Hay replacement

[julie.rockley]

Looking for a hay replacement, in the process of trying dengie hifi senior he’s not very keen on, tried honey chop oat straw doesn’t like. I know there’s so many out there just looking for suggestions and tips on how you feed etc.
Anyone use emerald green grass, graze on, just grass, readi grass?
I am feeding fibre beet which he is ok with just looking for something to bulk out with.
the reason is his teeth and quidding his hay,all checked with dentist etc.
I have also thought about chopping my own hay if anyone has any tips on this too?
tia

 

[paddy555]

how are you feeding the hi fi/oat chop? if dry or just wetted then it may be physically difficult to eat it. You could mix it into a bucket of soaked fibre beet to bulk it out.

If you google hay chopper or chaff cutter there are lots of suggestions and some you tube videos. May give you some ideas.
I have used soaked sugar beet, soaked dengie grass nuts, copra if you want to keep weight on, soaked hi fibre nuts as hay replacers.

I'm sure your dentist has thoroughly located the problem. I did once get into this situation. Horse just quidding more and more. Called dentist back and no problem so took his word for it.
General horse vet came out and I asked him to take a quick look. He thought there was a problem. Head horse vet who is dentist trained came out, sedation and he removed the offending tooth which had been loose and was the cause of the problem.
Horse was soon back enjoying a full ration of hay.

 

[Polos Mum]

I kept an elderly pony with almost no teeth for 2 winters on soaked emerald green grass nuts. They can be fed continuously but it does mean the poor thing needs to be on their own or the other horses will pinch it. They can't eat that much that quickly.

 

[NOISYGIRL2]

Most nuts will soak down into a mash, so grass nuts as suggested above, or you could try fast fibre, if he likes the fibrebeet could you add speedibeet to it to bulk it out, i know its already in the fibre beet but if its to just bulk it out to last longer ? top spec zero chaff if he doesn't require condition just something to keep him occupied, or grass chaffs, emerald green