in early development and soft or easily crushed by the fingertips. Very mature grass hays will have numerous seed heads and often have a yellowish to brown color that comes from the maturation of the stems.
Leafiness is an excellent indicator of hay quality and therefore feed value as a high percentage of digestible nutrients are found in the leaves. This is somewhat related to stage of maturity as the younger the plants are at harvest the higher percentage of leaf-to-stem that the hay will be. A high percentage of leaves is also an indicator of good harvest and handling practices, especially in alfalfa type hays where improper handling can cause drastic leaf reduction. In general, hay with high leaf content has a higher percentage of nutrients and greater energy value than hay with fewer leaves.
Color is another important factor and should be the color of the immature crop in the field before it is cut. This desirable bright green coloration usually indicates that the hay was rapidly and properly cured in the field with little delays or weather damage. Sun-bleached hay is a light yellow color and can be evaluted by looking at the inside of the bales to determine if this damage was done before or after baling. If done after then the inside of the bale will be the bright green color and could have been bales stored near opening of the barn where direct sunlight was allowed to hit the stored bales. If the inside of the bales are light yellow then the hay probably stayed in the field too long and sun bleached thoroughly diminishing the overall value of the hay. Rain or moisture damaged hay will have a coloration that is more dark brown or even black in drastic situations. Brown hay can also indicate mold growth which can occur from the hay not being sufficient cured before it was baled. Moldy hays should be avoided at all costs. This brings us to our next hay characteristic of smell or odor. Hay should smell like the newly mown field free of musty, moldy, dusty, or just plain off-odored smells.
Inspection for foreign materials is another tool when visually evaluating hay. Obviously the presence of road-side trash, leaves, limbs, and sticks can downgrade hay quality but the precense of weeds can be the most common foreign material found in hay. Broad leaf weeds such as horse nettle, dogfennel, or pigweeds can be hiding in those bales so careful examination could be vital as there presence may cause the refusal to eat. Furthermore weed seeds can also pass undigested in manure and cause weed infestations in pastures or wherever the manure is dispersed.
In summary, whether you are buying or selling, producing or feeding, hay quality should be a major consideration. These tools for visual appraisal are important indicators of hay quality but there is no substitute for physically taking samples for routine nutrient analysis.
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