Another grass thread (a what to do question)

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So I have two 14hh ish natives on grass 24/7. Two paddocks around 0.6 acres each, poo picked twice daily, which I rotate them between. As we all know the grass just isn't growing well this year so after just over a week in the first paddock with the latest move they're already getting hungry and the second one has barely had chance to grow.

This is our first year at this yard, and our first year managing our own paddocks, so it's a learning curve! Other liveries seem to have kept feeding hay but as mine have fattie tendencies I didn't take up the offer to buy any of the left over bales after winter, so now I think they might need it and I don't have any. 😩

So my question is with these paddock sizes, with very short grass, could I get away with supplementing them with fast fibre/chaff (which they already get a small amount of) and if so how much would you feed?

Or do I need to source some hay/small bale haylage to tide them over for the next two/three months until the yard supplies hay again?

Addendum: poo output has been generally stable so I haven't been too worried, but I think it's now dropped a bit and bossy mare is getting more bolshy.
 
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bonnysmum said:
So I have two 14hh ish natives on grass 24/7. Two paddocks around 0.6 acres each, poo picked twice daily, which I rotate them between. As we all know the grass just isn't growing well this year so after just over a week in the first paddock with the latest move they're getting hungry and the second one has barely had chance to grow.

This is our first year at this yard, and our first year managing our own paddocks, so it's a learning curve! Other liveries seem to have kept feeding hay but as mine have fattie tendencies I didn't take up the offer to buy any of the left over bales after winter, so now I think they might need it and I don't have any. 😩

So my question is with these paddock sizes, with very short grass, could I get away with supplementing them with fast fibre/chaff (which they already get a small amount of) and if so how much would you feed?

Or do I need to source some hay/small bale haylage to tide them over for the next two/three months until the yard supplies hay again?

Addendum: poo output has been generally stable so I haven't been too worried, but I think it's now dropped a bit and bossy mare is getting more bolshy.
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If the forecast rain does arrive next week then I think you will be fine as it will shoot up
 
TheMule said:
If the forecast rain does arrive next week then I think you will be fine as it will shoot up
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Would you give them extra feed in the meantime or just leave them to deal with it? I feel so mean, but on the other hand there's probably no harm in them dropping a bit of weight!
 
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0.6 acres x2? So 1.2 acres for two 14.2 out 24/7 doesn’t sound like enough. I’ve got a 12.2 and a 13.2 on 2.5 acres and I’ve been feeding hay since June. I’ve just taken on another 3 acres too. We are in clay though so two drops of rain and it’s mid!

Mine get hay twice a day and a scoop of top chip zero with balancer, fast fibre is great but after a winter of it I’m fed up of the mess!
 
HopOnTrot said:
0.6 acres x2? So 1.2 acres for two 14.2 out 24/7 doesn’t sound like enough. I’ve got a 12.2 and a 13.2 on 2.5 acres and I’ve been feeding hay since June. I’ve just taken on another 3 acres too. We are in clay though so two drops of rain and it’s mid!

Mine get hay twice a day and a scoop of top chip zero with balancer, fast fibre is great but after a winter of it I’m fed up of the mess!
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I know, the area worries me too but it's all there was available. So far we've managed by fencing off areas to let them grow but the second paddock had been left for quite a while so there was a lot of winter foggage to graze down which has now all gone. I think you're probably right that from now, even if not this year, I'll need to supplement with hay all year. I wish the paddocks were bigger but it's Hobson's choice around here!

Edit: we are in an area that generally gets a lot of rain though, and the soil is decent.
 
We have 2 x16hh and 3 sheep on 3 acres and have just increased their daily hay to almost winter levels because the grass just isn't growing. The sheep aren't interested in hay because they can get into places where the horses can't but if this drought carries on for much longer, we will have to give them some too.
In your position, I would try to source some small bales of hay/haylage to supplement your ponies' diet
 
"In your position, I would try to source some small bales of hay/haylage to supplement your ponies' diet"

Out of interest, if I couldn't would fast fibre/chaff twice a day be a suitable alternative? I'm sure I will be able to find something even if it's commercial packaged stuff, but I'm trying to get a feel for the respective benefits. I guess it's always better for them to browse at their own pace rather than gorging from a bucket. Four year horse owner and still very much learning!!

