Kentucky Performance Products: Nutrients and Hay Storage
What nutrients are lost during hay storage?
Photo provided by Kentucky Performance Products
As long as the hay doesn’t get wet or moldy, the levels of protein, energy and minerals will remain relatively unchanged.
Overall dry matter decreases about 5% in the first year.
Within the first few weeks of storage, vitamins, particularly E and A, decline dramatically, so supplementation is needed to replace them in the diet.
Hay that is stored properly can last up to 3 years.
Three key elements in proper hay storage:
- Protect bales from the elements (rain, snow, direct sunlight).
- Provide plenty of airflow around the stack; don’t pile bales up against walls.
- Store bales up off the ground on pallets or in a hayloft.
Feeding an all-forage diet? Let Micro-PhaseTM fill in the gaps in your horse’s nutrient requirements.
About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:
Need to sustain a healthy hindgut?
Ask your vet about ProbioticWise™.
ProbioticWise:
- Maintains the healthy population of beneficial bacteria throughout the GI tract
- Supports the restoration of normal GI tract function in horses challenged by diarrhea
- Supports complete digestion of starch and sugar in the foregut, lowering the risk of hindgut upset and pH imbalances (acidosis) that can lead to colic and laminitis
- Supports reduced inflammation levels in GI tract tissues
- Supplies nutrients to the gastrointestinal tissues that support the healing of stomach and colonic ulceration
- Supplies polyphenols, nucleotides, and polysterols—antioxidants that contribute to the maintenance of healthy intestinal cell membrane function
For more information, visit KPPvet.com.
