Oberon
Well-Known Member
If a horse should avoid hay or haylage for a few months for issues with teeth and choke - what can I feed whan not on grass?
hay replacer?
- Thread starter Oberon
- Start date
teddyt
Well-Known Member
There are lots of alternatives- fibre nuts, allen and page fast fibre, short chop chaff such as D&H fibergy, dengie hifi light, grass chaff. Or use a couple of these. Ideally use some sort of chaff to prolong chewing time and help the gut motility but you could also feed a bucket of soaked fibre too e.g unmollassed suagr beet/fast fibre.
Basically look for high fibre feeds and if your horse is a good do-er select ones that are lowest in energy- (DE mj/kg).
Basically look for high fibre feeds and if your horse is a good do-er select ones that are lowest in energy- (DE mj/kg).
TGM
Well-Known Member
Depends on how bad the choke is and whether you have to feed total mush or whether you can give short chop feeds. If you need a mush type feed then soaked high fibre cubes, Fast Fibre or soaked grass nuts are an option. If the horse is allowed a short chop feed then a grass chaff (such as Readigrass or Graze On) or something like Happy Hoof. If the horse is prone to choke then I would probably avoid Dengie HiFi - although it is a useful hay replacer in many cases it is rather coarse and might cause a choke in a susceptible horse. Chaffs such as Happy Hoof are softer and finer and less of a problem.
Whatever, you use, do check with the manufacturer whether it is suitable as a total hay replacer - some feeds such as Alfa A or alfalfa cubes are too high in protein and certain minerals to replace the entire hay ration. What you choose will also depend on whether the horse is a good doer or not - Readigrass, for example, is quite high in calories and would be best for a poor doer whereas Happy Hoof is better for a good doer or laminitic.
Whatever, you use, do check with the manufacturer whether it is suitable as a total hay replacer - some feeds such as Alfa A or alfalfa cubes are too high in protein and certain minerals to replace the entire hay ration. What you choose will also depend on whether the horse is a good doer or not - Readigrass, for example, is quite high in calories and would be best for a poor doer whereas Happy Hoof is better for a good doer or laminitic.