Feeding straw - does anyone?

[CazD]

I really struggle with my good doer's weight - even in winter! Someone has suggested that rather than feeding her hay, I feed her either straight oat straw or a mix of hay and oat straw. Does anyone else do this? Would it be OK to feed her straw? Do I need to do anything to the straw, ie soak it? Is there anything else I need to be aware of if I am feeding straw?
Many thanks.

 

[Chico Mio]

Yes. My horse lived on wheat straw or dry baled oats (stems and heads) in the south of Spain as hay was unobtainable. Oat straw is fine but make sure it is doen't have too many heads left in it!!

It is very dry and fibrous. My lad used to pack it in given the chance and, come winter when the weather got cooler and he wasn't drinking so much, he would sometimes get impaction colic. This is why I don't bed him on straw now. I don't know if soaking straw wuld help. I would add he could still put the pounds on being fed just straw and oats.

 

[jesterfaerie]

Have you considered feeding a feed that can be used as a hay replacer?
http://www.dengie.com/pages/products/alfa-a-and-hi-fi-ranges/hi-fi-good-do-er.php

 

[Snowysadude]

I fed my old cob a mixture of hay and oat straw and rode him (or lunged) every day, sometimes twice a day! The pounds dropped off him and he was winning every showing class i entered him into when i sold him. I used to soak the hay and then add the straw afterwards and never had any problems with colic etc.

 

[Mickeymoo]

Both of ours eat their straw and they are ok. I give them a haylage net every night, and they eat that, then tuck into their beds. fattys..

 

[Snowysadude]

Haha bless them, straw isnt actually as bad for horses as people think, it actually is a brilliant source of fibre and in smallish amounts can help reduce the risk of colic in prone horses! Its only if its eaten in excess it causes colic!

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

At my current yard, most of the horses are on straw and they will eat their bedding! All of those who are stabled on shavings get small amounts of straw too to eat -- it's a good source of fibre

 

[Kallibear]

Small non-longer-fat shetland x lived on almost exclusively straw when he was recovering from lami. He got a small haynet(soaked) three times a day but could only get enough to last an hour or so, which isn't enough fibre, so he had otherwise adlib straw. Didn't do him any harm and he lost all the weight he needed (and kept his pulses at bay)

You could either mix hay and staw together in the same net (needs to be well mixed though, otherwise they pick it out) or give adlib straw (in a haybar or similar) and a small haynet so she's got something to eat once the hay's finished.

 

[Jericho]

I do, my little Welshie suffers laminitis if not managed properly but if she gets too much hay she gets fat and I give her adlib straw to pick at if she gets hungry (generally 3 sections for her will last about 4 days because she isnt keen on it ). It helps me to know that she has fibre moving trhough her gut but not the calories or sugar

 

[sandwich]

I have a small herd of Highland ponies and weight was always an issue when feeding good hay ad lib (4x4 bales in a feeder). I now supplement grass with ad lib barley straw and might also give hay if I think they need it. I'd prefer oat straw if I could get it.

Don't know if I'm right but I reasoned that the ponies would be happier with something going through their guts. Simply restricting grazing means that they don't get enough bulk and are permanently hungry and so forever eating. It is the growing tips of grass that are the most nutritious so, even though the grass is short, they can eat enough to put on weight. The straw is simply there as a filler. Anyway, it seems to work for me. They graze or chomp big bale straw from a feed ring as suits them, stay happy and don't get obese and no sign of Laminitis. But consult your vet! (Mine approves).

 

[AengusOg]

I feed oat straw toward the end of the winter to my lot who are wintered out. It saves them from being hungry, but allows them to drop a little weight and condition before the spring grass comes.

 

[stroppymare153]

please be careful though - we nearly lost one at the beginning of the year because the greedy git had been eating his bed. He had a huge impaction in his stomach (not his intestine) which we think had built up slowly as he had been off-form (though not off-colour) for a couple of weeks until he suddenly came down with colic symptoms.

 

[TMM]

My Boy will sometimes have some straw from his new bedding now and again.
As for feeding the horse straw 24/7 im not sure.

 

[jokerkali]

My horse eats large quantities of straw, and I have never had a problem with colic (knock on wood). However, as impaction colic is often caused by a lack of water (and not the roughage per say) I make sure to add salt every day to encourage drinking, and I give a really watery soup of speedibeet every night after the work.

 

[laura_nash]

I'm currently feeding both my ponies half barley straw and half hay to get their weight down. My vet told me impaction colic is only a risk when the straw is more than 50% of the forage (don't know what the research basis is for this though).

 

[Supertrooper]

Mine is having oat straw chaff as the majority of his forage xx

 

[Supertrooper]

As an aside, those that are adding salt to encourage drinking, how much are you adding?

 

[MissMistletoe]

I feed a mix of straw and hay, but more hay than straw.

ST, you could always offer a salt lick in the field if poss?

 

[Supertrooper]

He's got one and he does use it, is it also good to add salt as well?

 

[MissMistletoe]

Well you could always add a good teaspoon in his feed then

Salt only causes a problem if they don't have access to water.

 

[Alec Swan]

Not that we use straw now, for anything, but there was a time when I fed good quality barley straw, believing it to be a poor man's hay. Everything did well on it too!

Alec.

 

[Cortez]

Yes, all of our good doers get straw alongside their (soaked) hay. Strangely they actually eat more straw in the summer time, when they are on strip grazing.

 

[vanrim]

Don't feed wheat straw - this is linked to colic. I have always fed good quality oat straw to my fatties. You can feed barley straw but be careful as some horses are allergic to barley.

 

[JFTDWS]

Mine have been eating wheat straw for years, happily. Never had an issue yet, touch wood. They have plentiful access to water, which is the most important thing.

I've heard wheat straw can even re-awaken the dead. I believe that's how zombie threads rise up and walk...