Best low calorie chaff

Tapir

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Hi fi molasses free has much less sugar than hi fi light. I think it's 2.5% rather than 7%. I swapped when the molasses free version came out.
 

Micky

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Another vote for hi if molasses free, my cobx good doer/cushings horse has been on it for nearly 5 years now, with a good balancer, speedibeet in winter, linseed and salt..
 

booandellie

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HOneychop oat straw or topspec topchop zero

i swapped to topspec topchop zero from graze on just grass. Suspected my mare might turn her nose up at it but she eats every last morsel. it has virtually no energy in it so it's a great filler and fibre provider for waist line watchers!
 

doodle

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Robin has hifi molasses free. He used to like it but now turning his nose up at it. He is getting his teeth done on Tuesday in case that is the issue but if not wondering what to try him on.
 

Remi'sMum

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Just been reading a post on Facebook about sugars in chaff written by Andrew Mellon Vets Ltd (no idea who they are, it popped up on my news feed)

Copied below.

Have you ever looked at the sugars in your horses chaff?

Here is a list of the percentage sugar content of the most commonly fed chaffs. High sugars have an increased risk of laminitis, obesity, tooth decay as well as poor behaviour and excitability.

% of sugars in common chaff feeds low to high -

2% Spillers Happy hoof molasses free
2.25% Baileys Light chaff
2.5% Dengie Hifi Molasses free
2.5% Dengie Healthy hooves molasses free
2.5% Baileys Alfalfa plus oil
4.5% Dengie Alfa Oil
4.5% Dengie Alfa Molasses free
4.5% Dengie Healthy tummy
4.5% Spillers Alfalfa pro
4.6% Mollichaff Alfa oil
<5% Simple Systems Lucie Stalks
5% Dengie Healthy hooves
5% Spillers happy hoof
5% Spillers Daily fibre
5% Spillers Conditioning fibre
5% Dodson and Horrell Safe and Sound
5.5% Honeychop lite and healthy
5.5% Honeychop Alfa
6 - 8% Mollichaff hoof kind
6.3 - 7.2% Mollichaff Donkey
< 7% Simple Systems Greengold
7% Dengie Hifi Lite
7 - 8% Mollichaff Calmer
7.5% Baileys Alfalfa blend
8% Dengie Alfa Lite
8% Honeychop Senior
8.5 - 9.5% Mollichaff Condition
9% Dengie Hifi original
9% Dengie Hifi Good doer
9% Honeychop Calm and shine
< 10% Simple Systems Timothy Chop
10% Dengie Alfa Original
10% Dengie Hifi Original with apple
10% Dengie Senior
10.5 - 15% Mollichaff Veteran
11% Baileys Ultragrass
11.5% Honeychop original and plus
12% Dengie Meadow grass
12% Dengie Grass pellets
12% Northern Chop Graze on
12 - 15% Mollichaff Show shine
15 - 19% Mollichaff Herbal
16 - 21% Mollichaff Original
16 - 21% Mollichaff Extra
17.5% Baileys Golden chaff
17 - 22% Mollichaff Applechaff

What do you feed? Would you change it for a low sugar content?

(remember all feed changes should be made gradually)
 

HashRouge

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I'm interested that Happy Hoof have a molasses free option - I might try that or Hi Fi Molasses Free. I worry that the Top Spec one won't be palatable enough as one of mine is very fussy, though it sounds ideal for what I'm looking for.
 

Jnhuk

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I'm interested that Happy Hoof have a molasses free option - I might try that or Hi Fi Molasses Free. I worry that the Top Spec one won't be palatable enough as one of mine is very fussy, though it sounds ideal for what I'm looking for.

contact your topspec rep for a sample to see if fussy eater will touch it. TBH it not an issue with mine
 

Notimetoride

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Another vote for Topchop Zero. Tho my horse also wouldn't eat it initially as its quite bland so had to mix in a bit of alfalfa with it initially, and slowly phased it out. Even now I have to feed her 'tactically'. I.e before she get her haynet, or else she may not eat it. However it is super low cal and I'm happy with it.
 

Goldenstar

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I use either a plain dried grass chop or plain chopped oat straw you need to phase in straw .
They don't love it but it does show how much they eat because they like too Fatty only eats straw if he is properly hungry in oppposed to likeing to eat which is Fatties problem .
 

HashRouge

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I went for Hi Fi Molasses Free as my local feed store didn't have the Top Chop Zero, but I will try to source it in future as I think it is ideal for what I need.
 

ester

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another agrobs fan, worth every penny to me, it depends a little why you are feeding it/what you want it to do. It seems a bit of a shame to me that in collating that list the didn't include the DE of each one too :)

it certainly can't be taken alone either as I would feed several below happy hoof in the list because I wouldn't touch anything with moglo as an ingredient.
 
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poiuytrewq

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I really like Countrywides own natural chaff. It's molasses free and contains added mint which makes it more appealing! My horses turn their noses up at most plain chaff.
Cheap aswell ;)
 

Pearlsasinger

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another agrobs fan, worth every penny to me, it depends a little why you are feeding it/what you want it to do. It seems a bit of a shame to me that in collating that list the didn't include the DE of each one too :)

it certainly can't be taken alone either as I would feed several below happy hoof in the list because I wouldn't touch anything with moglo as an ingredient.

And it doesn't list Honeychop plain oat straw chaff, which is not the same as original or lite and healthy.,
 

Nari

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My welsh cob is doing well on Honeychop Lite & Healthy. It's very useful for me as he goes footy on alfalfa, which rules out most loss sugar chops, & doesn't eat plain straw chops.
 

Peregrine Falcon

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All our ponies have Happy Hoof Molasses free. No-one ever refused to eat it! (but then again the majority are dustbins on legs). My mare gets soaked grass nuts and linseed with hers.
 

Mystified

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Hi, I have two EMS ponies so feeding lo-sugar / lo-starch is a huge factor for my two. I feed Dengie Healthy Hooves Molasses Free as their main feed as it has all the vitamins & Minerals and also they have Hi-Fi Molasses Free as a top up to their soaked hay in a bucket both products have combined sugar (2.5%) & starch (1.5%) of 4% and both DE 8.5mj

Tried Spillers Happy Hoof Molasses Free they wouldn't touch it.

Have used Top Spec Zero but needs to be mixed with something as not so keen on it on its own. But good to pad out Healthy Hooves or Hi-Fi to make it last longer.
 

ozpoz

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What is Moglo Ester? And what feeds is it in?

I like aspero but it doesn't suit my current horse, which is on Honeychop Alpha.
 

WandaMare

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I feed Dengie HiFi Molasses free, one of my mares wouldn't touch the Topchop zero and she usually eats anything. She has prascend and some supplements in her feed so I need to feed her something she likes, otherwise it ends up tipped up all over the floor.
 
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