Oat Straw as Hay Replacer?

[Miss_Millie]

My mare is stabled overnight with haylage in a net. She is a good doer who puts on weight easily so I'm thinking of swapping out some of the haylage for chopped oat straw in a trug. Just wondering if there's a good ratio for how much oat straw they can/should have, e.g. two thirds haylage one third oat straw? One quarter oat straw 3/4 haylage?

And guessing whatever weight of haylage I take out should be replaced with oat straw, e.g. 2lbs haylage removed = add 2lbs of oat straw to trug?

Also, are there any health risks associated with feeding oat straw in larger quantities?

Any advice much appreciated, thanks!

 

[pistolpete]

I fed barley straw in a small holed net dangling from a beam. Minimal chance of gorging which was plan to avoid any risk of blockages.

 

[Wizpop]

Following this with interest…..

 

[Peglo]

I put a bucket of honeychop oat straw in my tubby’s stable. She ate it if she needed it but never gorged it. She’s obsessed with eating too so it’s good to have something she will eat only if she needs too.

 

[MuddyMonster]

I have a big tub trug and haynet filled with straw, I just have to refill every few days. He gets daily soaked hay too.

To be fair, he's also bedded on straw So could eat almost as much as he wants ?

 

[ponynutz]

Don't know about straw but following with interest!

Hay instead of haylage is always my go to when I want them to lose a few.

 

[maya2008]

I have done so in the past. Currently, we put down straw in the barn, they wander in and eat it all. Not great for bedding as it disappears, but cheaper than hay if that’s what they want to eat ?!

 

[rabatsa]

Mine have a large round of barley straw netted in a ring feeder with 24/7 access all year round. Hay gets given in piles or nets, depending on how rationed it is. Grass is on a track which has been shut off for two weeks now as the mare was getting itchy.

They are eating 2/1 straw/hay, I would not go below this with a pony but would with donkeys and mules.

 

[Polos Mum]

I can't get clean oat straw in bales (so much straw is sprayed before harvesting) so I use top chop zero (I would use Ossi chaff but can't get that either)

They have 2 big stubbs scoops of it in a tub in the stable - some times they scoff it and others it's ignored for 3-4 days before being picked at - all related to rain / grass growth.

If introduced slowly you could comfortably get to 50% straw, indeed I think in some non UK countries where hay is harder to get at they are higher than that.

My big irish bred horse would eat straw in the field over grass !

ETA - people will mention a colic risk - because it's really dry, so essential to have plenty of fresh clean water available when upping the straw proportion.

 

[Maryann]

I've been restricting hay and letting himself eat as much straw as he likes for a few years now. I'd heard about the colic risk and his 'hard' feed includes a scoop of wet bran. I haven't had any issues.