Feeding straw chaff

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AutumnDays

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Morning all,

Those of you who feed straw chaff such as top chop zero as a hay "replacer", how do you feed it? Do you dampen it, spread it out, or just serve as is in a tubtrug? Mine have been having small servings of hay to pick at in a crispy paddock, but with the amount of rain that we have had in West Wales there are now green bits appearing and I wanted to offer the chaff instead of the hay for when that's been munched, as new lad is losing weight, but needs to lose more and I'd like to keep the slow but steady decline we have!
 
I feed the bulk of my straw in either a hay bar (if stabled) or a haynet as find it easier than using a plain straw chaff.

When in in his strip grazing paddock he just has it either hung in a haynet or in a hay pillow type net but he is barefoot (I don't think they are safe for shod horses)
 
I fed it to a bought obese mare in big trugs, dry. I honestly can't think of anything less palatable than damp straw! I used Honeychop or Halleys, TCZ is too palatable. I wanted her only to eat if she was actually hungry. It took about 2 yrs to get her back to an acceptable weight and being able to self-regulate.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
I fed it to a bought obese mare in big trugs, dry. I honestly can't think of anything less palatable than damp straw! I used Honeychop or Halleys, TCZ is too palatable. I wanted her only to eat if she was actually hungry. It took about 2 yrs to get her back to an acceptable weight and being able to self-regulate.
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I'm prepared for the long haul! He has a few issues which mean exercise is all in hand and may always be, so it's going to be steady. He is a piglet, and I am finding that he thinks this is yum... I just already had the bag on the go... Shopping for plain stuff it is then! Having a heck of a job finding baled stuff near me, it's all wheat or barley with lots of heads still attached
 
I feed unmollassed hifi and I feed it soaked with his balancer. When I feed chaff of any description I’ve always fed it damp and I’m very conscious of choke as they try to eat it like a feed and it’s short chopped 🙂
 
I feed it to my gelding in a tub bucket with a lot of water when hot. However he throws it around his stable and licks it up off the floor 🤦‍♀️
 
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