Darfield Hay & Chaff

11/01/2024

Our low GI equine mixed grass hay is ideal for feeding like this 👍

Ad lib forage (grass or hay) is the gold standard for digestive and mental health for horses. They were designed to graze for up to 16 hours a day, so making sure there is always something to chew on is really important.

If your horse is not seriously overweight, and especially if it is underweight or a poor doer there is no such thing as *too much* forage.

"Ad lib" means free choice, or effectively never running out. This means you need to work out how much your horse is likely to eat over the time period and provide at least a little more than that.

With my horse Tiento, who is a good doer, I achieve this by providing a whole netted bale of low sugar, low energy hay, alongisde a net with a set amount of slightly more nutritious hay. The whole bale will take him around a week to consume, so I only need to replace the smaller hay net for each night, and don't need to worry about him "running out".

*My horses are barefoot, shod hooves do present a safety risk with hay nets on or low to the ground*

What do you do?

10/01/2024

Hi thanks to everyone who's purchaced our equine mix hay this season.

We're loving the feedback and would love to see photos of your horses enjoying their Darfield Hay & Chaff hay!

Send us a photo or share one below and we'll throw in a free bale with your next load 👍

Here's JD chowing down on some quality fibre..

15/12/2023

New seasons quality low-sugar, rye free horse hay now available. Good dry hay, baled and barn stored, never been wet. Still has great colour. Barn pickup near Darfield @ $10. Delivery also available if needed. Please PM for details. Thanks.

*New batch made 2nd January, same great quality.

**New batch made 11th January, again no rain, great quality low GI grass fibre.

Frequently asked questions:

Q: Does your hay contain ryegrass or clover.
A: It might have trace amounts of ryegrass or a little clover but is essentially free of both. It's a mix of Cocksfoot, Brown-Top, Yorkshire Fog & Timothy.

Q: Is your hay spray free?
A: Yes but it's not certified as organic.

Q: Do horses graze your hay paddocks?
A: No. Hay won't be contaminated with manure or parasites.

Q: Is your hay wet or mouldy?
A: No, we only sell completely dry hay that hasn't been wet.

Q: Is this batch moisture tested or sugar tested?
A: We don't test due to the cost, the hay is dry and cut at a mature growth stage for good fibre and lower sugar content. You are welcome to take a sample for NIR analysis if you wish.

Q: Will my horse like this hay?
A: We certainly hope so, we're getting good feedback from repeat customers.

04/02/2023

𝗣𝗲𝗮 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝗰𝗵
$7 per bale

New seasons straw now in stock! Excellent quality dry straw ideal garden mulch and suitable for animal feed.

Dry barn stored pea straw in conventional bales.

Baled in plastic-free biodegradable Sisal twine.

No minimum for pickup near Kimberley (Darfield). Delivery available poa.

16/01/2023

SOLD
23 large squares of red clover balage, wrapped and ready to load .

16/01/2023

*Sold out, will have more in summer, orders being taken on, first in first served basis.

𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗛𝗮𝘆 $𝟭𝟬/𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗲

- Rye-free low-clover grass hay - Brown-Top, Cocksfoot, Timothy
- Moisture tested & barn stored.
- Conventional bales (47cm x 36cm x 1m)
- Bound in natural Sisal fibre twine - no plastic
- Pick-up available near Darfield
- Delivery negotiable

11/01/2023

Our typical meadow hay ready for cutting. Lots of leaf, early maturity low GI grasses with a touch of red clover. Mostly Cocksfoot, Brown-Top and Timothy with very little ryegrass and no visible weeds. We add only Sunshine & Sisal to make The Phat Bale.

10/01/2023

Our hay is plastic free!
Hay from 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝘆 & 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗳𝗳 comes bound in natural Sisal fibre. Sisal is biodegradable and digestible meaning it won't foul paddocks and is safer for livestock. It also makes a great 'Old School' break-away loop for hitching posts or floats with a much lower breaking strain than plastic twine.

When baling hay, one of the decisions a producer must make is what type of bale binding to use. Hay binding materials include sisal twine, polypropylene twine, h**p twine, net wrap and others. This blog will discuss sisal twine.  What is sisal? Sisal is a fiber found naturally in plants of the....

10/01/2023

We will have a small amount of Laminitic horse hay available soon. This is meadow hay cut at later maturity for high fibre, low sugar and low protein content. Mix of Brown-Top, Timothy, Cocksfoot grasses, no clover and no ryegrass.

10/01/2023

Reaper cultivar Red Clover, a recipe for a great legume hay & balage.

10/01/2023

A nice crop of Red Clover hay will be available soon.