Making plain chaff "edible"...

[wench]

After my post last week about feed, I ordered a nice big bag of just plain straw chaff. First time in the dish today, and we didn't like it, bother.

Ideally I'd like my horse to eat it up, as I want something very low calorie to put her supplements in. If she won't eat it at all, it won't go to waste, it will go in my rabbit.

A couple of things I wondered about, peppermint cordial or essence from tescos? This would possibly be good for me as it if it didn't work at least I can eat/drink it!

Peppermint from the tack shop, but then if that doesn't appeal more wasted money!

I could try some molasses, cheap as chips, but horse can't really have it; but if it encouraged her to eat it, a small amount in a few feeds won't do to much harm.

I could try mixing it with another feed. This will have to be a similar chaff based feed, I'm going to ask dengie for a sample, see if she will eat that.

Don't really want to be adding anything like sugar beet or apple juice in, as I prepare the feeds in advance for yard to give. Soaking and adding liquid (that's not water) is not the easiest.

Anyother ideas welcome as well as any thoughts!

 

[Fides]

I was going to suggest apple juice or dilute peppermint cordial...

 

[wench]

I can quite easily add some drops of peppermint food flavouring in, might get some tomorow

 

[Doris68]

Oat straw would be good, if you can lay your hands on it and if it's not too much for your horses. As Fides said, you could try some cheapo apple juice, diluted and poured over. I did use some Natural Feeds (I think?) dried mint leaves to sprinkle on the feed and it was very successful.

 

[Queenbee]

Go into a supermarket and buy a small bag of dried mint, our shop sells it for 50p but Tescos etc may charge about £1 it will be with all the dried spices. Try that, if it works get some dried mint in bulk, it lasts ages as you only need a tiny amount.

 

[wench]

It is oat straw I purchased. She happily tucks into her straw bed, she wasn't impressed when she got a bucket of straw to eat!

 

[biccie1]

Mine's the same - wouldn't touch the plain chaff. I added a small handful of fast fibre (it only takes 30 seconds to "soak" so I put the chaff and fast fibre in together and then add water to the lot) and stirred it in thoroughly. He now eats it all.

 

[wench]

She can't have fast fibre but useful to know your horse ate plain feed with "addition"!

 

[wench]

Tried some mint from adds, she set the mint on it's own but didn't want the feed!

 

[Queenbee]

Honestly, just get a small pack of dried mint from the supermarket,mits cheap as chips and you can mix it in fully, if that doesn't work, take the rest home, add some vinegar and you have some mint sauce for your lamb

 

[claribella]

fenugreek is another one you could add. My girl wouldn't eat plain chaff but then I found the thunerbrook range. They do a really nice plain nothing added or taken away, meadow hay chaff and its lovely. A bag lasts a long time and it smells beauitiful so could be worth a shot.

 

[Hen]

fenugreek is another one you could add. My girl wouldn't eat plain chaff but then I found the thunerbrook range. They do a really nice plain nothing added or taken away, meadow hay chaff and its lovely. A bag lasts a long time and it smells beauitiful so could be worth a shot.

Yes, my girl is doing well on the Thunderbrook meadow grass herb chaff (it does have a light linseed oil coating and some mint I think), also the Simple Systems Timothy hay chaff. She'll eat both on their own or mixed into Kwikbeet. Can't get her to eat oat straw on its own for love or money.

 

[ester]

what is it in the fastfibre that she can't have?

 

[Pamfyson]

Soak a cup of grass nuts and mix in. Easy I should think.

 

[wench]

Fast fibre has soya in it. It's actually quite amazing how many horse feeds have soya and/or molasses in it.

I tried a whole jar of mint from asda in her feed, and it didn't make a difference.

I went shopping last night, and now I have Cider Apple Vinegar, Fenugreek (ground up as couldn't get the seeds), and some peppermint tea. I am also going to the tack shop this evening to get some horse treats to soak and put in, to see if they help!

I have the other chaffs in reserve if required, but will be trying all of the above first before I buy another bag of feed.

 

[YasandCrystal]

It is oat straw I purchased. She happily tucks into her straw bed, she wasn't impressed when she got a bucket of straw to eat!

Ah you can't blame her it must be absolutely tasteless. I can just imagine her insensed face! Friends buy a bag of alfalfa with mint and just give a handful with the supplements or Readigrass - any of those chaffs on a handful basis will not be fattening.

 

[wench]

I think she's had a diet that's too full of sugar!

 

[ester]

ah I only asked as it might make a difference to suggestions. I used cider vinegar when Frank was being a bit problematic but I should think that readigrass would likely be a bit more palatable.

 

[wench]

Fast fibre would have been the perfect solution, but as she can't have it, had to find something that works

Got some cider vinegar to try this eve

 

[wench]

The cider vinegar hasn't worked either. Starting to run out of options now. Going to try peppermint tea tomorrow, and if that doesn't work it will get some fenugreek seeds and minty horse treats slung in for good luck!

I don't want to try putting grass nuts in her feed, as firstly they are a little bit too high energy for what I want, and secondly they need soaking for a reasonable amout of time before feeding. The yard will be giving the feeds so I'd really rather not use them.

Alternatively if anyone knows of any pony cubes that haven't got molasses or soya in it, they would probably do the job soaked !

 

[ester]

simple systems do a plain timothy chop? Is it the supplements causing issues or was she eating those well previously? can you back track and go down to lower amounts or are we talking just not eating the feed on its own?

 

[wench]

She was eating supplements when they were put in the sugar beet that the yard were feeding her. She will also eat them if they are put in with a soaked fibre block.

I wanted to find a low calorie feed that I could leave ready prepared at the yard for them simply to put in a bowl and give to her (dampening down is not a problem!)

The yard does like feeding large scoops of beet, and it's just to high in energy for my horse on her current workload. Therefore to me the easiest solution to me is to prepare exactly what I want her to be fed on and leave at the yard.

Therefore really anything soaked is out, also anything with molasses or soya in as she is allergic to both of those.

The yard don't use molassed sugar beet but her behavior has improved dramatically since coming off it

 

[wench]

More update, peppermint tea, fenugreek and minty horse treats have no effect.

Looks like I'm going to have to find something it mix it in with

 

[Pearlsasinger]

have you tried Brewer's yeast? It certainly smells tasty.


My greedy girl eats plan oat straw chaff after she has finished her hay.

 

[wench]

I did look at a pot of brewers yeast in the tack shop, but it was about £6, to be honest I don't think putting anything in her feed is going to work. Caved in today and bought some dengie hi go molasses free which she liked the sample of. Will try mixing the two together and hope it works.

But I also came across some Dodson and horrell equine sensitive that looks like it will do the job. Will have to look on their website!

 

[Tnavas]

Mix the Peppermint Oil up in a hand pump spray bottle then spray the chaff before you feed it.

You can do the same with molasses too as you can dilute it right down and just use enough to damp the chaff.

 

[wench]

I don't the spraying anything on to the chaff is going to make her eat it. She like the sample of dengie hi fi molasses free, so bought a bag, now doesn't seem bothered about that either.

 

[Queenbee]

Ok, so let's look at this another way, what supplements is she having?

 

[wench]

Balancer and protein supplement

 

[Queenbee]

What balancer specifically?