Hay Replacer or Chaff Cutter?

Hay Replacer or Chaff Cutter?

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Derfette

Derfette

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I've recently been told by my dentist that my boy's teeth are starting to expire as he is finding eating hay more difficult. She has advised me to either feed a hay replacer (such as Hi Fi Original) or get a chaff cutter and cut up my own hay. Which option would you try? Having never been in this position before, I'd been interested in reading your opinions and experiences of both.
 
I think that you will find it difficult to source a chaff cutter locally [heavy agricultural machinery, but would fit in a trailer] but this is wht I would look at for long term use.
In Ye Olden Days we chopped clean oat straw and clean timothy/ meadow fescue horse hay.
Nowadays you need to ensure the oat straw is not only clean but also organic, else it may have added chemicals. It is worth while paying extra for top quality ingredients imho if you are in any way unhappy with you sources. You can add molasses solituton just before feeding to cut out any dust, I would still leave a few things for horse to play with, as it is a bit of a boring diet, you could add a few herbs which you can gather and dry at this time of the year, mint, nettles, and other favourites.
Also mollaseed sugar beet pulp which can be fed sloppy, and used to feed vits and minerals, check poo for undigested materials!
 
we used a garden shredder for my pony's hay when he was struggling.It does work but the hay is about 6" long and it has to be a robust shredder!It is also a very noisy,dusty job and you really need to wear a proper dust mask and eye protection.My pony now can't eat any hay so has big tubs of Graze-on Gold blend instead,much easier all round,though can prove expensive at times.
 
lucys_stick said:
we used a garden shredder for my pony's hay when he was struggling.It does work but the hay is about 6" long and it has to be a robust shredder!It is also a very noisy,dusty job and you really need to wear a proper dust mask and eye protection.My pony now can't eat any hay so has big tubs of Graze-on Gold blend instead,much easier all round,though can prove expensive at times.
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did you try puting through the shredder twice?
 
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