Chaff

[Christmas_Kate]

Okay, we're on Hi Fi lite atm. And we're using it as a hay replacement. So you can imagine how much we're going through!
He's out at grass in the day but with a muizzle on as the grass is really rich (been rested for a year).
A local company does their own chaff, a type of honey chop, and it's half the price of Hi Fi. So I'm in two minds about it, wether to change over or not.
Does anyone use honey chop? and do they know how much more sugars/ molasses / extracts it contains? (I am really dumb on these things lol). He's never had lami, but is a little overweight (I can feel his ribs at a push). Or would i be asking for trouble?

 

[sleepingdragon10]

You could always ring the manufacturers, I'm sure they will be happy to tell you.
I know the honeychop people do an oat straw chaff which is just that....nothing added. If you could get that and soak it with some fibre nuts that may still work out cheaper than the HiFi Lite

 

[Christmas_Kate]

hmm, I'm not sure of the manufacturer. Its just called honey chop.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Is this the stuff you mean? Honeychop

 

[madhector]

if its the stuff i think it is, youll find the bags only weigh 12 kg, unlike hifi which weighs 20kg, hence it is more expensive

personally i would stick with hifi

 

[Christmas_Kate]

eek, I think so!

 

[Weezy]

I wouldn't personally give a native anything but the plainest feed you can find - would certainly not be feeding anything with additives such as sugars, natural OR refined. Could you not soak the hell out of hay instead? How much is he getting and when?

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I'm on a hunter yard where I was told to just help myself to their hay. The horses were supposed to start going out this week but this has been postponed due to the cold weather coming. I noticed the hay getting low and decided to change over to Hi Fi so that I wouldnt be using up their supply. They have enough hay left to do their horses another week or so. Then they'll go out on excellent grazing until August. I can only buy hay in bulk of about 10 bales or more, which would feed G for 5 weeks. He only ever gets through two bales a week, and that's soaked for 24 hours. As I said, there's enough for YO's horses, so no point in getting hay in. However, i use chaff all year round, for his supplement, so if I got in chaff I would always use it.
(if you've got this far and still with me well done).

I want to feed him the most basic thing possible, but he hates plain Hi Fi, so I end up adding diluted apple juice anyway, and was just wondering if this stuff would be better than that?

ETA atm he is having 8 scoops of Hi Fi at night, soaked. Out with a muzzle on in the day.


and two carrots, and a parsnip

 

[Weezy]

OK, to give you an idea, my 16.2hh gets half a bale of hay a day ONLY if she is not out. Half a bale is 6 sections. If she is out during the day (10am to 4pm) then she only gets 3 to 4 sections a day. I will add that she doesn't even eat all of her hay at times. She gets one feed a day that was a scoop of Just Grass mixed with cool mix, but I have just changed this to 1 scoop of Hi Fi mixed with pasture mix and 500grms Ultimate balancer and a mug of black sunflower seeds. So, TBH she is only getting marginally more than your shettie!

I understand why you want to provide him with something to nibble on during the night, so a suggestion would be to grate your parsnip and carrot and combine with the chaff - I would stick to the most natural boring stuff you can find tho.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

the carrots and parsnip are diced and put in a snackball to keep him busy. hay wise, I was giving him 2 sections, but most of it he poos on and tramples anyway, so only ate about one.
I thought as Hi Fi was natural and low cal it could be fed in that quantity as a hay replacement. one of my scoops weighs in at 1/2 kg. That makes 4 kg which is equivalent to 1 1/2 sections of our hay. And he tips up and tramples the hi fi too!

he's been losing weight on that. But I didnt want to change to anything that might stop the weight loss or have anything in which might be detrimental to his diet. If he isnt kept busy he destroys his stable (ie pulling things apart), hence my need to keep him nibbling but not give him calories.

I think I may just stick to the Hi Fi!!

 

[Weezy]

Sounds like P, she thinks hay in her bed is better than in her mouth - I despair!!! I would stick to Hi Fi, I personally think Honeychop, Mollychaff, whatever is evil stuff as it is SO sticky

 

[TGM]

I would stick to the HiFi Lite if I was you. Alternatively, if he doesn't really like the HiFi Lite, then you could try Spillers Happy Hoof, which is similar in price and some horses find more palatable. Both products are approved by the Laminitis Trust and both manufacturers claim that they are suitable as hay replacers.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

thanks for that

. None of my local merchants seem to stock it, but i might try and see if they can order it in.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

[ QUOTE ]
the carrots and parsnip are diced and put in a snackball to keep him busy. hay wise, I was giving him 2 sections, but most of it he poos on and tramples anyway, so only ate about one.
I thought as Hi Fi was natural and low cal it could be fed in that quantity as a hay replacement. one of my scoops weighs in at 1/2 kg. That makes 4 kg which is equivalent to 1 1/2 sections of our hay. And he tips up and tramples the hi fi too!

he's been losing weight on that. But I didnt want to change to anything that might stop the weight loss or have anything in which might be detrimental to his diet. If he isnt kept busy he destroys his stable (ie pulling things apart), hence my need to keep him nibbling but not give him calories.

I think I may just stick to the Hi Fi!!

[/ QUOTE ]

HF Lite is great as a hay replacer

If he really gets grumpy with it you could mix a small amount of Speedibeet in with it(a handful dryweight makes up into about 3/4 litre rehydrated) Jelly would only eat the HiFi like this! The speedibeet is 5% sugar, only very slightly higher than the HiFi....and Jelly has lost weight on her diet being fed this and the HiFi as a mix.

 

[Honeypots]

second that..my 3 fat ponies are on hi fi with watery speedibeet.

 

[Fiona_C]

WVF do happy hoof !!

I've got both my 2 on hi fi lite chaff and hi fi cubes.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

will have a looksy next week

.

 

[MagicMelon]

Is the honey chop meant to be used as a proper hay replacer? I know Hi-Fi is, but things like Alfa A arent are they?

 

[Christmas_Kate]

That was what I was wondering...... TBH trying to learn more about feeding as a whole.

 

[fizzer]

think honeychop has higher sugar etc content than happy hoof, hi fi lite, the happy hoof is good as is it is not as bland