Oat straw chaff for weight control

[wildandwoolly]

For those who have successfully used oat straw chaff as part of their fatties weight control strategy, could I ask at what proportions do you use it. I was thinking of gradually reducing haynet overnight and substituting with oat straw chaff. Late night haynet is currently 3.5 kg and thinking about substituting up to half with chaff. Just wondering if this would be too much chaff (obviously introduce it gradually) or not enough to see a slimming result!! Thanks for reading and look forward to any replies.

 

[Fransurrey]

Your problem might be getting them to eat it. Whilst mine ate oat straw itself, mixed in with hay or when hay ran out, they never touch a bucket of oat straw chaff.

 

[Nudibranch]

I have to admit I've not weighed the chaff. I give it ad lib, so half a large trug full means there's always some left. Given how low calorie it is, I think it's safe to feed as much as they'll eat.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I didn't weigh it either. I gave her about half the hay she would have had if I'd been giving it ad-lib, split in to either 2 or 3 amounts and given on coming in at dusk, 7.00pm and 11.00pm with a trug full of chaff, which I was happy to top up, if she had spilled it, or made it filthy (!). She soon found out that there was a choice - eat it or leave it. She did eat quite a lot of it when she got used to the taste, then she gradually ate a bit less, when she realised that she would always have something available to eat.

 

[TotalMadgeness]

One of mine wolfs it down and the other just plays with it! But it has been instrumental in successful weight management. Usually a medium sized trug full is enough.

 

[autumn7]

I have recently read (although not sure where) that no more than 0.25% of total forage weight can be straw. I feed 1.5kg per day to my 13.2 welsh pony as part of her hay ration. This comes up to the 30L mark on a 42L sized trug. A level Stubbs scoop of Thunderbrooks Herbal Chaff (200g) mixed in makes it far more palatable if you need to encourage interest in it initially. Mine currently has this plus a 2kg haynet to see her through a 7 1/2 hour night. All hay is eaten and about 1 kg of the straw by the morning so I may give less straw. This is for diet purposes as she's becoming a chubber.

 

[Peter7917]

Where do people get it? I've been feeding top chop zero but interested in alternatives.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I used Halley's or Honeychop. I believe Topchop Zero has some appetising ingredient, so the horses wolf it down, which is not the effect that you want.

 

[Peter7917]

That makes sense. Says on the bag that they should initially refuse it. Mine treat it like any other bucket feed and scoff it

 

[chaps89]

I can safely say whatever the 'yummy' ingredient supposedly exists in the topspec one, my hugely unfussy fatty flat out refused to eat it!

 

[Nudibranch]

Topchop zero has apple flavour sprayed on (it smells quite nice) but although mine were very interested the first day or two, the novelty soon wore off and there's always some left if they've been in overnight.
The 0.25% seems a good idea as it's not nutritious but it's so light and bulky you'd need an awful lot to overdo it!

 

[DD]

I mix mine 50:50 with Dengie healthy hooves. they wolf it down. they also now have oat straw in their hay rack they wernt keen at first but once they get a taste for it they eat it. if they do not they are not hungry enough. straw weights lighter than hay on a leaf for leaf basis. mixing up to 50 :50 by volume is usually ok but I would not want to go more than that.

 

[wildandwoolly]

Thank you all for your replies, they have been most helpful. I'm pleased to say that he is happy to eat it so I will now increase the amount and reduce his hay accordingly. Hopefully I will begin to see a difference over the next few weeks, and more so when I am fit enough to ride again

 

[DD]

Where do people get it? I've been feeding top chop zero but interested in alternatives.

iasked on a local FB page if anyone had any oat straw in small bales to sell. had several replies.

 

[riversideeu]

Why no you just feed straw instead. When my cob had laminitis and EMS she just got straw and antilam with her metformin. We got rid of both and she has been well for 3 years at age 22 but I still feed her straw but with some hay now too.

 

[Leo Walker]

I do, I mix straw with hay and give them deep beds to pick at, but I do it to slow them down. I dont really want them eating tons of straw, esp as I can only get hold of wheat.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I did feed the Draft mare barley straw (couldn't get oat locally) but she coliced twice, I wasn't prepared to let her do it again!

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Honey chop lite and healthly in a big bucket. He gets half is hay ration as that in summer Whne in durying the day and in winter about 4 kilos of his hay as that.

 

[Gift Horse]

My 2 horses love oat straw. If I feed the plain Honeychop in a trug they scoff it - and they have access to hay and grass! Long oat straw from the hay and straw dealers works better for me; fed that way they eat about a small bale section a day between the two of them. It’s not part of their feed ration just offered should they want extra roughage.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Honey chop lite and healthly in a big bucket. He gets half is hay ration as that in summer Whne in durying the day and in winter about 4 kilos of his hay as that.

The problem with Lite & Healthy is that it isn't as lite or healthy as their plain oat straw chaff, it is coated in oil, so not as suitable for those you wish to lose weight.

 

[oldie48]

I can't get oat straw locally so am now feeding Fatty topspec zero as my local feed merchant wll get that in for me. Fatty will eat it, I give him half a trug when he comes in (he's muzzled and out on grass for the day) and I notice he doesn't eat it straight away but it's gone by the time I give him his soaked hay for the night. He's still too fat but isn't getting any bigger.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

The problem with Lite & Healthy is that it isn't as lite or healthy as their plain oat straw chaff, it is coated in oil, so not as suitable for those you wish to lose weight.

Mine has lost a good amount of weight on the above routine.

He had nearly a year off due to suspensory branch injury and this was the only way I could get his weight down.

He has skin problems as well and the oil helps that.

It's what works for your horse