chopped straw

MiniMilton

MiniMilton

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I currently feed top chop lite to my fatties. I also buy a chopped straw bedding for my goats that they love to eat. The chopped straw is lovely, not dusty etc. Could I further bulk out the top chop lite by adding the chopped straw bedding?

The chopped straw bedding is a fraction of the cost of top chop lite. Could I mix the chopped straw with a small bit of unmolassed dried grass to completely replace top chop lite and save a small fortune?

And if the answer is yes to either of the 2 questions above would you choose the barley straw over the wheat straw? (they dont do oat straw so thats not an option)

Thanks
 
If you want pure chopped straw find a garden shredder and make your own, in a hour you can shred at least a 20 kg sack worth and then you can make it out of what ever straw you prefer.
 
You may not even need to chop it, if the horse is young and healthy and no history of choke or colic and you find some small bales of oat straw, mine eat it unchopped fine as oat straw is softer and smaller stalked than the other types.
 
Thanks for the replies. As I have already stocked up on the barley chopped "bedding" I have a few bags to spare. So is barley straw ok then?
 
I called the company that produces the bedding to make sure there were no additives. The guy told me that there weren't any additives, but also said that horses shouldnt eat straw. And then he tried to sell me his chaff... :rolleyes:
 
minimilton said:
Thanks for the replies. As I have already stocked up on the barley chopped "bedding" I have a few bags to spare. So is barley straw ok then?
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It's not ideal whole as it has whiskers on the ears which can be very harsh and irritating to the throat, tho that might be less of an issue when chopped.

The stuff in chaff looks as tho it has not just been chopped but also battered to break up the fibres in it, which I would think would make it easier to digest.It is normally also oat straw which is more palatable and a bit more nutritious (tho all straw is lacking in minerals so has to be balanced by mineral supplements and often alfalfa which is a good balancer as it is high in the things the straw lacks).

Also once you start feeding it, your horse will always eat their bed if put on straw, which might be a pain and could result in colic.

But it might be worth a go if you think those factors aren't decisive.
 
I've fed my own horse for the past year and a bit on whole straw (mixed with hay, thru a small holed doubled net). He's not colicked, he's not been irritated - he's lost weight which was desired result.

He's had wheat, oat and barley straw, with no ill affect. Having done lots of research (admittedly via the internet) there are a zillion and one different opinions as to which straw is best. The only straw which was routinely left (well, some not all) was wheat - it's a bit stalky and sounds like plastic straws when you're sweeping it up. Reckon its a bit too tough. But it's still reasonably palatable.
 
PucciNPony did u do a 50/50 mix? I found a supplier doing small square bales of oat straw so I'm just wondering how many bales to get off him. I just bought 50 bales of hay so not sure if I should get 50 or 100 straw bales.

The chopped straw and top chop lite was just to tide me over until I stocked up on decent hay+straw (major fodder crisis in Ireland making it very difficult)
 
Oat straw can be very difficult to get hold of and is the one prefered by horse owners, in your position I'd buy 100 then if mid winter you're not getting through them you could always sell on again - assuming you've got suitable storage
 
Excellent point Polo's mum. Oddly enough it never occurred to me that I could just sell it on! I think I'll over stock on hay & straw forever more now
 
minimilton said:
PucciNPony did u do a 50/50 mix? I found a supplier doing small square bales of oat straw so I'm just wondering how many bales to get off him. I just bought 50 bales of hay so not sure if I should get 50 or 100 straw bales.

The chopped straw and top chop lite was just to tide me over until I stocked up on decent hay+straw (major fodder crisis in Ireland making it very difficult)
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Sorry, never saw this til just now :rolleyes:

Yes, I feed half and half. But I would start off with a lower portion of straw to start with, and then increase gradually.
 
I can always tell when we have oat straw in for bedding at the riding school & livery yard that I work at...all the horses and ponies hoover up every last morsel of their bedding and don't touch their hay when in! They absolutely love it and no harmful side effects spotted from any of them, all looking very healthy on it I must say!
 
What type of straw is it?

Barley straw can cause impaction colic as it is too hard to digest properly. Also some Barley has awns - sharp spikes that grew from the top of each seed.

Oat straw is good as a feed so long as you get the sort that has had the seed head removed.
 
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