What is Bermuda Hay?

The most common pasture grass used for livestock is Bermuda pasture grass, also known as Bermuda hay. Throughout most of the southern and central parts of the United States, Bermuda hay is used for grazing livestock. This product is a perennial and grows during the warm season so it is not intended for the cooler regions as the winter cold will kill it. Only a few varieties -Mohawk, Wrangler and Cheyenne II – will grow in the cooler regions.

Bermuda grass can be found growing as a native grass in many parts of the world. It has a high tolerance to drought, although it responds well to irrigation and grows very fast. It is also able to grow in a low fertility soils, but for haying purposes it should be fertilized.  Being a warm weather grass it prefers full sun all day. Bermuda grass has earned the name “stubborn” because once it has been established it can quickly takes over an entire area. When it is fertilized and irrigated it will need to be harvested about every five weeks due to its rapid growth. Despite how common and easy it is to grow, there is a debate among those who work with and own horses regarding whether or not Bermuda hay is good for horses.

A type of colic, ileocecal colic is associated with the Bermuda hay when eaten by horses and is especially high if baled during the mature stage of growth. It has been found to be even more of a risk when the grass matures as it is harder to digest. The longer it grows the higher the chances of it containing more mold and weeds which makes it lower grade hay. A much safer and more nutritional alternative to Bermuda hay is the Sacate feed pellet.

Sacate begins by using only the finest ingredients. A mix of nutrients can be found in their pellets, making it a more balanced type of feed than hay. There are several different varieties of pellets available to meet the needs of horses depending on their age, their workload and their health. An older horse or one with a lighter work load will benefit from Sacate’s Bermuda-Blend pellet.