Foggage query

[autumn7]

Soon to be moving to acres of plentiful grazing with good-doer cob in light work and small non-ridden pony. Highly excited at the thought of strip grazing foggage all winter. They live out 24/7 with good shelter and will continue to do so. So long as they maintained weight, is it possible to feed solely foggage and small bucket feed (chaff, Equimins Complete balancer, salt, linseed) all winter, or would I HAVE to feed hay alongside in addition? I've never been in the position to feed foggage before so new pastures for me, as it were!

 

[HashRouge]

No need to feed hay alongside foggage. Obviously it depends how much there actually is (I find winter grazing never lasts quite as long as I think) but in theory they should be fine without hay.

 

[autumn7]

Thanks Hash, it'll be very interesting for me to see how this winter pans out in terms of feeding. After a highly restricting grazing regime since April I'm so looking forward to easing off over winter and letting them feed more naturally. I do have a decent supply of hay too so not an issue if it is required at some point.

 

[windand rain]

I have never fed hay until the foggage is lawn length or poo count drops too low. They too have daily small feeds of vitamins soaked pink mash and a single handful of grass chaff

 

[meleeka]

I never fed hay when I strip grazed it.

 

[southerncomfort]

Been examining mine today. Still looks rather green!! ?

I would usually put them on it beginning of November but think I'm going to have to wait until we've had a frost.

 

[Country Mouse]

Never knew what foggage was. On the yard they called them Fog Fields and I thought that meant low lying fields where fog gathered adding moisture to the grass. I learn something new everyday on here.

 

[autumn7]

Thanks windandrain and meleeka. Sounds perfect. I'm an avid counter of poo piles too and over the years have trained hubby up in this essential skill.

 

[autumn7]

southerncomfort, if it wasn't for the fact that there have been ample poo piles I'd have been quite concerned at how little hay my two are consuming this past week or so, considering their meagre strip grazing strip. The grass is clearly still very satisfying. I'm going to get them off the paddock a bit earlier today. They're noticeably more full of life these days too. There's goodness in this grass!

 

[autumn7]

Country Mouse - 'Fog Fields' is a great term - I may just adopt it!

 

[Archangel]

I try to get mine to last until after Christmas Day - after that they get ad lib hay for January/February/half of March then I start backing off for Spring (weather permitting).

 

[autumn7]

Seems it may be prudent to offer a small amount of dry hay (I normally steam it) alongside foggage. If they need it I guess they'll eat it, if not I'll give up putting it out until later into winter and then try again. Hopefully the foggage will satisfy.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Never knew what foggage was. On the yard they called them Fog Fields and I thought that meant low lying fields where fog gathered adding moisture to the grass. I learn something new everyday on here.

At least you are honest. Everyone else on the forum has had to google the word ???

 

[windand rain]

There was an article recently about standing hay being better for horses and ponies but cannot find it now typically it did give all the science behind how it was better for the horse and the land

 

[MrsMozartleto]

My three - two good do-ers and one old lady - went onto the foggage last week.

I've been looking at them each day expecting to see a bit of ballooning going on but nothing. This surprises me as I'd expected to be out with the fencing getting some strips in, but so far it doesn't seem to be needed. They do have a lot of acerage to go at and have to walk a decent distance to get back to the water and the shelter.

It'll be interesting to see how it all holds up and at what point I'll be out with the extra fencing or putting hay out...

 

[L&M]

We have had to take ours back off the winter foggage as piling on the pounds.......grass is still growing and weather mild so not burning the calories to keep warm.

Last winter our foggage looked like standing hay - this year it is only about 1 ft high and far too green for my liking. The field has been rested for the same length of time as the previous one, so just shows how different growing seasons can be!

They will not go back on it until it gets cold enough to justify the extra calories.

 

[meleeka]

We have had to take ours back off the winter foggage as piling on the pounds.......grass is still growing and weather mild so not burning the calories to keep warm.

Last winter our foggage looked like standing hay - this year it is only about 1 ft high and far too green for my liking. The field has been rested for the same length of time as the previous one, so just shows how different growing seasons can be!

They will not go back on it until it gets cold enough to justify the extra calories.

Same here. It hardly grew at all in the Spring so it’s way behind what is normal. I am using a fair bit of hay already, so am tempted, but it’s far too good currently, unless I strip graze it by 6 inches a day. The field isn’t really big enough for them to get out of each other’s way if I do that though so will look forward to using less
hay after Christmas.

