Different hay weights

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Supere

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I’m new to having larger bales of hay, as used small ones previously for my cob. My last bale (first one I’ve had) lasted about a month, he’s 14.2 and has aprox 6.5 kg overnight, soaked all day (for asthma and reduction of sugars due to mallanders), which he always completely finishes. I’ve kept a close eye on his weight, as increased from 5kg to this amount, and he seems to be doing okay.
I’ve opened my new bale today, and this one is much stemmier, filled up his net and weighed it to 6.5, however there seems to be less actual hay at this weight, i’m worried that this is going to last him less time. I’m worried about increasing the amount again, as i really don’t want him to be gaining weight, does anyone have any recommendations? He eats all of his hay as it is, I don’t want him to go without, and not really sure what to do? He already has small holes/ greedy feeder nets, but eats out of them like they are normal nets.
 
Are you concerned about the feed value - do the stems look woody as though he might not be able to digest them?

I would say as long as dry weight is the same and he's able to eat it you'd be OK, grass does vary and it might slow him down a bit. If there's stems left in the morning then yes you'd need to feed more.

I have similar cob with same intake, I also give 1/3 tug of honeychop oat straw chaff which she'll only eat if desperate. Some days it's all gone nd others not touched, most days she's had some of it.
 
JesterandPatch said:
when my Dales X was on a calories controlled diet I used to pop in a bucket of top chop zero which he would pick at if he got hungry and finished his haynet early, this took away any worries.
Click to expand...

I do exactly this with mine, he largely ignores the top chop but it makes me feel better to know that he has access to forrage - he is just choosing not to eat it.
There are some days (I guess when he is actually hungry) that he will eat it - or half of it.
When on normal grass in normal weather he will eat maybe 2-3 stubbs scoops a week. I put 2 full scopes in at all times.
 
Stemmier hay usually takes them longer to chew, so you might find that although there’s visually less volume than your finer hay he was on before, he takes the same amount of time or longer to finish the stemmier hay.
Depends on the horse of course, there’s some that hoover no matter what! But generally my gluttons are slowed down by a stemier mix.
 
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