Hay types

[al]

My neighbor volunteered to cut and bale my front yard. (He's a good guy) I'll also give him the hay because I don't need it.

My questions deal with the type of grass we have and whether or not it is worth reseeding. He says we have blue stem--which according to Larry the neighbor man only sells for about $35 a round bale. He also says no one will use it for horses.

Is it any good for my dexters? It grows like crazy with little care.

What is jig hay or coastal?

Would it be worthwhile to plow under and re-seed our 8 acres? And what would be approximate cost?

Thanks,
Al

PS if you have any other hay facts, please share

[legendrockranch]

Hi Al,

Jiggs is a hybrid Bermuda grass. Which is fed to cattle and horses.

Coastal Bermuda (a hybrid finer grass) is what we use, we have tried other hybrid Bermuda grasses such as Tifton 85 (a little more coarser than coastal).

The protein amounts can all vary, especially when fertilized. I've read that good Tifton 85 can have as much as 20%.

Most of the hay fed in Texas is some sort of hybrid Bermuda grass.

[Cloverbell]

I would love to have a pasture of blue stem to carry me through the warm summer months when the fescue goes dormant. Unless your pasture is totally brown all fall and winter I would bet that you already have a stand of fescue in there. Definitely don't till anything under if possible. Borrow or rent a no-till drill from your county extension or co-op and put any new seed in that way.

[al]

Cloverbell,

I'm not doubting you. I couldn't identify what's growing in my pasture. It's thick and it's green. But remember where I live. Corpus Christi won't see any temps near freezing until the end of December and February will have cold spots, but by late March we're back at the beach. The water is in the low 80's right now--almost too cold to swim.

Al