What is peanut hay
Lily Fisher
Published Apr 09, 2026
Perennial peanut is a high-quality persistent tropical forage legume which can be grazed or fed to horses, dairy and beef cattle, hogs, goats, sheep and rabbits. It can be stored as dry hay or silage and is a substitute for alfalfa.
Where does peanut hay come from?
Quality and uses are so similar to that of alfalfa that perennial peanut has been coined “Florida’s alfalfa.” Perennial peanut grows well in Florida, south Georgia and southern portions of the Gulf States.
Is peanut hay better than alfalfa?
Perennial peanut hay (also called rhizomal or forage peanut) is more closely equivalent to alfalfa than to the grass hays studied in both nutrient content and digestibility. Significantly greater voluntary intake of the peanut hay resulted in greater positive weight changes than any of the other hays.
Is peanut hay safe for horses?
“Peanut hay” is made from the residue after pod/seed harvest of the annual peanut. … Annual peanut hay should not be fed to horses under any circumstance as it is sandy, mostly stems, and dusty.How much does a bale of peanut hay cost?
The average cost of rolling peanut hay is $14 per bale so for farmers rolling their own peanut hay for feed or sale would have to get $40 per bale to break even.
Will deer eat peanut hay?
Yes it will work but it comes with lots of waste in stalk and stems. Sometimes lots of sand also. If the bales have lots of peanuts in it then it is even better.
What do they do with peanut hay?
Perennial peanut is a high-quality persistent tropical forage legume which can be grazed or fed to horses, dairy and beef cattle, hogs, goats, sheep and rabbits. It can be stored as dry hay or silage and is a substitute for alfalfa.
What hay is best for older horses?
The horse needs to be able to chew and break down the hay, so select good-quality, soft hay that isn’t overly mature; it shouldn’t have thick, fibrous stalks. Coleman has found that mixed grass-legume hay, such as orchard-alfalfa or timothy-alfalfa, is often a good choice.What is the best hay to feed horses?
There are two primary types of horse hay: legume and grass. Alfalfa is the best variety of legume hay, and Orchard grass is the grass hay I recommend; however, Timothy, bermudagrass, bahiagrass, and Kentucky bluegrass are also excellent choices.
What's the best kind of hay to feed a horse?Timothy hay is one of the most popular hays fed to horses. It can be quite expensive, depending on whether it has to be shipped long distances. Timothy must be harvested in the pre- or early-bloom stage to ensure a high nutrient content.
Article first time published onIs peanut hay good for cattle?
Residual peanut hay is by far the most widely used peanut by-product fed to beef cattle, and if it is properly harvested with minimal leaf shatter, it is comparable to good-quality grass hays in nutrient content.
What is good quality hay?
Good quality hay should be bright green in color with little fading. A bleached, yellow, brown or black color may indicate aged hay, mold or poor storage conditions. Storage condition and age have a significant effect on vitamin content of hays.
Is Tifton 85 hay good for horses?
Tifton is beneficial to any horse. Many vets recommend horses that have weight, laminitis or founder issues to be on a diet strictly of Tifton due to its low sugar content. Tifton is also great for HYPP horses and can be one of the only hays that some HYPP horses do well on.
How many bales of hay do you get per acre?
With an average bale weight of around 40 pounds (with our Abbriata small square baler or any of our mini round balers), that’s 100 bales to the acre for a first cutting. Our farm aside, we can offer some guidelines to consider when trying to predict the productivity of your hay fields.
How many bales of hay does a cow need for winter?
Calculate Number of Bales Needed Determine the number of bales of hay that each cow needs by dividing the cow’s yearly need by the adjusted weight of each bale. For a cow needing 8,190 pounds of hay per year and a bale weight of 960 pounds, divide 8,190 by 960 for a yearly need of about 8.5 bales per cow.
How much does a roll of peanut hay weigh?
But the weight of round bales also can vary, anywhere from 800 to 1,200 pounds, with 1,000 pounds being a good average, he says.
How do I get rid of peanut plants?
