Ideas for storing soaked feed in warm weather

GrassChop

GrassChop

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I'm trying to think of what's best to do as usually I feed soaked grass nuts as I can only feed mashes due to diastemas and for extra water intake but in the summer, when I soak them, I leave in the bucket with a cover over but they still smell "sour" when feeding. I'm not in the position to soak a couple of hours before needed as I'm at work. It also seems to depend on the batch, sometimes they have only taken 10 minutes but not guaranteed.

I swapped to fast fibre for the quick soaking but I like the grass nuts for the natural protein source and goodness. She's not the best doer and being 20 next month, I want to make sure she's getting everything she needs. She lives out 24/7 with haylage when needed, adlib in winter. Also fed a balancer, arthritis and digestive supplements plus salt.

Any ideas of how to store soaked grass nuts without them getting too warm so they don't go off? Would it help if I kept the cover off or maybe put them in the feed bin? I have a non working freezer I could use to put them in if that might work? I have tried using less water so they dry off quickly once soaked but it didn't prevent them going off. Failing that, I can swap out the Fast Fibre to something else like Spillers Senior Super-Mash which I like the sound of but higher in starch than I'd like, although not disastrous or I can go to something like Speedibeet for the mash and just mix in some grass or alfalfa nuts unsoaked for the protein/goodness?

I haven't been feeding linseed which I did really like for protein but she has actually been a lot less spooky without it so trying to keep that one out of the mix at the moment.

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated please. 🙏

Thank you.
 
If you use warm/hot water then grass nuts soak much quicker (10/15 mins), then just however long it takes for them to cool down.
I’d never feed grass nuts unsoaked again. I tried it once with a bag that says they could be fed in small amounts dry and I gave a handful in feed and my boy ended up very bloated and uncomfortable with colic like symptoms. Thankfully it cleared without vet intervention but never again.
 
SpotsandBays said:
If you use warm/hot water then grass nuts soak much quicker (10/15 mins), then just however long it takes for them to cool down.
I’d never feed grass nuts unsoaked again. I tried it once with a bag that says they could be fed in small amounts dry and I gave a handful in feed and my boy ended up very bloated and uncomfortable with colic like symptoms. Thankfully it cleared without vet intervention but never again.
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I don't have access to hot water on the yard so it would be difficult to always ensure I've got some, especially when I go straight from work, frustratingly.
I've added a few nuts in with a mash before and it has been okay but I am very wary of it for that reason.

I just want to ensure she's getting a good source of protein along with a decent sized mash for bulk and water intake.
 
Jambarissa said:
I feed simple systems grass nuts which only take 10 mins. Faster if you use some boiling water then top off with cold.

Anyway if you need to leave them for several hours try a cool box, the old fashioned plastic type with a lid. In a shaded spot.
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I'd be happy with 10 mins! I'll look into that, thank you. I have been using Graze On grass nuts but soak time fluctuates.
A cool box is an idea! Thanks!
 
At this time of year, it should be easy to keep a car battery charged with a solar panel at the field which could then heat a 12V kettle via a battery to female cigarette socket lead - or you could use the cigarette lighter in your car on the drive from work? Takes about 20-30min for 1 litre if memory serves. The kettle I have was £15 new on ebay. The remote battery lead (if needed) costs about £9.

Alternatively, I can definitely recommend the Spillers Senior Super Mash which you mentioned as an alternative as being very quick to soak, and very tasty according to those I've fed it to :) .
 
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Lois Lame said:
If you go straight from work, can't you have the grassnuts with you in a bucket, add boiling water before you leave, and have them ready when you get to the yard?
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Would be a good idea but I don't think bringing a feed bucket with grass nuts through the office to the kitchen to use the kettle and then have it sloshing around in the car on the way there would look too good. 😂
 
I second the cool box idea - to save space you could soak the nuts in freezer bags with only enough water to disintegrate them, then add more water as needed just before feeding
Or take hot water to the yard in a thermos flask

One of mine went silly on linseed too
 
Simple systems Haycare can break down in a tiny amount of water - just a flask full of boiling water will make them swell up and break down, give them a stir to help... it won't slosh about in the car if you need to do it elsewhere. Just add the appropriate amount of cold water when you get to the yard. Literally takes minutes. I wouldn't feed anything soaked for any length of time in this heat, including hay.
 
