Yellow flowers in "Timothy" hay?

[Tegan]

My horse is supposed to be getting straight timothy, as he's allergic to alfalfa, but I'm fairly sure some of the hay I have right now is not just timothy.

There are yellow flowers in the flakes, and I saw a few bright green leaves that definitely look like alfalfa. Are these flowers just alfalfa, or is it weeds, or is it something I should be worried about?

Hay quality is decent. I haven't seen flowers like this so I'm not sure if I should trash the bales completely, or if it's okay to throw in the paddock for a different horse.

[oldpony66]

yellow flowers aren't automatically alfalfa, and not all alfalfa has yellow flowers. Yellow flowers could be trefoil as well, or a number of other random weeds. How allergic is your horse? To me, it's a better safe than sorry situation, if in doubt don't feed it. Maybe you could find someone with straight Timothy to trade bales with you?

[Tamara in TN]

[QUOTE=Tegan;4643605]My horse is supposed to be getting straight timothy, as he's allergic to alfalfa, but I'm fairly sure some of the hay I have right now is not just timothy.


timothy gets a nice purple tint to it but not yellow

Tamara in TN

[pokesaladannie]

Sounds like trefoil to me. The alfalfa around here (Eastern Ontario) has a purplish blue flower. Trefoil has taken over my pastures and I notice it everywhere in fields and ditches and the edges of people's lawns. It has been a problem for about 5 years. The cattle and dairy farmers can't believe that my horses "pick" around it - they consider it a good thing to put in their hay seed mix because the cattle like it. I keep hoping it will die off but I doubt it.

Anyway, no horses have ever been harmed by it around here.

[Painted Horse]

I've never seen alfalfa with anything but a purple blossom. Never seen a yellow bloom on alfalfa. I agree it's probably trefoil. Which is also a legume like alfalfa. It fixes nitrogen into the soil like Alfalfa, so yes the farmers usualy do like it. My horses have never shied away from eating it.

[mht]

Sounds like trefoil to me. The alfalfa around here (Eastern Ontario) has a purplish blue flower. Trefoil has taken over my pastures and I notice it everywhere in fields and ditches and the edges of people's lawns. It has been a problem for about 5 years. The cattle and dairy farmers can't believe that my horses "pick" around it - they consider it a good thing to put in their hay seed mix because the cattle like it. I keep hoping it will die off but I doubt it.

Anyway, no horses have ever been harmed by it around here.


It will not die off. It will just keep taking over your pasture. And yes, my horses don't like it either. We have to be certain to keep our pasture cut so that the trefoil doesn't flower and go to seed!

[oldpony66]

very interesting. All the alfalfa around here (PA) that I've actually seen flower does have yellow flowers. I do know there are different varieties that have purple.
And trefoil is growing in my pasture, but my horses LOVE it. They seek out the spots with the trefoil first. Mine avoid the clover that was in the actual pasture seed mix. Funny how each horse has different tastes!
I just wonder if a horse is allergic to alfalfa, exactly *what* in the alfalfa is he allergic to... because trefoil may be similar enough to cause the same reaction. I certainly wouldn't risk unless the worst case scenario was a few hives.

[Tegan]

I couldn't find a lot of info, but it does seem like alfalfa can be either purple or yellow. It does look like it could be trefoil too... I'd get a picture but I won't be out until Friday so it's probably no use.

He has been eating it for a few days and seems fine, so we're just keeping an eye on him. His allergies aren't serious, he ate T/A for years. He'll just get some diarrhea and occasionally a few hives, but I'm not worried that he's going to die or anything.