Feeding straw

[Highflinger]

I have 2 very good doers living out 24/7.
I plan to strip graze this winter plus hay but they will gobble up their grass strip and hay ( given 7am and 6 pm) so quickly I am concerned they will go for hours with nothing,
Increasing grass strip or more hay is not an option as they will gain weight. I am thinking of feeding straw to give them something to nibble on that being less appetising may be eaten more slowly. I am concerned as have read too much straw can cause colic and I am not sure if oat or barley is best. How much straw should I feed to cobs 14.2 on the basis the grass/ hay covers nutrional need and straw is just something to keep the gut working.

 

[rabatsa]

Mine have access to barley straw 24/7 in a net.

 

[pistolpete]

I fed barley straw all last winter. They loved it and lost weight! Oat straw even better if you can get it.

 

[tatty_v]

I feed a small net of barley straw each evening to my very good doer who needs to lose weight but also likes to be constantly eating. I think the key is to ration it to prevent gorging and make sure they have free access to plenty of water to prevent impaction colic.

 

[jessykai]

I feed straw. Often ad lib, sometimes in a net. I could not safely feed them enough hay to satisfy their forage needs without them becoming obese (highland and 2 shetlands)

 

[Abby-Lou]

My Connemara hoovers hay down so I leave her with a oat straw haynet. But this year not been able to get hands on oat straw, so will be looking at alternatives.

 

[Red-1]

Mine has some barley straw overnight, with his hay. All gone in the morning, but at least he has more to go at!

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I am so happy that my usual hay guy is now doing oat straw , I can only usually find it in huge rounds that I can't move so small bale is better for me. Oat is best imo, a bit more appetising and easier to digest.

I mix the ration up for my Exmoor and Fell. The straw impactions that we used to get in the vet hospital were invariably heavy horses being kept in and solely fed on straw, often during the winter-so I would avoid that and also keep an eye on their droppings, large pieces of straw may indicate their teeth aren't quite up to it.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

Both of mine get oat straw mixed with a small amount of haylage and wetted through. Its the only way to keep them trim and satisfied!

 

[tiga71]

Mine are out 24/7 on 33 acres, 3 good doers, poor grazing except for this summer! They are muzzled this summer and when they come in they have a net of barley straw. One will always eat some, the other two generally don't bother. They aren't in too long.

They will get a bit more hay in a net if they are in during the winter, but mainly barley straw. If greedy one is in overnight for dressage he will get half hay and half barley straw.

 

[Baroque]

I feed barley straw alongside the hay ration with the hay being weighed, soaked and in a small-holed net. If I didn't mine would be horribly overweight. I'd prefer oat straw but can't get it here unfortunately. I do my best to mitigate impaction colic risks by having their water buckets next to the straw, feeding some loose salt in their bucket feed and having them on a 9 month dentist cycle rather than the yearly I might normally do. So far, so good...