# When does the grass lose its goodness?



## sms (19 October 2010)

As in title really! Have loads of the green stuff left on the fields but when does its nutritional value really drop? I'm in East Anglia so has not been too chilly as yet.

Thanking you x


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## Bluecat45J (19 October 2010)

I was once told, but it may be an old wife's tale, that when the leaves start falling the goodness in the grass has gone.


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## domane (19 October 2010)

I would say when it stops growing.... when the daytime temperatures drop consistently below 10deg.  If it's growing, the shoots are young and sweet.


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## farriersmum (19 October 2010)

How refresing to find someone who knows how to spell 'lose'.  I'm getting fed up with all the 'loosing' going on here!


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## Flummoxed (19 October 2010)

Judging by the desperate squeal that greets me each evening, my horse is telling me that the grass has nothing in it..............


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## AndySpooner (19 October 2010)

When does the grass lose its goodness?

The sooner the better!! lol.


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## sleepingdragon10 (19 October 2010)

Flummoxed said:



			Judging by the desperate squeal that greets me each evening, my horse is telling me that the grass has nothing in it..............
		
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Ditto this.....my chap is a greedy git anyway, but he is VERY hungry now and is going through lots of hay already


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## helencharlie (19 October 2010)

When they stop eating it and start hanging around the gate demanding to come in and be fed! Your horse will tell you the answer! Either by dropping weight or looking really pathetic and sorry for themselves. Charlie did this at the end of october last year, so now looking out for the signs for this year.


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## AngieandBen (19 October 2010)

Grass grows constantly when the soil temperature is above 5  degrees, so for a lot of the year!!  I have acres of the green stuff up to my knees............a pain up the bum when you have two good doers 

I put mine on the winter field after we have had a few frosts, or when the summer paddock gets too wet whichever is first   hopefully by the end of October;

I'm still strip grazing at the minute, its still fairly mild here in Leics, but forecast to get colder tomorrow


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## miss_bird (20 October 2010)

The grass generally stops grown when temperatures start dropping below 5 degress or so i am told


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## PucciNPoni (20 October 2010)

farriersmum said:



			How refresing to find someone who knows how to spell 'lose'.  I'm getting fed up with all the 'loosing' going on here!
		
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It's posts like this that make me wish for a LIKE button on HHO! LOL


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## pottamus (20 October 2010)

I am wary of it all year to be honest, having a good doer laminitic. I do believe it grows for most of the year and even when it is not growing it can still be full of sugars through being stressed or cold/frosty etc. So I guess it depands wheher you need to know because you have a laminitic or whether it is when to start feeding hay.


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## TheCurlyPony (20 October 2010)

Soon i hope, my boys been really silly over the last week or so...


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## sms (20 October 2010)

pottamus said:



			I am wary of it all year to be honest, having a good doer laminitic. I do believe it grows for most of the year and even when it is not growing it can still be full of sugars through being stressed or cold/frosty etc. So I guess it depands wheher you need to know because you have a laminitic or whether it is when to start feeding hay.
		
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I need to know for hay feeding purposes. Obviously I'll see when she starts to drop weight but I don't want to leave it till then as she's a Shire and although only 2 she stands at 17hh plus already ! So if she drops its quite a alot of horse to feed to get it back on. However on the same token I don't want to feed hay until I really have to because she eats so darn much of it and it was hugely expensive around my way! Plus I have 6 other horses and 18 donkeys so thats quite alot of hay !!!!!!!!!


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## Lollii (20 October 2010)

We have fed hay all year out in our fields  we always have a big round of hay out in the middle of the field, some weeks it all goes in 7 days, then other times it lasts over a week.... but they always eat it.


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## soulfull (20 October 2010)

when it stops growing, and when it loses nutritional value   ARE they the same thing??


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## Penny Less (20 October 2010)

Dont know about goodness, but my horse got colic because he pigged on longish grass
last week. Feel that ! will have to mow my winter paddock somehow before he gets turned out on that ! Vet has said that lots of colic cases at moment because grass is doing weird things because of warm October weather


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## Achinghips (20 October 2010)

helencharlie said:



			When they stop eating it and start hanging around the gate demanding to come in and be fed! Your horse will tell you the answer! Either by dropping weight or looking really pathetic and sorry for themselves. Charlie did this at the end of october last year, so now looking out for the signs for this year.
		
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Haha, brilliant answer - and so damn true, total insight


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