Hay blocks

[Supertrooper]

Was very unsure about getting these but really glad I did as he loves them, does anyone else use them?

 

[GLW]

I use the just grass ones more than the hay ones (but have had hay ones too) and love them. I pop one in most evenings for my mare. I even have a mini haynet to hold them so they don't get mixed into her bed and they keep her occupied for a little while.

 

[RubysGold]

I was really tempted when I saw them, but my vet put a warning on fb that she has seen quite a few chokes caused by them. However, you can now get a small haynet for them so I think that reduces the risk
I think now, if I bought one I would soak it, apparently you can and it just fluffs up

 

[Char0901]

I got two for my gelding. Only used one so far but he really liked it. Put it in the little net. Didn't soak the first one but think I will with the next one. Kept him busy though but at £2.50 each they become quite an expensive boredom breaker when you add it all up!

 

[GLW]

The vitamunch ones are pricey (£3 round my way) but my local feed shop do a just grass or a timothy hay one for £1 each or £9.99 for 12

 

[Supertrooper]

My local tack shop does the fulmart high fibre equi blox, £9.95 for 12x1kg

 

[teasle]

I just dont get it, why not just give an extraslice of hay?

 

[Summer pudding]

I was tempted...how long do they last?

 

[Moya_999]

Was very unsure about getting these but really glad I did as he loves them, does anyone else use them?

Yes all the time in the winter, my horses love them

 

[twiggy2]

I just dont get it, why not just give an extraslice of hay?

this

 

[mainpower]

I just dont get it, why not just give an extraslice of hay?

That's how I feel.

 

[Supertrooper]

We've got no storage at field, so I can keep these in my car and then other horses owner has haylage in his car as he's got a 4x4 xx

 

[dollyanna]

I use them as toys in a tiny net in the barn when my two are in overnight. They have hay as well on the floor, and hanging vegetables. My mare prefers to eat the hay on the ground, but my gelding really loves having his toys and will go for the blocks first, then veg, then hay on the floor. He just likes the extra challenge and fun on playing with it I think! Even when he got one out and onto the floor he preferred that to normal hay.

 

[Shay]

Enrichment! Something different for the horse to chew on. Probably a slightly different flavour. (Not a horse so I can't speak definitively to this bit!) Crunching a block - and kicking it about the stable - gives a different eating experience. Can be closer to natural behaviour for stabled horses as they can forage around the bed for it - unless you put it in a bucket obviously. You can also soak them to pulp and use them as hay replacement for anything dentally challenged. On vet's advice we have also used them (soaked) in place of well soaked hay for animals recovering from a range of issues from choke to colic.

So there are reasons -although you may not agree with them.

 

[Montyforever]

Seen them used as total forage replacer for an oldie before as he couldn't eat hay anymore. Worked well, he lived on those for at least a year before he was pts from something completely unrelated

 

[happyclappy]

O bought some just to try, and they all love them. I didn't buy them regularly, they were just a treat.

 

[dogatemysalad]

I was really tempted when I saw them, but my vet put a warning on fb that she has seen quite a few chokes caused by them. However, you can now get a small haynet for them so I think that reduces the risk
I think now, if I bought one I would soak it, apparently you can and it just fluffs up

Didn't know that. Mine enjoy them, it's something different to nibble at and different to eating hay.

 

[Abby-Lou]

Equilage do 12 in a pack for around £11 my pony loves them but a bit of a treat !

 

[Jazmyn101]

My horse loves them! I also don't get the hay ones, I get ones called meadow bricks by simple systems? I think. Think there are around 20/25 (something like that) in a bag for roughly £13/14. I had the little haynet but it is very flimsy and lasted 2 days before my horse had made a huge hole in so now she just gets it in the floor which keeps her occupied for a bit while she is on box rest.

 

[Char0901]

The vitamunch ones are pricey (£3 round my way) but my local feed shop do a just grass or a timothy hay one for £1 each or £9.99 for 12

Yeah it's the Vitamunch ones that I bought (a meadow one and something else?) My local tack shop does sell them loose, but I didn't like the fact I didn't know what was in them as they weren't in a bag or anything. Might be better buying online in 'bulk' might work out cheaper. Then again, I did only buy them as a treat for him every now and again. Something different.
The ones I got were different to just an extra slice of hay, made up of nettles, thistles etc.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

My pigs loves the gold label ones and it stops the hay mess in the house

 

[WelshD]

My two get a hay block every evening if they are stabled, I find Halleys blocks are the best textured ones, not as dusty as the cheapest ones and not as loosely compressed as the Vitamunch ones.

The vitamunch ones can be torn apart to provide quite a nice clean chaff and I throw wedges if it in amongst hay, put in to stable toys etc, I would be less worried about choke with those as the bits are still quite long stranded

The more compressed ones I have soaked and used as a base of a high fibre diet or as something different to keep a stabled pony interested

I have about 15 bags stored at the moment taking up less room than one bale of hay. The ponies still get conventional hay though

most contain Alfalfa which is worth noting if your equine has a problem with it

 

[Summer pudding]

This might be a silly question but how long do they last - my pony is stabled a lot at the moment and doesn't have short feed, only haylage - so I'm looking for something containing a few vits/mins that's easy to feed, and could relieve the boredom.

 

[Copperpot]

Mine don't get hay as live out and got loads of grass left. So they get these as a treat and to give them something to nibble on. I did have the mini hay net but Chester destroyed it!!

 

[Moya_999]

The meantion of choke with these is a fair comment but horses can choke on anything ATEOTD and one here choked just eating his main meal. So choking would not put me off buiying these as I just have had a new order of these a few weeks ago.

 

[PStarfish]

I usually have a bag in stock which I keep outside my stable - I find them handy to just chuck over the door into feed bucket if I want to keep pony busy while I go and poo pick or do other chores before I ride. Easier than going all the way round to the hay barn for a wedge of hay. She probably gets one a week max. They don't take her that long to eat - 20-30 mins max so not really all that good as a boredom breaker - mind you, a kilo of hay wouldn't last her any longer! She's a greedy wotsit! But she does seem to love them.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I was given a sample one by a local feed store. Horse ate it in about 10 minutes so I didn't buy any more! Had it taken him longer I'd have definitely used some just for variety and boredom breaker-ness!!! (I know that's not a word!)

 

[Bright_Spark]

I got a couple for mine last year and neither were fussed with them - I think I threw them away after a week and just a couple of mouthfuls taken out of them Might try again with some different ones this year as think they could be useful as an extra source of fibre & vits

 

[Supertrooper]

This might be a silly question but how long do they last - my pony is stabled a lot at the moment and doesn't have short feed, only haylage - so I'm looking for something containing a few vits/mins that's easy to feed, and could relieve the boredom.

I timed it this morning, I'm using the Fulmart feeds equi blox (high fibre) and to eat the actual block it took mine 40mins and then he had lots of hay scraps to hoover up.

His field mate was still only 2/3 of the way through his at 40mins xx

 

[Summer pudding]

I timed it this morning, I'm using the Fulmart feeds equi blox (high fibre) and to eat the actual block it took mine 40mins and then he had lots of hay scraps to hoover up.

His field mate was still only 2/3 of the way through his at 40mins xx

Thank you so much for timing consumption - that cheered me up as the sample I tried lasted only 10 mins, not sure which one but defo not the one you use.