In the area where you want to try perennial peanut, strip away grass and weeds with a shovel or kill the existing lawn with a non-selective weed killer such as Roundup or Finale. Follow directions when using any pesticide, such as a weed killer.
Can goats eat peanut hay?
Goats. Just like horses and cattle, Perennial Peanut Hay is a great alternative compared to alfalfa. Farmers have noticed a greater feed consumption as well as a greater weight gain and feed efficiency when they switched to perennial peanut. Its high Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) makes it a great option for pastures.
How much is a bale of hay in Florida?
Custom rates for cutting, raking, and baling will average 1.75 /bale for rectangular bales and $20.00 for large round bales. Feed store merchants indicate that horse owners prefer small rectangular bales, but will buy large round bales of Florakirk bermudagrass, provided the hay is of good quality, mold, and dust free.
Do deer prefer peanuts or corn?
Its powerful peanut aroma is a complete game changer in helping to draw in that buck that you’ve had your eyes on all summer. Whitetail deer absolutely love peanuts, which are high in protein and fat, making them an excellent food and attractant that deer just can’t resist.
What animals eat peanuts in the shell?
Peanuts in the Shell are a high-protein, high-fat food enjoyed by birds such as chickadees, titmice, woodpeckers, nuthatches and jays. They’re also a fun way to feed other backyard visitors including squirrels.
What is a good deer attractant?
Apple-Flavored Attractants Apple-flavored attractants have been around for years, and many long-time hunters say deer still love them over anything else. A variety of apple-flavored products have been created throughout the years including apple-scented corn, apple-scented liquids, and apple-scented blocks.
What hay is bad for horses?
Some hay types are particularly prone to high nitrate levels and should be avoided if there are options. These include: Sorghum, Sudan, Johnsongrass and Pearl Millet. High levels of simple carbohydrate (sugars, starch) are an issue for horses with insulin resistance and can occur in virtually any type of hay.
Do horses need hay if they have grass?
Provide plenty of roughage Many pleasure and trail horses don’t need grain: good-quality hay or pasture is sufficient. … Horses are meant to eat roughage, and their digestive system is designed to use the nutrition in grassy stalks. A horse should eat one to two percent of their body weight in roughage every day.
Why is alfalfa bad for horses?
Excess protein, like excess energy has been implicated as a cause of developmental orthopedic disease in growing horses. 3. Alfalfa hay contains too much calcium and/or magnesium a. The high calcium level causes a high calcium:phosphorus ratio which may contribute to developmental orthopedic disease b.
What age is horse considered senior?
By age definition “senior” horse has been defined as 15+ years of age. Due to improvements in veterinary care and nutrition, horse routinely live 25-30 years of age, some into their 40’s. It is not uncommon to see horses in late teens and twenties performing at high levels.
What time of day is sugar highest in grass?
Sugar content of grasses is higher in the afternoon than in the morning and sugar content is lowest at night, so grazing should be restricted to the safest times of the day to graze, early morning and night times.
Do older horses poop less?
Keep regular dental visits for your horse. Aging is associated with decreased intestinal motility. Some of this may be a direct decline in how well the bowel functions, but multiple other factors, such as inadequate exercise and less frequent trips to water, also contribute.
Should horses have hay all time?
Conclusion. Horses don’t have to eat all the time, but having constant access to hay helps keep their digestive system working correctly. Allowing your horse to graze on pasture grass is safe and keeps them healthy. A healthy pasture provides all the nutrition horses need.
Can horses graze on alfalfa?
Alfalfa can be grazed as a single-species or mixed with grass. Red or white clover doesn’t regrow well when grazed by horses, so it’s best to mix with grass. Alfalfa and red clover can be appropriate pasture species for horses diagnosed with metabolic disorders.
Does second cut hay have more sugar?
Second cutting will be leafy but doesn’t have the higher sugar content. But second cutting “looks” better. Most of the time, grass founder is caused by over-feeding, under-utilizing the horse–they just don’t burn up the calories! IMO, most horses do better on lesser quality feed, but more of it.