 

[HashRouge]

We have had to take ours back off the winter foggage as piling on the pounds.......grass is still growing and weather mild so not burning the calories to keep warm.

Last winter our foggage looked like standing hay - this year it is only about 1 ft high and far too green for my liking. The field has been rested for the same length of time as the previous one, so just shows how different growing seasons can be!

They will not go back on it until it gets cold enough to justify the extra calories.

My Welsh is the size of a small rhino atm - it's just too mild for him to burn off the calories and there is still so much goodness in the grass! Same as you, I don't think ours really counts as foggage this year as it's too short and green. I'm a bit stuck though - my YO has given us permission to graze the hay field before we go onto our winter grazing, but doesn't want it grazed too short. The field is split in two by a footpath and they'd just got the half above the footpath to a sensible level when she asked us to move them below the footpath. I totally get why she wanted them moved and I'm not complaining about that, but goodness me my Welsh won't be having any hay all winter at this rate! Equally, I don't want them on the winter field yet as it's only 3 acres between 3 of them and I know how quickly they'll get through that, so the longer they have on the hay field the better I suppose!

 

[southerncomfort]

Last year the grass was up to my waist and looked like hay. This year its barely up to my knees and very green looking.

I suppose the one good thing is that last year the wind blew it over and it turned a bit manky in some areas and that hasn't happened this year.

But it is worrying me how 'good' it looks. I have 3 natives so it'll need to be considerably colder before I can even think about putting them in there.

 

[autumn7]

Oh Lawkes... I'm gathering that even foggage feeding isn't as straight forward as I'd imagined/hoped it would be. I had wondered how it works when strip grazing if one hits a patch of grass that's flattened and manky. Do the horses merely avoid those bits?

 

[windand rain]

They eat what they can and trample the worst bits. It is an easy solution if you can strip graze it without it turning to a bog.

 

[meleeka]

Oh Lawkes... I'm gathering that even foggage feeding isn't as straight forward as I'd imagined/hoped it would be. I had wondered how it works when strip grazing if one hits a patch of grass that's flattened and manky. Do the horses merely avoid those bits?

Mine usually eat it anyway but then one is a cob ?

 

[Surbie]

Mine usually eat it anyway but then one is a cob ?

Same here, though both are unfussy 'starving' cobs.

We have gradually been moving the electric fencing around the field this year which has worked to keep them trim-ish without muzzling. The cobbly monsters hang around the tape looking longingly at the resting bits.

What was meant to be our winter foggage is still very green and only mid-calf/knee height for the most part - there is no way we are letting 2 unmuzzled cobs have unfettered access to that. Doesn't really count as foggage at the moment but hopefully it will last till the end of Feb.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The grass growth this year has been erratic and bonkers. Our hay crop was 25% down on the usual yield. I’ve started strip grazing out of the summer equicentral track into what should be foggage, it has been untouched since April. Look how short and green it is. The senior PPID mare (closest horse in pic) has run up too light in condition for this time of year. She won’t eat much hard food, so this is her last chance to pick up weight. If she gets footie on this, I think we’ll have to let her go, we’ve tried everything else.

 

[HashRouge]

Oh Lawkes... I'm gathering that even foggage feeding isn't as straight forward as I'd imagined/hoped it would be. I had wondered how it works when strip grazing if one hits a patch of grass that's flattened and manky. Do the horses merely avoid those bits?

To be honest I don't strip graze mine as if it's wet the ground holds up better when they have more space. In your shoes I'd maybe strip graze until Christmas and then let them onto a bigger area. Depends how wet it is though - if it's dry or your land drains well you might get away strip grazing for longer.

 

[autumn7]

Mine are cobs too Surbie. The little pony hoovers up anything without question, including the rank areas, given the chance. It's like owning a goat. The bigger riding cob is more discerning.
A sea of lush-looking grass there Tiddlypom. I so sympathise with you over your PPID. Do hope she thrives. Not PPID but I lost our 10 year old EMS companion pony to laminitis in August. Despite constant micro-management I just couldn't keep her sound this year. Horse management is going to have to evolve to cope with climate change for sure.

 

[autumn7]

True HashRouge, will have to watch ground conditions carefully as certainly don't want it poached if I can avoid it. I shall come out of this winter far wiser as to the land I've got!

 

[southerncomfort]

This is how mine is looking. Patches of longer hay like stuff but a lot of green. However, the tips are starting to yellow now.

 

[L&M]

That's exactly how ours is looking - last year it looked like standing hay......this year lush grass.