Crabgrass for Horses

We’re in the full swing of summer, and with summer comes the heat and droughts. Are your pastures equipped with a forage that is heat and drought tolerant? If not then maybe it’s time to try crabgrass. Unfortunately, crabgrass has a nuisance reputation as a lawn weed, but actually, there are some great benefits to crabgrass and all its crabby glory!

Let’s start with its grazing potential. Crabgrass is very palatable and most often will be the first thing livestock graze on when turned out to pasture. Because crabgrass is hardy, it is tolerant of defoliation and can be grazed down to 3 inches. The time to start grazing it is when crabgrass reaches between 6 to 10 inches. When crabgrass is grazed down to 3 to 4 inches it needs a rest period of about 15 to 30 days. Crabgrass grows from mid-spring on till the first frost. After the first frost crabgrass becomes unpalatable to grazing livestock. This is pretty typical of most warm-season forages that grow in Eastern North Carolina, so crabgrass is very competitive when it comes to grazing.

How does crabgrass compare to other summer forages nutritionally? Well, crabgrass is a pretty unique forage and will surprise you in its nutritional qualities! A major reason for decline in nutritional quality in forage is the maturing of the stem, the stem is less digestible than the leaves. With crabgrass, the quality of the stem is high, especially compared to other warm-season grasses. The amount of fiber or NDF in crabgrass stays pretty constant and quite low during July and August, at 55 to 62%. Some other common forages like bermudagrass ranges from 64 to 82% and bahiagrass 70 to 78%. The crude protein content of crabgrass ranges from 21% in the early growth and 16% in late August. Horses only need between 12%-16%, so crabgrass exceeds the needs of what a horse with maintenance requirements needs.

Crabgrass has had a reputation of being a nuisance weed for far too long. It’s time that we give it the recognition for the high-quality forage that it is. It’s palatable for grazing for all livestock. When it comes to the harsh heat and irregular weather patterns of summer, it stands strong and thrives. Even though crabgrass is a “weed” it has a lot of nutritional value that can and needs to be utilized. Don’t be crabby over the summer conditions, just let the crabgrass do its job.