Edit: Cross posted with @Archangel
 
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bonnysmum said:
"In your position, I would try to source some small bales of hay/haylage to supplement your ponies' diet"

Out of interest, if I couldn't would fast fibre/chaff twice a day be a suitable alternative? I'm sure I will be able to find something even if it's commercial packaged stuff, but I'm trying to get a feel for the respective benefits. I guess it's always better for them to browse at their own pace rather than gorging from a bucket. Four year horse owner and still very much learning!!

Edit: Cross posted with @Archangel
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I wouldn't bother with FF, tbh. If you can get plain oat straw chaff, I would try that. They will only eat it if they are genuinely hungry and they will still likely lose a bit of weight.
 
bonnysmum said:
Would you give them extra feed in the meantime or just leave them to deal with it? I feel so mean, but on the other hand there's probably no harm in them dropping a bit of weight!
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you will feel even meaner if they don't drop weight if they are on the fat side. we are coming into autumn laminitis season. EMS.

This thread may have some useful info as to what people are feeding. https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/ems-management-support-solidarity-thread.848543/

you could give dengie meadow sweet with herbs mixed in with equibeet. ie low sugar but dengie is £15 a bag and equibeet around £11. Speedibeet is a lot more than that.

a small bale of haylage is around £8 for the same weight ie 20kg.
 
Not sure if it helps but my vet posted on FB yesterday suggesting Haygain, Speedibeet or Lucie nuts soaked into a mash as low sugar, high fibre replacements for hay. This post seemed to be in response to a recent upsurge for them in colic and field injuries (hangry, bored horses).
 
Mine have straw out (which they eat readily in winter) and although they are protesting that they are being starved, they’re not eating it, not losing weight and poo count is still the same so they’re obviously getting enough 🤷‍♀️
It’s your first year at this yard and this spring/summer has been far from typical, so it’s really hard for you to assess whether your turnout will suit long term. I keep mine on about 1.5 acres grazing and have had to manage fatties intake. He still has to come off grass during the day as he’s very sensitive to sugars and this parched/stressed grass must be loaded! It’s nice he doesn’t have to wear his muzzle atm but it will be going back on if it ever rains!!
 
bonnysmum said:
I only really mention FF as I have a bin full of it already for delivering supplements 😊
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I have no grass and one "normal;" horse, one with EMS and one elderly with dental issues. I supplement the latter with mash feeds , the bags will tell you how much to feed per kg bodyweight, Basically, you need the dry weight of the feed to substitute the amount of hay they'd get. It's heavy, messy and as it's been so hot, you pretty much have to prepare it as you need it, to stop it fermenting. The other two are getting Burleybale hi fibre haylage. This is not an expense I'd expect at this time of the year, but it is what it is...
 
bonnysmum said:
Out of interest, if I couldn't would fast fibre/chaff twice a day be a suitable alternative?
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You’d probably be better of doing 4 smaller feeds through the day if you were doing this. I know that that may not be possible with work etc but it would mean less time without.

I agree with @Pearlsasinger that a bucket of oatchaff would be a good idea. They will eat it if they need it between feeds but unlikely to gorge it.
If they do then you may need to supplement with hay/haylage.
 
If it is your first year of use of these paddocks then I would be thinking about the winter months, especially if you have 24/7 turnout as I think you are going to end up with two paddocks with no grass before the end of this year and potentially overgraze and end up with more problems for next year.
I think will need to supplement with hay in order to save grazing for later.
 
Honey chop do oat straw chaff, I’d feed that. Probably need some mint to make it palatable and maybe a bit of fast fibre?

I’m on limited acreage and do feed hay year round mainly to try and keep some grass. But having your own land is a learning curve and you’ll work out how best to manage it & your ponies :)
 
You don't need to make it palatable though. If he doesn't eat it, and there's nothing wrong with it other than being boring tasting, then he isn't hungry enough to want it.

Glad there is more new growth that you realised, Bonneysmum.

I remember looking over paddocks in drought and thinking, 'there's nothing there'. Then the fire came through in 2003. Then there really was nothing there. (The fires in 2020 didn't get to us but one in particular was so close.)
 
Lois Lame said:
You don't need to make it palatable though. If he doesn't eat it, and there's nothing wrong with it other than being boring tasting, then he isn't hungry enough to want it.
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That’s not always true- there’s plenty of horses that’ll give themselves ulcers sooner than they’ll eat plain straw chaff. Unlikely for a native type but you’d need to monitor it. Next option would probably be the top chop zero or meadow light with herbs.
 
I poo count when it looks as if there is no grass whatsoever, or when my fat cob tells me that that is the case
If poos are 6+ per day I know he's fibbing
 
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