Grass/forage nuts advice

Cop-Pop

Cop-Pop

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I've been looking at feeding my pony soaked grass/forage nuts as she has problems chewing and we haven't got to the bottom of her dental issues yet.

She can eat haylage and enjoys it, so want to supplement with the grass nuts in the stable overnight rather than change over completely.

What brands do people feed and how do they feed it? Have already spoken to Simple Systems and they were confusing and kept wanting me to change her entire diet to their feeds which I don't want to do.

She's 11.2 and borderline cushings, and also retired so need to be a bit careful.
 
Hiya, I use Dengie's grass nuts for my tbs, soaked one part nuts to two parts water, really helps keep weight on. Used Northern Crop Driers before too and they're also fab.
 
Personally I'd see which brand your local feed store stock - apart from some having higher sugar levels than others they are much the same.

Thunderbrooks hay cobs are nice soaked too. My big gelding had them warm when everything was frozen and they get his endorsement!
 
SEL said:
Personally I'd see which brand your local feed store stock - apart from some having higher sugar levels than others they are much the same.

Thunderbrooks hay cobs are nice soaked too. My big gelding had them warm when everything was frozen and they get his endorsement!
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There are two local ones and I'd need to order in for both, and the staff I've spoken to over the phone haven't been able to help at all
 
If she is not too fussy I would go with A&P fast fibre rather than grassnuts for a cushings pony, it is lower in sugar and less risky, all of my horses are on grassnuts but my laminitic was not allowed them, he was on FF if he needed feeding.
 
_Annie_ said:
Hiya, I use Dengie's grass nuts for my tbs, soaked one part nuts to two parts water, really helps keep weight on. Used Northern Crop Driers before too and they're also fab.
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I’d suggest just buying grass nuts direct

There are a number of brands of grass nuts

Emerald Green Grass nuts
Simple systems red grass nuts (high sugar and high DE)
Simple Systems blue grass nuts (lower sugar and lower DE)
Dengie grass nuts
Northern Crop Driers grass nuts
Own brand feed merchant grass nuts

The different brands have different levels of sugar, protein, omega oils etc.

I use emerald green as has best specification for me.

I avoid simple systems, as their grass nuts are both higher in sugar.

I think grass nuts are a cost effective way of putting weight on an oldie without upping starch or processed feed.

I soak mine too. Ill feed a mugful dry as a one off, any more I soak.
 
Emerald Green is fantastic- much higher quality than any others I've tried. There alfalfa nuts are very good too
 
Another vouch for emerald green. They do a grass chaff and a pellet which needs to be soaked. Grass chaff is lovely this time of year when there is little good grass about. My local tacks shop sells it for £7.50 so it is economical too. ��
 
We have used Northern Cropdriers, Emerald Green and local feed merchants' grass nuts but when my Cushing's mare was sweating a lot, we changed to Agrobs Wiesencobs and she and the others are all doing well on them.
 
Have fed grass nuts for years but have just started using Dengie and am pleased with them so far. Horses love them and the price is reasonable.

They are also not as hard as some nuts so I can use a small handful in a treat all.
 
The simple systems hay care product combined with some fast fibre and grass chaff is what keeps our elderly toothless wonder going...

Soaked until sloppy.

Fiona
 
sorry to hijack the post - but could any/all of you tell me if grass nuts send any of your horses hyper/excitable please?
thanks
 
Thank you for everyones' comments. She used to be on Fast Fibre but stopped eating it even when I added things to it. Will speak to the advisors at Dengie and Emerald Green and see what they say :) I spoke to the Emerald Green people at Badminton the other year and they were really nice, but I didn't need to feed it so never really took the information in
 
I fed my older cushings horse Simple Systems blue bag grass nuts and their Timothy chop with fast fibre. Was the perfect combination for him. Fed the grass nuts soaked and/or dry with no problems
 
I had an oldie with no teeth who I kept going for 2 winters just feeding grass nuts (I like Emerald green) soak them well - they absorb lots of water! and swell as much as sugar beet - the packets say you can feed unsoaked - but not sure that's true for horses!
I fed lots up to 5/7 big stubbs scoops a day (he couldn't eat hay) and didn't find it effected his temperament - but he was retired so harder to judge when they aren't in ridden work.
My TB was having 3/4 of a scoop most of this winter but I cut him down because of excitability - but that I think could well be the spring grass that was growing in this crazy mild winter we're having - rather than the nuts !
 
KINDMARE said:
sorry to hijack the post - but could any/all of you tell me if grass nuts send any of your horses hyper/excitable please?
thanks
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We once got a bag of "grass nuts" from a local farm store in an emergency and then realised that they contained alfalfa/Lucerne, which sends one of our horses loopy. Otherwise some may contain molasses as a binder.
 
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