Hay vs. Straw The Essential Comparison for Animal Feed

The biggest difference between hay and straw is their indented use. To put it simply, hay is food for animals and straw is bedding. Hay is predominately made from grass and used for animal feed, while straw is mainly made as a byproduct from grains (wheat, barley) and is a great choice for ... Barley straw is somewhere in between. ... It is often difficult to tell the difference between barley and wheat, although barley would be softer. If you have plans to own a horse or take care of livestock and poultry, knowing the difference between hay and straw is very important. Hay is basically a plant ... Hay will be grasses and they are cut when still green, therefore have nutrients and can be used as feed for some animals. Straw can be stalks ... Hay can have lots of seeds in it, but clean straw doesn't usually have many seeds. Straw is usually cheaper than any hay would be too. Hay is legumes such as alfalfa and clover or grasses such as timothy, oat, fescue and bermuda. Most of the time, seeds are still intact in a hay bale. Hay is grown primarily for livestock feed, while straw is used for livestock bedding and has very little feed value. Color– While the color of both straw and hay can vary, straw is typically a yellow or golden color, and hay is typically a shade of green. It's ... Hay is greenish in color and has small leaves attached to the stems. Straw is yellowish/brownish in color and is the stems only of a stalk of ...