Is rye hay with the heads on ok for horses?

Question

I live in the south and we are in a drought now and having a hard time finding hay. I can get rye hay, but the farmer left the grain heads on it. Will this be a problem for my horses? Could it cause them to founder? The hay looks good and I did give them a little to see what they thought of it , and they tore right into it. I would be feeding them large round bales. I would appreciate any help.

Thanks

Answer 1

hmm, are the heads little stems with spikes, kind of like Catails in Timmothy hay but spikes?

I know there is something, it may be rye, thats not good for horses with the heads on because it can cut up their esophagus and other digestive organs, when its mature

Answer 2

It is fine. Here in NZ it is a most common grass and regularly fed to horses, as a standind crop in paddocks or as hay.

It will deffinately not cause them founder.

Good luck - it's stressful when there is a feed shortage :)

Answer 3

I have fed my horses rye hay before and they've done just fine. It just doesn't provide a whole lot of protein and they can get pretty poor on it for long periods of time (here in Oregon). Although, just like with any feed change, there is always a chance of colic. Good luck!