Teff Hay

Teff hay is made from teff grass (Eragrostis tef), a warm-season annual grass that originated in Ethiopia and has been grown in Australia for several decades. It is a fine-stemmed, soft grass that produces a palatable, leafy hay with a distinctive characteristic that sets it apart from almost every other hay type available in Australia: it is very low in non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), meaning it is low in the sugars and starches that cause problems for horses with metabolic conditions.

Teff is grown as a summer annual in Australia, typically in irrigated situations or in regions with reliable summer rainfall. It grows quickly, can be cut multiple times per season from the same stand, and produces a hay that is noticeably finer and softer than cereal hays.

While teff hay has found a small market with cattle and sheep producers, its primary and most enthusiastic buyer base in Australia is horse owners, particularly those managing horses with laminitis, insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), or Cushing's disease. For that specific group of buyers, teff hay has become an important part of managing their horses' diet safely.

Browse hay and fodder listings on LocalAg to see current teff hay availability. If you cannot find it listed near you, post a free Wanted Ad and our team will find a verified supplier.

Yes, teff hay is a good option for horses and is particularly well suited to horses that need a low-sugar, low-starch hay in their diet.

For horses without metabolic issues, teff hay is a palatable, digestible, fine-stemmed grass hay that most horses eat readily. It provides adequate roughage and moderate energy and protein for horses in light to moderate work. Many horse owners use it as a complement to their regular hay ration or as a lower-calorie option for horses that need to lose weight.

The fine, soft texture of teff hay is a practical advantage for horses with dental issues, older horses with worn teeth, or horses recovering from illness who need an easily chewed and digested hay.

For horses with metabolic conditions including laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome, Cushing's disease, or insulin resistance, teff hay is the most commonly recommended hay in Australia. Its consistently low NSC content makes it a safe primary hay for horses where sugar and starch intake needs to be carefully managed.

The one area where teff hay is limited compared to a hay like lucerne is protein. Teff is a moderate-protein hay and horses with elevated protein demands such as growing horses, lactating mares, or horses in hard work may need additional protein supplementation if teff is their primary hay.

Laminitis is a painful and potentially serious condition affecting the sensitive laminae tissue inside a horse's hooves. In many cases, particularly in horses described as grass-affected or those with underlying metabolic conditions, laminitis is triggered or worsened by high intake of non-structural carbohydrates, specifically the sugars and starches found in feed.

The connection is this: horses with insulin resistance or equine metabolic syndrome produce excessive insulin in response to sugar and starch intake. Elevated insulin levels are now well established as a key driver of laminitis in susceptible horses. Reducing dietary NSC is therefore one of the most important nutritional strategies for managing and preventing laminitis episodes in these horses.

Teff hay is recommended because it consistently tests low in NSC compared to most other readily available Australian hays. This means laminitic horses can eat adequate roughage, which they must have for gut health and psychological wellbeing, without the high sugar and starch load that would come from oaten hay, wheaten hay, or ryegrass hay.

It is important to note that not all teff hay tests identically. NSC levels can vary between crops, seasons, and harvesting conditions. For horses with severe or chronic laminitis, it is worth sourcing teff hay with an actual NSC test result rather than assuming all teff hay is safe. Our Testing service can arrange independent testing if your supplier does not have current results.

Always work with your veterinarian when managing a laminitic horse. Diet is one part of the management picture alongside exercise, hoof care, and in some cases medication.

Yes. This is teff hay's defining characteristic and the reason it has become the go-to hay for horse owners managing metabolic conditions.

Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) is the term used to describe the combined sugar and starch content of a feed. For horses with insulin resistance, laminitis, or equine metabolic syndrome, the general guideline recommended by equine nutritionists is to keep total dietary NSC below 10 to 12% of dry matter.

Teff hay typically tests between 6 and 10% NSC on a dry matter basis, which comfortably sits within or below that threshold for most metabolic horses. By comparison:

1. Oaten hay typically runs 10 to 18% NSC depending on season and cutting stage
2. Wheaten hay sits in a similar range to oaten
3. Ryegrass hay and other cool-season grass hays can test significantly higher in sugar, particularly in spring or after stress events like frost

The catch is that teff hay NSC does vary between crops. Teff grown in hot, dry conditions and cut at the right stage tends to test lower in NSC than teff grown in cooler conditions or harvested at the wrong time. For horses with serious metabolic conditions, always ask for a feed test result that includes the NSC figure, not just protein and energy, before relying on a particular load as safe.

Yes, teff hay is one of the most appropriate hay choices for horses diagnosed with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) or insulin resistance.

Equine metabolic syndrome is a condition characterised by abnormal insulin regulation, often alongside regional fat deposits, difficulty losing weight, and susceptibility to laminitis. The core nutritional management strategy for EMS horses is reducing dietary sugar and starch intake, because high NSC foods trigger exaggerated insulin responses that drive the cycle of weight gain, metabolic dysfunction, and laminitis risk.

Teff hay, with its consistently low NSC content, allows EMS horses to consume adequate roughage without the high sugar and starch load that comes with most other commonly available hays. Horses with EMS still need to eat significant quantities of hay for gut health and to avoid the stress of feed restriction, and teff hay allows them to do this safely.

Alongside teff hay, management of EMS horses typically includes:

1. Avoiding access to lush spring pasture, which is very high in NSC
2. Eliminating or strictly limiting grain and sweet feeds
3. Maintaining a healthy body weight through controlled feeding and appropriate exercise
4. Regular veterinary monitoring of insulin levels

Teff hay is not a cure for EMS and is one tool within a broader management approach. For specific feeding advice for your horse's condition, consult your veterinarian or an equine nutritionist.

