Hay Replacer

[flowersgirl]

Hey everyone.

My 31 year old gelding is having difficulty eating hay (quidding). I've watched him try and eat some, he seems to chew it for around 5 minutes and then spits it out in a lump.

He's out in the field every day for about 5/6 hours but this weekend he's had to be limited as he is just getting over colic

Can anyone suggest a hay replacer that I could try or if you know a product that has worked with another fussy veteran.

I've already tried readigrass, which he has gone off and D&H hi fi senior which he didn't like.

Any help would be gratefully received

Thank you

 

[*hic*]

Unmolassed sugarbeet and chopped oat straw (or try the readigrass in with it).

 

[legaldancer]

the Veteran Horse Society have a recipe on their website that comprises:

Approx 3-4 scoops soaked sugar beet, scoop hi fibre cubes and an unmollassed alfalfa/ straw chaff such as Fybergy or Hi Fi Alfalfa. Can't remember exact amounts, but you make up in morning and leave to soak to feed in the evening and vice versa for morning feed.

 

[thatsmygirl]

I'm guessing you have had his teeth done recently?? Even if they were done 6 months ago I would be getting them re checked. So important with old horses. Give Allen and page a ring,they have great feeds for oldies

 

[thatsmygirl]

Has he got many teeth left??

 

[Cocorules]

My dentally challenged pony is much younger than yours. My vet suggested hi fibre cubes plus hot water to turn them into a mash. The hot water really works and I have to add cold to make it runny enough as the hot water quickly dries it out. She has been on this for 5 years now and still happy to eat it. It is meant to be used as a hay replacer.

 

[Brandy]

I have a 31 yr old TB gelding who although his teeth are ok and he can eat hay, he has never been a big hay eater. After much (and I mean LOADS....) of deliberation last year, I changed his feed. The main reason was that he had been on simple systems, but I really struggled last winter with the food freezing as it soaked. Also, it was the first year he dropped condition.

So I asked around, phoned some advice lines and decided on Allen and Page, they were really really helpful with their advice, and didn;t get fed up with my 'what ifs....' which was a miracle in itself.

So, although my boy still gets haylage in a net overnight, and access to hay during the day, he also has a scoop of alpha oil and a scoop of soaked A & P fast fibre each night. He eats this in preference to his haylage.

His feed is A & P veteran vitality and he is thirving on it! Both my vet and farrier and comment on how good he is looking and how his stiffness has eased since his change fo feed.

Also, A & P will send you a sample and a £3 voucher so you can try a feed for less!

 

[coss]

rowen barbarry have ready mash - i've known people use the green (which is basically fibre in a mash) and blue and red bags, so they get extra vits/mins in the blue/red to gain calories but also get their lots of fibre that doesn't require chewing

 

[mga4ever]

Our two oldies have Leigh chop senior as a hay replacer. This was recommended by dentist and vet.
!

 

[flowersgirl]

Thanks Legal Dancer, I will go on there and have a look

 

[flowersgirl]

Thanks everyone

He's still got all his teeth and is having the dentist out on the 20th Jan.

I've tried hi fibre cubes (soaked) and he doesn't like them so I tried 16+ cubes, I soak these and he loves it.

I also tried the mash which he has gone off. I now use Slobber Mash which he absolutely loves. He has this slightly warm as you have to soak it for 15-20 minutes. I'm also going to get some haylage on the weekend and see how he manages with this and I have also ordered senior conditioning fibre.

At the moment he's fed

veteran chaff
senior conditioning mix
slobber mash
16+ cubes soaked
corm oil
joint supplement

 

[coss]

as he's still got all his teeth and is quidding, i'd think the dentist will enable him to eat hay. My old mare had all her teeth still when she was 31. they did start to get wobbly in places, she had one out when she was 32 and one when she was 33 but she could still eat hay and all her other feed.

 

[flowersgirl]

Thanks Coss.

Thats what I'm hoping but thought that I would get something for him until then, just to be on the safe side

 

[Horsey_Anne]

I came looking for ideas for my fussy veteran... I've got some from previous posts - thanks to several of you. I'm having to cope with liquid droppings 'cos he's refusing to eat any hay/haylage I can find!
My boy loves Badminton Fibre Plus nuggets, problem is he likes them too much & gorges! I'm considering mixing them in with something else.
TopSpec FibrePlus cubes soak down to mash & are very palatable. NB these have no added vitamins&minerals so can't use as feed on their own but perfect for hay replacer.
Mollichaff veteran has proved a hit with my fussy monster in the past, also considering that one again - it's softer than many chaffs
During a hay shortage a few years ago I mixed readigrass (or equivalent) with hifi senior and grazeon gold blend

 

[rockysmum]

My old boy still has perfect (ish) teeth and can chew anything he likes. He has however got a bit lazy over eating haylage. He will eat anything you give him in a bucket though.

I will get to the point, I dont think all haylage is good for oldies. The stuff on our yard is basically seed hay made into haylage. Great for the younger ones. I think the oldies prefer a nice soft meadow hay to the stalky seed hay. So even if you hay / haylage is good quality it might not be the best for old teeth.

 

[Holly Hocks]

Fast Fibre by Allen and Page is a hay replacer with added vits/minerals, although you'd have to feed quite a lot of it to fully replace the hay.