Hay replacers

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louisebrear

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What are we going to do in the winter? I don't know whether anyone else is seriously thinking about this yet, but there is no hay!!!
frown.gif
Feeding hay replacers is going to be really expensive this year for the multiple horse owner!! anyone else got any thoughts on what we are going to do to get through the winter?
 
I have been thinking about this and decided that if we run out / get priced out of hay / haylege I will rough my boy off for the winter and turn him out. We don't have enough turn out at the yard but I'm very fortunate in that my father who lives 60 miles away has an ungrazed 4 acre paddock - with a field shelter and stables (but no point stabling if I'm trying to save on hay!)

It will mean my boy isn't ridden much but at least it will see him through the winter. I will hopefully have enough hay to bring him back to the yard should the weather become very cold / awful.

For the meantime I am trying to buy what hay my supplier has left - he is an elderly gent who cuts his own and really only supplies it to me! - I think he may have approx 30-40 bales of old hay left. Although I think he may be on holiday at the moment as I cannot get hold of him!

I'm not panicking just yet though as there is hope the hay will be cut late August
 
haylage mixed with barley straw, Ive used it before with success after recommendation from our vet
 
I think it depends where you are. There's so much talk of a hay shortage, but in all honesty I don't think it'll be as bad as predicted. The only thing which will cause prices to ride and people to run out is people panic buying.

If we get the predicted good August things will be fine.

If the worst happens then you can always feed happy hoof, or mix with straw.

Other than that there's always good old grass. If we have a dry winter then hopefully we can have good turnout and there won't be the need for use of hay all through.
 
just remember there very well could be a shortage of straw also.
i have just got 12 rounds of last years straw & 3 of hay, hoping to find more hay asap.
 
It is a problem in the south and other areas. There is less old hay from last year as yields were reduced owing to the drought, I don't know anybody locally who has managed to cut hay, and our YO has had to make haylage just to get it off the field..so we do have something to feed this winter.

I managed to buy in two big bales of haylage today made last year to get us through the expected bad weather this weekend..he only had five bales left and the new stuff isn't ready to use yet.
 
I am already feeding George a trug of hi-fi mixed with readigrass at night to eek out the hay (just in case), having been doing it for a week now and he seems fine and it slows his eating down a bit - yeah!
 
Our YO makes haylage as it's so much easier than hay so we should be ok this winter. The haylage he makes is virtually hay though, it is very dry and doesn't smell so we can feed it like hay which is good.

Mixing hay and straw would work. In all honesty i doubt the shortage will be as bad as made out.
 
Hmm have been feeding hi fi as only have 2 bales left of hay! this isn't going to last 5 horses and ponies through the winter!!! Hopefully things will improve now this week has been dry. Feeding hi fi to loads of horses will be v expensive all winter. can't use haylage as have laminitic ponies bugger!
 
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