Can Chickens Eat Alfalfa Hay?

[kristina0306]

Fresh cut green alfalfa probably not a good idea I guess. A day or 2 here and it will be dry. I can go get all I want from the side of the hiway. Just need to let it dry first.

I bought some alfalfa seeds to plant in a certain area of my yard, since it is mostly dirt right now. I thought it would be a good idea to have some fresh alfalfa, along with a few different types of clover (white, red & yellow flower varieties). I have already planted the red & white clover seeds and I will be planting the yellow clover as soon as those seeds get here. Now I see that fresh alfalfa may not be a good idea to few them? My plan was to keep them penned, until the seeds start to sprout, then let them free range and eat what they want of the different things I planted for them. Should I change my plans? I have not planted the alfalfa seeds yet, so it is not too late for me to change my mind.

 

[jeria]

I'm thinking of planting some in a corner of my yard since it is a perennial and is good at choking out weeds, that corner gets overrun easily from my neighbor's yard, she doesn't weed eat the edges and the park behind us. With budget cuts the city only weed eats the fence line once or twice a year.

 

[CzyChikenMath]

I'm thinking of planting some in a corner of my yard since it is a perennial and is good at choking out weeds, that corner gets overrun easily from my neighbor's yard, she doesn't weed eat the edges and the park behind us. With budget cuts the city only weed eats the fence line once or twice a year.

That's a great idea. Thank you!

 

[Percheron chick]

Hi, I saw you were on here I'm Feb. and hoping you still were... Could you tell me if I purchase the Hay in summer, would it still have health benefits in the winter, when it was no longer green?. I read the seed heads were good, but everyone in this thread seems to be talking about the leaves - I want protein in a balanced way.. I can see cutting it is a good idea from you it - For me (who would prefer to avoid the extra work if I can) I think that would translated to purchase bales instead of the large rolls in my situation, then I would not have to cut. Does that sound correct, and do I have to be concerned over if there are seeds or leaves, or does it all pretty much have both? This was my original question was to the moderator, but I don't think they are here any longer, "I had read elsewhere they just forage on the ground and only eat the dead heads on Alpha hay. I came on to try to find if I purchase it now (less expensive, in Summer), would it be good still in the winter, then I saw the discussion on green leaves... If you are still following this discussion Wynette, were given leaves or did it just have seed heads, and if you were giving leaves - I was wondering if in the winder I could cover snow with alpha hay picked now, with seeds, so they could walk on it instead of snow - and forage. I heard it's a balance way to get protein, instead of something like BOSS which is all protein at once, it is slower to digest... So would Alfalfa Hay picked summer and dry stored be any good for winter? (if no, I'm not sure how much of the seeds I'd loose, but through a shredder a better idea?)..Thank you to anyone who could more clearly answer I had chicken math this year. from 5 to 250. lol

If you analyze hay after it is cured and bale and retest it 6 months later there will be a slight drop in vitamin and moisture content but everything else should remain the same. Quality hay put up right and stored properly will still be quality forage for 2-3 years. If your alfalfa hay has seeds and flowers it was harvested past it's prime and is a lesser forage best suited for beef cattle or mature horses. I would pass on it for chickens. If you are buying chicken alfalfa look for fine stem leafy hay. Over dried hay will be crumbly and perhaps sun bleached but it's still good. Don't get too hung up on which cutting it is because after the first cutting which will have more weeds and grass in it, it's all about the maturity level it was cut at and how it was cured and baled. If the hay is referred to as "dairy quality" go for that. It will be the best stuff. High in Ca, protein, relative feed value andlow in fiber. You can just throw the hay on the ground and let them work it or just place the entire bale in the run and let it be a nutritious jungle gym. You can also use any cereal grain hay (oat, rye,wheat, triticale...) and let them pick the grains out and then use the straw for bedding. I had some 4x4 oat hay and when the chickens found the stash you would of thought they won the lottery. Horses came behind them and cleaned up the stems so no waste.

 

[CzyChikenMath]

If you analyze hay after it is cured and bale and retest it 6 months later there will be a slight drop in vitamin and moisture content but everything else should remain the same. Quality hay put up right and stored properly will still be quality forage for 2-3 years. If your alfalfa hay has seeds and flowers it was harvested past it's prime and is a lesser forage best suited for beef cattle or mature horses. I would pass on it for chickens. If you are buying chicken alfalfa look for fine stem leafy hay. Over dried hay will be crumbly and perhaps sun bleached but it's still good. Don't get too hung up on which cutting it is because after the first cutting which will have more weeds and grass in it, it's all about the maturity level it was cut at and how it was cured and baled. If the hay is referred to as "dairy quality" go for that. It will be the best stuff. High in Ca, protein, relative feed value andlow in fiber. You can just throw the hay on the ground and let them work it or just place the entire bale in the run and let it be a nutritious jungle gym. You can also use any cereal grain hay (oat, rye,wheat, triticale...) and let them pick the grains out and then use the straw for bedding. I had some 4x4 oat hay and when the chickens found the stash you would of thought they won the lottery. Horses came behind them and cleaned up the stems so no waste.

I feel like I hit the lottery. Thanks you so much! I think this is the information I have been looking for. May I ask how you came about that knowledge? Just from reading about horses? . I suppose the one post from a moderator that said she lost a chicken chocking on it because it was too long and got balled up in his ...throat..i think is probably a fluke?A couple lingering questions.... If i unroll it and leave it there, will much of it get wasted due to feces, will they eat it faster (I'm guessing not since i free feed and free range anyhow), and for now I can probably only store on large tarps on pallets covered by other large tarps - aside from mice (which I just thought of), I know it won't last as long, but I'm thinking it should be ok to store the tools like that because right now the heat will probably get rid of the moister (mold problems) by winter.. and it should probably be good into feb. does that sound correct to you?

