Hay Replacers ( Also in Stable Yard)

[SamandMonty]

In need of advice.

My old boy (somewhere around 27/8) has suddenly stopped eatting his hay at night. Pulls it out onto the floor then mashes it in his bedding but doesn't eat it. Am making appointment to have his teeth checked later this week, but in the mean time need to feed him something over night. I know lots of people use hay replacers but what quantities do you use? I have large amount of Hi-Fi lite and Fast fibre that i can use but not sure how much to give him. He's about 13.2hh appaloosa cross weighing around 370 kg.

Advice grately received and understood.

xx

 

[Fransurrey]

On the Hi-Fi lite bags it does say how much is equivalent to certain weights of hay. Can you not go off that? When I fed it as a hay replacer, he was also living out, so weights not critical, but I replaced one slice with 1.5 Stubbs scoops.

 

[SamandMonty]

He wont eat straight Hi-fi lite which is why i want to mix it and see if he will that way. As for the bag reading... they all got binned last week when i was having minor melt down and went into tidy freak mode, so no bags to read.

 

[rambling]

Sorry to hear your chap has gone off his hay at night.
Hopefully the dentist will be able to help.

Is he still able to eat grass ? Could he just have lost his appetite for it ,like a younger horse might do?

I presume you are in the UK so you might find it easier to source , Dengie used to do a bucket measure for HiFi Lite similar to a catering mayonnaise tub which is handy. Maybe ring their helpline. I'm sure if you read the bag it will give you a weight .

When my horse injured his soft palate he was off all forage except grass and I used to give him a mix of Grass nuts and Kwikbeet ( unmolassed ) soaked . Doesn't really replace hay as it won't last all night but better than nothing and my chap liked it. I couldn't give him very much as he is a good doer and had 12 hrs of grass.

Hope you find something that works for him.

 

[ohboy]

my old boy is 32 and during winter he has a large trug type bucket full up of readi grass and hi-fi mixed together as he goes off his hay which he gets through all of it, you might have to be bit more carefull with how much you feed a pony laminitus etc. will have a look on an old bag and see how much you can feed him

 

[depurple1]

Have you tried changing to a different bale? My boy loves to eat, but is also very fussy about his hay. Sometimes he has a bale he just doesn't like - if I give him a different bale, he quite happily eats it all again.

 

[SamandMonty]

Started a different bale last night so not that. Even tried soaking it but still won't eat it. Will just mix hi fi and fast fibre tonight and see how he does on that.

 

[KT88]

I've found all the feed companies are brilliant about giving advice for this sort of thing!
Some of them have forms to fill out online or you can just send an email with all the info and they are very quick at getting back to you about it. Alternatively of course you can phone their helplines for immediate answers!

 

[indie999]

The old boy we had 37 years had lost a lot of his teeth and ended up living on hi fi lite/speedibeet/pony nuts.

Hope they are ok , sounds like he might need a check up. Is he pooing ok?

 

[SamandMonty]

Indie 999 what quantities did u use of each? Am showing to book him an appointment for teeth to be checked tomorrow but need a fix for tonight. Also have to work with what i have as everything closed for bank hols.

 

[indie999]

He had it ad lib as he was underweight and we had trouble keeping the weight on.

We used Dengie Hi fi lite and pony nuts(wetted). It was the speedibeet that he probably enjoyed and for the life if me havent used this for ages(I remember we use to make a bucket of it up and would make this last for a few days) just put a made up pint jug of it into the dengie

It was just given in a trug all mixed up. I suppose if he is going to stale it perhaps you might need a wall manger type feeder(or one of those door buckets for him to eat out of)??
Ours would eat it off the floor if it got spilled?

As said before all the amounts are usually on the packets if you have thrown it away perhaps google dengie etc it must be on there? Just looked there is loads of feed info on their web page.

The idea was to help his lack of chewing ability, as he couldnt chew very well due to lack of teeth.

This went on for quite some time(months) but at 37 it was decided to call it a day as we knew we just couldnt carry on like this. He came out of the winter very underweight despite being pampered!

Could you walk him in hand to some nice grass...just to see if he would eat that at all.

If he really isnt eating just offer him a bit of everything and keep an eye.

 

[SamandMonty]

Thanks.The bugger is grazing outside quite happily, but cant leave him out as he's laminitic hence he comes in at night to give his gut a break.

He's probably just having a tanturm about not being top pone on the yard (even thou he's fed first, let out first etc) but after 4 nights of not eating anything enough is enough. I'll give him a whirl on hi fi and fast fibre tonight and see how we go and get on to vets in morning.

thanks

xx

 

[indie999]

Ahhhhhhhhh laminitic happy to eat grass........makes sense...........

Try to get him back on the dengie a tiny bit of low heat etc speedi beet will be ok as well, I would give them a bucket of the stuff for the night and hay in double hay net or small holed net hang it up so they cant tip it out and stale it.

Can they not go out at night restricted and in during daylight hours to help reduce intake. Also during the day time feed a trug size at regular intervals during the day(ie 3 times a day of a trug full).

Anything you give should be for laminitics (with the logo on) low heat high fibre etc etc

 

[SamandMonty]

My other two in at night so easier to do it that way round, and despite his age throws a tanturm if brought in on his own during the day. Screams his head off all day. Plus my baby sulks all day if he's in (bit of a sun lover).

I always buy Laminitus approved feed, as another one has had it in the past, but both on the mend now. She loves soaked hay and wears a muzzle during the daylight hours, but little old fart just rolls it off within 2 mins. Did consider taping it to his ears but abandoned that idea as didnt think waxed pony would look too good! :-D

 

[Rose Folly]

If you're desperate try handpulling him some long grass and putting that in his net. I've also (in summer) used the thinner branches of cow parsley, just spread out on the ground, which they love, and are quite succulent.

Round here Aldwyck (Court Farm, I think) Pure Grass is available. It's dried grass cut to about 3-4 inches. My horses would sell their souls for it - but it wouldn't stay in a haynet. My horse had access to a concrete yard and I used to put down some oat straw (as he was a fattie) and then sprinkle the Pure Grass over it. He spent happy hours pursuing the last little bits around.

Hope the dentist can help your horse.