Due to the fact that nutrition is the key factor in animal feeds, when feeding Hay and straw to animals, looking at the quality of Hay and straw is critical to the health of your animals. This is down to the fact that many farmers have unknowingly starved their animals off nutritious minerals by offering hay and straw that is poor in quality and mineral content, bringing in a host of vitamin deficiencies and diseases to their herd. For you to be assured that the Hay and straw that you purchase is of the highest quality, it is important to look for the following characteristics before making that decision to buy.
The first characteristic of quality hay and straw is the color. When color can be deceiving, for most types of hay, good hay should be golden yellow in color. This is due to the fact that environmental factors such as sun can alter the color by bleaching the exterior, making it greener. When buying hay, it is important to look at it from the inside for you to difference between the kind of color that quality hay should have as it can be discolored by hot sun or too some extent rain.
The other characteristic to look at when looking for good Hay and straw for your herd is the length and quality of the straw. Good hay should bend easily for low digestibility. It should be loose and not stick together, smell sweet and have no the presence of mold. This is due to the fact that rained and dried hay can sometimes create mold that can cause diseases to your animals. It should also be free of dirt and rocks that may be hard on animal teeth, and have the correct size in length for it to be stronger and tightly interwoven.
Another characteristic to look for when purchasing good hay and straw for your herd is the palatability. Checking the palatability of the hay is important as some animals can be choosy when it comes to eating tough Hay and straw. Before purchasing large quantities of hay or stray, you can consider buying a sample first before loading tons of it in your truck.
Another characteristic to look at when purchasing good Hay and straw for your animals is the moisture content. This is due to the fact that good hay will have low moisture content. When some regions have high humidity that can impact the moisture content of the hay, it is important to look at the moisture content before purchasing Hay and straw.
Another characteristic to look at when purchasing hay for your herd is the type of grain. This is due to the fact that different types of grains have different hay quality; therefore, it is important to look for a type of grain that meets your requirements. These may include rice bales, wheat bales and other cereal grains, all that can meet the criteria that are needed in finding the best type of Hay and straw for your herd.
So hopefully, you do keep these things in mind when you look for quality hay and straw Rhode Island suppliers. By doing so, you will have an easier time finding reliable quality hay and straw Rhode Island suppliers. Also, do take some time to read this post if you are someone that isn't that familiar with what hay really is, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hay.