I’ve had to swap my routine from soaking overnight to a quick soak in the morning.
I feed Dengie grass nuts and speedibeet.
I’m finding that they are soaked in about 15-20 minutes, so I’ve swapped my jobs around and now make up feeds, bring in horses to a hay net, poo pick the field then put their breakfasts in just before I leave the yard. By the time I’ve poo picked the breakfast is soaked enough.
 
I've one of these that I fill with about half a bucket of water and put a couple of handfuls of speedibeet and a handful of linseed lozenges in, put lid on and whilst I'm doing my hay/water buckets and scrubbing feed buckets they soak.

Then I mix with chaff/carrots/apples/cucumber (he's spoilt) and feed one feed for tea and put the remaining feed in the other feed bucket and store in a metal bin with a lid for next day for staff to feed for breakfast. Has never caused issues left made up and stored from 6pm to 8am next day even in this heat. Shock horror I even mix bute in the breakfast feed, half a sachet and it still works!

Then before I go home I swill out and refill with water for next day. But then Lari has cast iron guts anyway!
 

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GrassChop said:
Would be a good idea but I don't think bringing a feed bucket with grass nuts through the office to the kitchen to use the kettle and then have it sloshing around in the car on the way there would look too good. 😂
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How about just taking a thermos flask to the office that you could fill with boiling water as you leave?
May not be quite enough water but can add cold water at the yard will still soak faster as hot/warm
 
I’ve been feeding grass nuts when it’s been really hot, add boiling water and stir like a maniac and then add cold, dissolved enough to feed in about 5 mins.
 
I use the 24hr soak sugar beet and only soak enough for the next day - the barn my feed is in is stays fairly cool, but when its warm I leave the (lidded) bucket tucked in a cool corner and pack straw around it. That keeps the heat out and the cool in. When its hot (like now!) I fond even sugar beet soaks faster so only have to soak half the time, so soak less and more often.
 
I pre soak grass nuts/meadow cobs for 12 hours covered in a bucket in a feed room out of the sun and have never had a problem with them going off.

I soak the morning feed the previous evening and the evening feed in the morning of the same day. It’s no extra work, they are ready as soon as I arrive to mix supplements in etc and feed.
 
Liveries at our field prepare their mash feeds the day before. They smell vinegary and rank on the odd times I’ve been asked to give them. Theirs is quick soak too! No idea why they do this. Horses are fine though I guess.
 
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Lois Lame said:
If you go straight from work, can't you have the grassnuts with you in a bucket, add boiling water before you leave, and have them ready when you get to the yard?
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I used to do this when I was using speedibeet! Got a few funny looks to start with and then it was 'oh, she's off to put the kettle on for the pony's tea, not tea for us'🤣🤣🤣
 
pistolpete said:
Liveries at our field prepare their mash feeds the day before. They smell vinegary and rank on the odd times I’ve been asked to give them. Theirs is quick soak too! No idea why they do this. Horses are fine though I guess.
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That's how the grass nuts end up smelling if they've been warm too long. Horrible vinegar smell!
 
I used to use a chiller box. Complete with ice packs and it stayed cool and fresh until feeding. Works the other way in the winter without the ice packs. Soak you sugar beet or whatever in it and put the lid on and it doesn't freeze.
 
If you have electric at the yard then buy a cheap fridge and keep the feed in it. Otherwise take the feed home and soak and refridgerate it there.
 
GrassChop said:
I don't have access to hot water on the yard so it would be difficult to always ensure I've got some, especially when I go straight from work, frustratingly.
I've added a few nuts in with a mash before and it has been okay but I am very wary of it for that reason.

I just want to ensure she's getting a good source of protein along with a decent sized mash for bulk and water intake.
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Could u bring a kettle with u to plug in, to the tack room or something?
 
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