 

[CzyChikenMath]

If you analyze hay after it is cured and bale and retest it 6 months later there will be a slight drop in vitamin and moisture content but everything else should remain the same. Quality hay put up right and stored properly will still be quality forage for 2-3 years. If your alfalfa hay has seeds and flowers it was harvested past it's prime and is a lesser forage best suited for beef cattle or mature horses. I would pass on it for chickens. If you are buying chicken alfalfa look for fine stem leafy hay. Over dried hay will be crumbly and perhaps sun bleached but it's still good. Don't get too hung up on which cutting it is because after the first cutting which will have more weeds and grass in it, it's all about the maturity level it was cut at and how it was cured and baled. If the hay is referred to as "dairy quality" go for that. It will be the best stuff. High in Ca, protein, relative feed value andlow in fiber. You can just throw the hay on the ground and let them work it or just place the entire bale in the run and let it be a nutritious jungle gym. You can also use any cereal grain hay (oat, rye,wheat, triticale...) and let them pick the grains out and then use the straw for bedding. I had some 4x4 oat hay and when the chickens found the stash you would of thought they won the lottery. Horses came behind them and cleaned up the stems so no waste.

If that won't cut mustard for storage, I think I can obtain the use of a UV stabilized fabric type carport tent. no windows. but that will be a bit difficult...

 

[CzyChikenMath]

Quote:

The stuff I have isn't the same as most hay...coastal hay for example is long strands of dried grass, so if they eat it it can wad up inside their crop and leave them crop bound. The alfalfa I have is more like a dried clover consistency. There are some stems, but the chickens ignore those and just eat the little dried leaves.

I'm not sure those could cause them to get crop bound even if they did eat a whole bunch...then again, I've never met an animal that couldn't find SOME way to hurt itself and cause you a heart attack/drain your wallet on vet bills no matter how careful you are with them.

Alfalfa "hay" is very different than grass hay as Alfalfa isn't a grass. It's a leafy plant, a legume actually, that does not stay intact the way grass hay does. When I can find Alfalfa hay I lie to feed it in the winter as a substitute for the green food the birds access in the summer.

hi. I'm planning on doing this. I was going to do it a little differently...will it hurt if i give it to them to forage through7 days a week?

 

[Percheron chick]

So are you wanting to use large rounds (1000+#)? That's too much to put out even for 250 hens plus you only have one feeding station. If you are planning on using rounds, lay it on it's side. They shed water that way and stay moldfree (you will have some where it touches the ground) longer. If you stand it on end the rain will penetrate the bale and it will quickly spoil. My 25 will get about 3# (one small flake) most days in the winter they are locked up. At 250 that's more like 25# so that one bale could last a month. I would still rather dole it out in smaller quantities to reduce waste. You can stand a round on end, cut the strings then roll the hay off like a roll of paper towels . Air circulation is critical in hay storage. It still has decent moisture (15%) and will continue to dry. The moisture has to have somewhere to go. It's best to stack your hay on pallets not on tarps. Cover with a quality tarp that will hold up to the hay rubbing against it. Anchor it with big dog stake screws

 

[CzyChikenMath]

I wouldn't buy peanut vine hay for chickens. I have never seen a comprehensive analysis done on it but....

It's a vine. In the baling and drying process most of the leaves, which contain most of the nutrients, shatter. They fall off the vine and stay on the ground. The vines are too large for the chickens to do much with other than spread them around and play with them. (not that's that bad).. Your ADF and NDF values are also the higher hay values and not the fresh cut ones. ADF will be closer to 35-45% and the NDF will be 45-55%. Meaning that there is less digestible energy and more non digestible fiber. Ash value at 8% is fine (hays are typically 10%) but reading between the lines, how much of that is just plain old dirt? Is the ash really 5% meaning it has low mineral content? 16% tells me there was a lot of dirt in the sample. Chickens eat dirt so that's not a problem but you're not proving it as a source of dirt and grit. A round bale is going to run #400-1000 depending upon the baler. Do you have other livestock to share the bale with? You still have to be concerned about spoilage. If you are forking off #20 at a time, it will last you years. Handling big rounds is a PIA unless you have the equipment to pick them up and move them around too. In the end, you are going to end up just raking it all up and throwing it on the compost pile.

To the first part of your post:
Alfalfa cubes and pellets are made from lesser quality hay than typical bales are. It's over mature hay (hay cut after the bloom stage), hay that got rained on so it was flipped and dried a 2nd or 3rd time causing extensive leaf shatter leaving you with mostly just the stem or hay that doesn't have the time to cure properly so it's chopped and sent through a drier (more leaf shatter). Test this by soaking a few cubes. Break them up with your hands. What you do end up with? Mostly 2-4" stalks of alfalfa sticks? That contains most of the fiber (NDF) so you aren't getting much of anything out of it. Chickens want the alfalfa leaves. That's where the good stuff is going to be. I would buy the leafiest, smallest stemmed bale I could find, 2nd should be fine but 3-4 is usually higher quality, and give that to them. You can either give them a flake at a time or give them the whole bale (don't cut the strings) and they will spend hours working on the bale. If the hay cubes and the bale are the same price, you are getting more bang for the buck with the bale.

I see you are very well informed on nutrition! If you have any question about superfood and nutrition for humans, let me know. I might be able help you there The local alfalfa hay I saw says horse quality, not dairy quality...will it be ok if i can't find dairy?

 

[Percheron chick]

Sure it is. It's a step down from the dairy. Dairy cows and goats eat the best because it is tied to higher milk fat and yields. Just go for the leafiest smallest stem bales you can find. Buy 2 small bales and let them have at em. What are they leaving behind?