Lowest energy feed to use in a snack ball?

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IsabelleJ

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At the moment my horse is just being fed on HiFi Lite and a balancer. Previously, when I had a sharer who was doing more with him, he was on competition nuts and had most of those in his snackball at night. However, he doesn't need any more of those until I find another sharer to compete him.

The balancer is too expensive to put in his snack ball (he always loses a lot underneath the door) and I don't really have another bin to put another type of nuts in. Does anyone give their horses chaff in their ball? I would be happy to switch to another type of treat dispenser, as I don't think chaff would work very well with the snack ball.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what they use? I do like him to have his ball as it keeps him occupied for up to an hour in the evening. If no one has used any kind of chaff, I may have to bite the bullet and replace the unopened bag of comp mix I was hoping to keep until I find another sharer!

Thanks for any suggestions
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Isabelle
 
Can you not put high fibre cubes in his ball? Bailey's Everyday High Fibre Cubes have 8.5 MJDE/kg which is only a tiny bit more calorific than HiFi Lite (which has 8 MJDE/kg). They are relatively cheap as well!
 
When my mare has hers she just has her lo-cal balancer in hers - she is like a high powered hoover though and doesn't lose any!

Why not try high fibe cubes?

Just seen you cant have another bin - well get a strip of flexible rubber matting and attach it to the bottom of the door to seal the gap!
 
I used to put alfa a in a snack ball when mine was on box rest but it depends if it will come out of the hole and if your horse likes it enough, mine did as he was very greedy and bored.

I also put alfalfa pellets in there.
 
[ QUOTE ]
At the moment my horse is just being fed on HiFi Lite and a balancer. Previously, when I had a sharer who was doing more with him, he was on competition nuts and had most of those in his snackball at night. However, he doesn't need any more of those until I find another sharer to compete him.

The balancer is too expensive to put in his snack ball (he always loses a lot underneath the door) and I don't really have another bin to put another type of nuts in. Does anyone give their horses chaff in their ball? I would be happy to switch to another type of treat dispenser, as I don't think chaff would work very well with the snack ball.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what they use? I do like him to have his ball as it keeps him occupied for up to an hour in the evening. If no one has used any kind of chaff, I may have to bite the bullet and replace the unopened bag of comp mix I was hoping to keep until I find another sharer!

Thanks for any suggestions
smile.gif


Isabelle

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't think chaff would work either
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Personally I would go with a fibre nut with a low DE and starch level.
 
OK, high fibre nuts it is! I think I calculated a year or so back that the Badminton ones were some of the lowest energy you could get, so will go in search of those. Thanks all!

Isabelle
 
What's wrong with chopped up carrots? Does nobody feed them any more?!

My little fatty gets chopped veg at night in her snack ball. I cut some so large it won't come out at all and she spends ages trying all the same. Obviously I chop most so it will come out - I'm not cruel!
 
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