Teff and oaten hay are both commonly fed to horses in Australia and they complement each other well in different situations. Here is how they compare across the key factors.

NSC content. This is the biggest practical difference. Oaten hay typically runs 10 to 18% NSC depending on the season and cutting stage. Teff hay typically sits between 6 and 10% NSC. For horses with metabolic conditions where NSC restriction is important, this gap is significant. For horses without metabolic issues, it matters less.

Protein. Oaten hay and teff hay sit in a similar moderate protein range, roughly 7 to 12% crude protein for oaten hay and 8 to 12% for teff. Neither is a high-protein hay and horses with elevated protein demands will need supplementation regardless of which they are fed.

Energy. Oaten hay is generally slightly higher in metabolisable energy than teff hay. For horses in moderate to hard work that need energy intake, oaten hay may be the more suitable primary hay.

Palatability. Both are well accepted by most horses. Oaten hay has a longer track record and is more familiar to Australian horses. Teff hay is fine-stemmed and soft and most horses take to it readily, though some horses that have not encountered it before may take a few days to adjust.

Availability. Oaten hay is produced at large scale across southern and western Australia and is consistently available throughout the year. Teff hay is a more niche product with more limited supply. It can be harder to source in some regions and tends to be more expensive per tonne than oaten hay.

The practical answer: For horses without metabolic conditions, oaten hay is the easier, more affordable, and more available option. For horses with laminitis, EMS, insulin resistance, or Cushing's disease, teff hay is the safer choice.

Yes, cattle and sheep can eat teff hay and it is a perfectly nutritious feed for both species. However, it is rarely the most practical or economical choice for ruminant livestock given its price and limited availability compared to the main cereal and legume hays.

For cattle, teff hay provides moderate energy and protein adequate for maintenance feeding. Its palatability is good and cattle eat it readily. The nutritional profile is broadly comparable to a moderate-quality cereal hay. For beef or dairy operations that need a cost-effective bulk feed, cereal hays or pasture hay will generally make more sense economically, with lucerne or vetch hay for protein supplementation at critical production stages.

For sheep, the same general principle applies. Teff hay is nutritionally adequate for maintenance feeding and sheep eat it without issue. At production stages where protein is the priority, legume hays are a more targeted and cost-effective choice.

The situation where cattle or sheep producers might feed teff hay is where they have a mixed horse and livestock operation and are buying teff hay primarily for metabolic horses. In that case, any surplus fed to cattle or sheep is a perfectly reasonable use of the product.

Teff hay is a moderate energy, moderate protein, low NSC grass hay. Typical values on a dry matter basis:

1. Crude Protein (CP): 8 to 14%, depending on cutting stage, irrigation, and growing conditions. Earlier cuts from well-managed irrigated stands tend toward the upper end.
2. Metabolisable Energy (ME): 8 to 9.5 MJ/kg DM, broadly comparable to other grass hays and slightly lower than premium cereal hays.
3. Non-Structural Carbohydrates (NSC): 6 to 10%, which is the defining characteristic of teff hay and significantly lower than most other commonly available Australian horse hays.
4. Fibre (NDF): moderate to high, providing adequate roughage for horses and ruminants.
5. Calcium: moderate, lower than lucerne, which is relevant for horse rations where calcium to phosphorus balance is managed.
6. Moisture: should be below 14 to 15% in well-stored hay.

The combination of moderate protein, moderate energy, and low NSC makes teff hay nutritionally unremarkable in most respects except for the NSC figure, which is where its value for metabolic horses comes from. For horses without metabolic issues, the nutritional profile is similar to a moderate-quality grass hay.

Always ask for a feed test result that specifically includes NSC when buying teff hay for metabolic horses, as values do vary between crops and seasons.

Teff is a warm-season annual grass that requires warmth and reliable moisture to produce well, which limits its production to specific regions.

Victoria is one of the main producing states, particularly in the irrigated areas of northern Victoria including the Murray Valley, Goulburn Valley, and Loddon Mallee regions. Irrigation allows teff to be grown reliably through summer when temperatures are suitable.

New South Wales produces teff hay in the irrigated areas of the Riverina and Murray regions, as well as in some higher-rainfall areas of the central and southern tablelands. The Riverina's irrigation infrastructure makes it well suited to summer annual hay production.

South Australia produces some teff hay in the Riverland and south-east, where irrigation access and suitable summer temperatures allow summer hay crops.

Queensland has suitable climate conditions for teff in southern regions, though most production there is oriented toward other tropical forages. Some teff hay is produced in southeast Queensland.

Western Australia produces teff hay in the south-west and some irrigated areas, primarily for the local equine market.

Because teff is grown as a summer irrigated crop in many cases, production volumes are smaller and more concentrated than for the main winter cereal hays. Supply can be patchy and availability varies by season and region. Buyers in areas without local production will generally need to factor in freight from one of the main producing regions.

Browse teff hay listings on LocalAg and use the location filter to search within a practical freight distance from your property. Every listing shows bale type, quantity, ex-farm price, and an indicative delivered price so you can see the true cost before contacting a seller. All sellers are verified and transactions go through CheckVault escrow.

Teff hay is a niche product and availability can be limited in some regions and seasons. If there are no teff hay listings near you right now, post a free Wanted Ad on LocalAg. Tell us what you need including quantity, bale type, and whether you require a feed test result with an NSC figure for a metabolic horse, and our team will find a verified supplier. We regularly connect buyers with teff hay producers in Victoria and the Riverina who can arrange freight across most of Australia.