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Nov/Dec 2009
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What Are You Feeding? Sampling and Analyzing Hay

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By Peggy M. Auwerda, Ph.D. ~ Iowa State University
m a g a z i n e
The primary component of a horse’s diet HAY (As Is)
should be forage. Ideally when feeding horses
knowing the components of the forage will al- Moisture

t
low an owner to feed the best grain mix to meet t
any deficits in the forage. The principle of hay Dry Matter

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sampling is to obtain a randomly-chosen sample Ash Minerals

t
t
which represents the average composition of the t
hay you are feeding.m a g a z i n e Organic Matter
Nitrogen Crude Amino

t
t

t
Listed below are some recommendations
Protein Acids
when sampling hay: t
1) Hay should be sampled from the same lot. Non-Nitrogenous
Substance

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A lot indicates the same cutting, field, stage of
maturity and harvested within 48 hours. Lipid Fatty Acids

t
2) A good, sharp coring
m a gdevice
a z should
i n e be used. Fat-soluble Vitamins
The coring device should have an inside diam- t
eter of the cutting edge of at least 3/8 inch and Carbohydrate
no more then 5/8 inch. Dull coring devices Crude Celluloses (NDF & ADF)
t

t
causes material to be pushed out of the core. Fiber Ligin
More information can be found in the publica- t
tion entitled Forage Sampling and Sampling Nitrogen-Free
Equipment PM 1098B at the Iowa State Uni- Extracts (NFE)
versity - University Extension website [ https:

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Sugars Water-Soluble
t

t
www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ListItems. Vitamins
aspx?CategoryID=17 ]. t
m a g a z i n e
3) Walk around the entire stack and sample bales Starch
at different heights. For square bales, sample
Figure 1.
from the end of the bale the full length of the
sampler tube. For round bales, sample across
and lignin and represents the least digestible por-
the bale at the center. Choose bales at random.

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tion of the hay.
4) Combine the cored samples into a single
As a hay (plant) matures the amount of fiber
sample and store in a sealed freezer bag.
m a g a z i nair.
e Send it will increase. Higher quality hay will have NDF’s
Pack samples tightly to exclude
between 35-55% and ADF between 22-35% (as
to the lab. A list of labs can be found in the
fed). Low quality hay will have NDF’s between 55-
publication entitled Forage Testing Labora-
70% and ADF will range between 35-45%. If the
tories PM 1098A at the Iowa State Univer-
hay is 65% or over NDF, it may increase the risk
sity - University Extension website [ https:
of impaction colic so horses should have plenty of
www.extension.iastate.edu/store/ListItems.

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aspx?CategoryID=17 ].
Once you receivemthe
a ganalyzed
a z i nsample
e back
what should you look for?
Look under the dry matter column for crude
protein, total digestible nutrients (TDN), ADF,
NDF, and calculated RFV. Total digestible nutri-
ents (TDN) estimates the energy content. Forages
generally range from 45 to 55% TDN. Hay con-
sists of fiber which is broken down into cellulose,
hemicellulose and lignin (see Figure 1 ). Neutral
detergent fiber is made up of hemicellulose, cel-
lulose, and lignin. Acid detergent fiber is cellulose
water.
Crude protein is determined by measuring
the amount of nitrogen in the plant and multiply-
ing it by a conversion factor. Protein level (dry
matter basis) in green plants is usually 18-26%.
As the hay matures, protein will decrease. Protein
requirements for horses ranges between 10-16%
with higher amounts required by growing horses.
Another factor that may appear on your re-
port is relative feed value (RFV). The RFV is used
heavily in the dairy industry. An RFV in the 90’s
is sufficient for horses. Grass hays usually score
between 75-105 while high-quality alfalfa may
score as high as 150.