Fast fibre alternative that doesn't require soaking?

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Hedwards

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Hi

Just wondered if anyone knew of a feed similar to FF nutrition wise that doesn't need soaking, I use FF as a base for three horses, one lami prone, one ulcer prone and one who is a fatty!! With the current weather FF is a pain with all the frozen taps etc. so it would be so much easier not to have to soak feeds. I'm taking hot water down for them but its not easy to transport as much as I need for feeds & defrosting locks etc etc. so... Any ideas?
 
A&P L mix? Looks like rabbit food but only needs to be dampened not soaked. My horse loved it, but if you've got lots of supplements to add, don't know how well they would mix in.
 
I've looked at the L mix and used to feed it, but needs a chaff adding to it, so its just going to work out more expensive, not necessarily a problem but equally would be better if I could just buy one feed.

Ffion - bringing it home is difficult, 2 of the horses are mine, one is a friends, while I do them most often she does come down and sort them occasionally, also at the moment there is a real possibility getting to the yard will be difficult so want to make things as easy as possible for my YO if I can't get there...
 
Top Chop Lite is another molasses free chaff.

But there isnt a direct dry alternative - the soaking is what makes FF good for hiding supplements in - any dry alternative wouldnt be so good at disguising it - at least thats what my horses have told me by their actions when ive tried!
 
Pure feeds pure easy or balance? As others have said no direct alternative but I use the above and my mare does very well on it.
 
Sorry i don't know of an alternative but I've been making up a batch for 2-3 days, with it being cold it's staying fresh. I have the same issue with everywhere being frozen so only means carting water once.
 
Supplements aren't really an issue, they get their vit & min in the form of equibites at the moment, and with a bit of damping the ulcer supplement mixes fine with the alfalfa chaff that horse gets (the other two can't have alfalfa based feeds as one is lami and the other turns into a lunatic!)

Looks like ill be buying FF or a generic high fibre cube then...
 
Give them a ring on Monday. They send it via parcel force pretty sharpish. Some feed stores do stock it but you have to ask. No idea why?!
 
Mine's getting mollichaff calmer instead, just while it's icy. He normally gets a bit of that in his ff anyway, so not a huge change to his diet, plus equibites to make up vits and mins. Mollichaff calmer is low sugar, mine's lami prone and sensitive to sugar, haylage, etc etc and he's been on it for 2 years now with no probs. Spillers cool fibre is good as well. He would have topspec but he wont eat alfalfa.
I've given him more (dry) hay too. Can you not just give them extra hay as ff is meant to be similar nutrition-wise? With a token bucket feed?
 
Anything that needs soaking I make up in a coolbox. Put the lid on and it soaks but doesn't freeze even overnight in -15! Caravan shops sell water carriers of various sizes to bring water to your yard. We do this each winter when the taps freeze.
 
Agree with the coolbox idea above, i've actually got a freezer in my shed and it works on the same principle, bung it in the bucket warm or tepid and bung it in the coolbox/freezer and it doesn't freeze.

Saves changing feeds, far cheaper.
 
Hedwards said:
Hi

Just wondered if anyone knew of a feed similar to FF nutrition wise that doesn't need soaking, I use FF as a base for three horses, one lami prone, one ulcer prone and one who is a fatty!! With the current weather FF is a pain with all the frozen taps etc. so it would be so much easier not to have to soak feeds. I'm taking hot water down for them but its not easy to transport as much as I need for feeds & defrosting locks etc etc. so... Any ideas?
Click to expand...

We bring the FF home and soak it just as we leave. Saves carrying water and frozen taps.
 
I bring mine home too and the sugarbeet all is soaked overnight in the kitchen then goes back and fed straight away with the grass chaff they have. My biggest worry is that they get and eat all their food and hay and straw within about 2 hours they are out 24/7 and do dig for grass but it is a long time without Still everything they get is high fibre
 
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